The tissues of healthy joints consist of cells capable of recovering from damage - regeneration. Bones, cartilage, synovium and other constituents can become harmful to health. Damaged dead cells accumulate in certain tissues. They do not have the ability to divide, which inhibits regeneration. They are difficult to remove, which is a major problem in restoring joint health.
Under any physical effort, strong mechanical stress can damage cells and lead to their death. It is difficult for an already diseased joint to support the load. It is very difficult to cure. To avoid the disease or to overcome it, it is necessary to understand the defense mechanisms of the articular tissues and cells. In the area of joint injuries, arthritis, osteoarthritis, polyarthritis and other diseases are distinguished. Let's consider in detail the difference between arthritis and arthrosis.
First cause of the disease
The joint is protected by neuromuscular damping. Thanks to the muscle contraction control system, the shock effect does not occur or is mitigated. The nervous system ensures smooth movement and distribution of loads. In a calm state, the muscles also stimulate microvibrations, leading to the release of lubricant, the removal of dead cells.
Impaired neuromuscular damping occurs due to poor conduction of nerve pathways. For example, fatigue weakens a joint's defenses. Dead cells start to accumulate without having time to be excreted. The result is inflammation. The weakening of the protection accelerates the degradation not only of the joints, but also of the spine.
Several factors increase the risk of joint disease, starting with blows, bruises, overload and hypothermia. Arthritis occurs - an inflammation process. If it is impossible to cure for months, deformities begin - arthrosis.
What is arthritis: causes, symptoms
The reasons for the occurrence can be specified:
- Wrong food.
- Bad habits: alcohol, smoking.
- Systematic hypothermia.
- Injuries.
- Excessive tension in the joints.
- Consequences of previous diseases, infections.
The disease is detected by the following symptoms:
- Edema in the joint area, painful sensations, increased sensitivity, limited mobility (ie synovitis).
- Acute pains during movement and at rest.
- Stiffness in the morning due to swelling at night. An hour after the start, the activity passes.
In addition to the listed signs, inflammation symptoms may appear: weakness, sweating, chills, fever. Some have headaches, weight loss. Sometimes, concomitant illnesses occur: the heart and lungs are affected.
What is arthrosis: causes and symptoms
As a consequence of progressive arthritis, the symptoms of arthrosis, in most cases, only appear after 40 years.
The disease is characterized by the following manifestations:
- Pain does not appear in a calm state, but during exertion. Unpleasant sensations occur in the hip or knee joint when walking, using a ladder or exercising. This initial pain can disappear with new movements. There is also a strong painful sensation, accompanied by a click, when bending, without bending.
- Pain when starting to move after resting arises as a result of the deposition of debris on the friction surfaces - products of the destruction of cartilage and bone. The sensation can cease after 15 minutes because this sediment is expelled.
- Dull pain at night appears as a result of venous congestion.
In arthrosis, inflammation often occurs. Along with painful sensations, swelling is observed (as in arthritis). If symptoms of both diseases are present, arthrosis-arthritis is diagnosed.
The long-term course of arthrosis can cause limited mobility. In the muscles, tendons, degenerative changes (contractures) begin and then deformation. In this case, the diagnosis is made - deforming arthrosis or osteoarthritis.
Distinguish the stages of the disease, which are determined by X-ray images, as a result of computed tomography:
- 1 degree- slight changes in cartilage, bone. Painful swelling occurs with moderate effort, decreasing after a period of rest.
- 2nd degree- destruction of cartilage, growth of bone tissue at the edges in the form of osteophytes. Narrowing of the joint space, accompanied by constant pain. The swelling also becomes stable.
- 3, 4 degrees- extensive destruction of cartilage and bone. The swelling does not go away, the ligaments and muscles do not work properly and deformation occurs. The load axis is disturbed at the joint.
The risk factors that lead to osteoarthritis are:
- Lack of mobility.
- Excess weight.
- Age factors.
- Infections due to insufficient blood and lymph flow, stagnation.
In all situations, tissues do not have time to recover during the joint destruction process.
Differences between arthritis and arthrosis
Both arthritis and arthrosis are becoming more common diseases. The diseases that affect the joints have similar names. The differences lie in the nature of the negative changes that occur during the onset and development of symptoms. Arthritis pain is a consequence of inflammation of the tissue. The synovium is affected, its blood supply, the lymph is interrupted, the disease affects the nerve endings. The joint stops feeding properly and also stops producing lubricant. Cartilage suffers.
The disease can be seen not only in adults, but also in children (juvenile form). The lesion affects all joints, even small ones, such as fingers, and can also cover several of them (polyarthritis).
Arthrosis occurs as a result of prolonged arthritis. Cartilage and the entire joint do not receive nourishment from the synovial fluid (lubricant) for a long time. There are often exacerbations in the form of inflammation. First, the cartilage is destroyed, like the bone covering, and in the following stages the bone tissue can suffer. Cartilaginous areas do not have time to regenerate, they soften. Due to the violation of sliding surfaces in the joint, pain arises.
This disease occurs after 40 years. Affecting large joints (hip - coxarthrosis or knee - gonarthrosis), it can lead to disability, making the person disabled. Fingers (osteoarthritis) and feet are less commonly affected. And the disease can also be seen in the temporomandibular, elbow, shoulder and other joints.
Thus, arthrosis is a consequence of the development of arthritis symptoms, assuming a destructive phase.
Prevention and treatment
Nutritional deficiencies in cartilage and joints in arthritis should not be exacerbated by inflammation. Simultaneously with the reimbursement of outbreaks with anti-inflammatory drugs, the cause must be eliminated. If you don't act, the disease can turn into osteoarthritis. If you suspect both diseases, you need to diagnose correctly, for which you need to consult a specialist doctor. This is done by a rheumatologist, orthopedic traumatologist and surgeon. It is necessary to visit the clinic. And in some diagnostic centers, these patients are seen by an arthrologist.
An important healing principle is to stop destruction while stimulating recovery. This approach will help prevent irreversible changes. To do this, the tissues are cleaned of damaged cells resulting from injuries or infections. Increase blood and lymphatic flow, nutrition. Insufficient conduction of spinal nerve connections is often the cause of the development of arthritis and osteoarthritis. When signs of illness appear, it is necessary to reduce the load on the joint.
Drug therapy includes:
- Non-steroidal drugs that inhibit inflammation and relieve pain.
- Hormonal preparations in the form of injections.
- Cytostatics reduce the number of antibodies that kill cells.
- Cartilage and synovial fluid are restored with condoprotectors.
The lymphatic flow, which cleans the tissues of the affected cells, is not stimulated. But there is a method of vibroacoustic therapy, which consists of exposure to microvibration from vibroacoustic therapy (from 30 to 20, 000 Hz). And also physical therapy, exercises are used. In stages 3 and 4 of the disease, they resort to prostheses.
Conclusion
Painful sensation in the area of the joints and dysfunctions of their functions cause many serious problems. But an even bigger problem is the inflammation processes that occur in them, destruction that restricts movement, leads to deformations, disability. It is important to correctly identify the disease so that treatment can be carried out in time. It is necessary to understand the causes of these problems, as well as to be aware of the ways available to overcome them.