Arthritis and osteoarthritis are quite common today. Many people confuse these diseases because of the similarity of their manifestation. However, in fact, the two conditions are very different from each other. You can only understand the difference between diseases if you study their characteristics.
Types of pathology
It is not possible to define joint disease based solely on pain. Almost all diseases of the musculoskeletal system are accompanied by pain.
The following diseases are the most common:
- Arthritis,caused by inflammation of the joint surface. This inflammation occurs for a variety of reasons. The primary form develops against the background of a number of diseases of a gouty, septic and rheumatic nature.
The secondary form can develop after systemic lupus erythematosus, borreliosis, arthropathy.
- osteoarthritis,causing destruction of the cartilage and part of the bone below.
The primary usually grows for no reason. It usually manifests in older people and affects the surface of the large, symmetrical bony joints.
The secondary form of the disease occurs after severe illness. Often the development of this form is caused by a genetic predisposition.
Often, inflammation of large bone joints (shoulder, knee) is caused by excessive weight, heavy physical exertion, past trauma and endocrinological diseases.
- Arthropathies - violation of the integrity of the joints as a result of complex diseases.
- Tendonitis is an inflammatory process that occurs in the tendons.
- Enthesitis - structural changes at the junction of soft tissue with bones.
- Bursitis is a lesion of the bursa.
- Capsulitis - inflammation and violation of the integrity of the joint capsule.
How to distinguish osteoarthritis of varying severity from arthritis? You should know that arthritis and osteoarthritis have a different nature of manifestation, which determines the treatment of arthritis.
Difference in functionality
How is arthritis different from osteoarthritis? Signs that indicate the presence of a particular disease. The signs of arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint are specific.
What is osteoarthritis? A chronic disease that is inherently destructive. The peculiarity of the disease is that it affects the cartilage and is irreversible.
The disease most commonly affects people of both sexes over the age of 60. That is, osteoarthritis of the knee joint is considered to be a disease in which large-scale destruction of the cartilage occurs. Initially, a large joint is affected, for example the ankle. It is his treatment that deserves special attention.
When rheumatoid arthritis affects the hands or feet, inflammation is found in several bone joints simultaneously. The main difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis is that the second condition is accompanied by inflammation of the large bone joints - knee, shoulder.
Arthritis has a number of secondary symptoms. In particular, it causes swelling in the joints, redness around them. In addition, the patient has a fever, blocking motor functions. One of the factors can provoke disease: allergies, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders and trauma.
In the case of an inflammatory process, the motor activity of a person is impaired. In particular, the range of motion is considerably reduced. This restriction applies both to movements performed independently and to those for which a person needs assistance.
Inflammation affects one or more joints at the same time. Usually, this phenomenon is accompanied by pain without a clear place of their localization, and the articular surface of the ankle or foot joint remains intact.
It should be remembered that the main danger of this disease is that changes occur not only in bone tissue, but also in other organs, for example, the digestive, visual and excretory organs. The changes can also affect the dermis.
The disease affects people of all ages, however, most often the disease is diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 50.
As for pain, arthritis accompanies it all the time. In the presence of osteoarthritis, the destruction of bone tissue is usually asymptomatic, without causing pain, so the patient does not notice it.
In the first case, the disease manifests itself in one way or another. It is accompanied by weakness of the body, sometimes psoriasis. In the second case, all inflammatory changes occur without external signs.
Arthritis inflammation manifests externally as swelling of the soft tissue. They are also characterized by paralysis of the joints. Changes of a different nature occur smoothly and practically do not manifest themselves. However, they are characterized by a specific "dry" crackle that appears as a result of seal wear.
What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? The second causes destruction of cartilage, and rheumatic disease manifests itself as inflammation of bone tissue. It is these signs that are the main ones by which we can distinguish arthritis that has struck a person or osteoarthritis.
Difference in symptoms
How is osteoarthritis of different origins different from arthritis? Osteoarthritis and arthritis differ in the symptoms of the disease. Knowing them is very important, as symptoms and treatment are interrelated.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint have similar symptoms. However, you can still tell them apart. Arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint and others are manifested by severe pain. However, the nature of the pain is different. With osteoarthritis, the patient feels pain when moving or due to a heavy load on the knees. She is in pain, the attack lasts a long time.
The first stage is characterized by mild pain, therefore, the disease is often detected only during diagnosis.
In the next step, the patient feels pain even under low load conditions.
At the third stage of its development, the disease is considered neglected. Pain can appear even when there is no movement. After changing the position of the joint to a comfortable position, the pain goes away.
Hand, shoulder or hip disease is characterized by sharp pain that does not go away at all. Often a pain attack begins early in the morning. The symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis are different. You can understand whether arthritis or osteoarthritis has affected the joints by the presence of a crunch. If heard, it means that the second condition has hit the bone joint.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint or other large joints may be accompanied by tightening if the cartilaginous layers have been destroyed and there is direct contact with the bones.
The disease negatively affects the mobility of an affected joint. For example, osteoarthritis of the knee is accompanied by pain in the leg. Arthritis arthritis or another type of arthritis occurs with a feeling of stiffness throughout the body.
How is arthritis different from osteoarthritis? In addition, knee osteoarthritis proceeds without external swelling, but with an external change in the joints.
Osteoarthritis or Arthritis Affects the Joints: What's the Difference? In addition to the main symptoms, arthritis is accompanied by hyperthermia, eye inflammation, excessive sweating, and weakness.
Differences in diagnostics
It is possible to diagnose arthritis of various origins and osteoarthritis only by determining the cause of the development of this disease. Treatment begins only after the level of activity of the development of the disease is determined. In addition, during the diagnosis, the attending physician must make a prognosis to avoid a bad result.
Treatment of osteoarthritis in different stages and arthritis begins only after a detailed diagnosis.
The complex of medical tests includes general clinical laboratory research, x-rays, microscopy and bacteriological research.
Diseases of different origins differ in the results of the analyzes performed.
If arthritis and osteoarthritis are not treated quickly, it will become impossible to cure them. In addition, systematic prevention of arthritis and osteoarthritis should be carried out. Do you want to get rid of arthritis and osteoarthritis with effective treatment? Get a major exam that includes MRI and arthroscopy.
An informative method that allows you to identify the difference between manifestations of arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee is x-ray.
Treatment differences
How are arthritis and osteoarthritis treated? Symptoms and treatment of conditions are interrelated. The treatment for arthritis and osteoarthritis is the same, but there are some differences. From the point of view of medicine, the diseases differ, therefore, the treatment of forms of osteoarthritis and arthritis is certain.
How to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis? Complex therapy will help cure any of the diseases. In both cases, patients with osteoarthritis and arthritis are prescribed treatment, including drugs (drugs are prescribed by a doctor). Physiotherapy is prescribed, that is, physical therapy, which is especially important for patients with arthritis or a form of osteoarthritis of the knee joint, as it helps speed up treatment. For arthritis and osteoarthritis of the joints, treatment includes diets, the menu of which varies.
Those who want to improve their health "without drugs" often carry out treatment with various folk remedies.
Illnesses can last quite a long time and become chronic. Despite the reason for their appearance, they provoke the development of complications. That is why patients should be constantly or for a long time under medical supervision and undergo rehabilitation, the program of which is specially designed for them.
In order to avoid the development of diseases, special attention should be paid to disease prevention.
- First, it is necessary to treat all diseases of the musculoskeletal system in time and undergo a full rehabilitation after injuries.
- Second, you should limit or at least regulate physical activity, eat well and watch your weight.
- Third, you should always consult a doctor to determine the presence and correct bone deformities in time.
The difference between the two diseases is therefore significant. It manifests itself by symptoms, signs and causes of diseases. The nature of the course is also specific. In the absence of timely qualified assistance, inflammatory processes in bone tissue and cartilage can cause complications.
Prevention will help to avoid the development of this or that disease, which deserves special attention.