arthritis and osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a group of diseases provoked by infections, metabolic disorders, disorders of the immune system and in which an inflammatory process occurs in one or more joints. In this case, swelling, reddening of the skin and an increase in temperature in the affected area are observed. The process can proceed in acute or chronic form. In the first case, the patient experiences severe pain in the knee or in another joint, in the second, the disease develops slowly due to insufficient treatment of the pathology in the acute stage. The most common types of arthritis are:

• Osteoarthritis - damage to the cartilage and adjacent bone tissue and muscle fibers;
• Rheumatism is a chronic autoimmune disease of the connective tissues that causes irreversible changes in the joints of the wrists, phalanxes and toes and also leads to systemic damage to the body.
• dystrophic - degenerative destruction of the joints due to metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiency, hypothermia or physical overstrain;
• traumatic - an inflammatory process that occurs after an injury in large joints (knee, elbow, shoulder);
• Gout (gout) - a systemic disease caused by increased levels of uric acid in the blood and a violation of purine metabolism, most often occurs in men.

Causes of Arthritis

Each type of arthritis has its own cause, most commonly:

• transmitted viral, parasitic, urogenital, fungal diseases;
• the presence in the body of foci of infection in the form of phlegmon, abscesses, boils, tuberculosis, caries and others;
• injuries leading to damage to the joints;
• excessive physical activity;
• Allergy;
• hereditary predisposition;
• metabolic disease;
• unbalanced diet, insufficient amount of vitamins and trace elements in the diet;
• bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs);
• overweight.

Arthritis Symptoms

The causes of the disease may be different, but there are a number of characteristic symptoms that appear in all patients. See a doctor if you notice any of the following:

• severe joint pain when moving or touching the skin in the joint area;
• motion stiffness in the morning after waking up;
• swelling around the diseased joint, periarticular tissues and ligaments;
• local hyperemia of the skin, accompanied by fever;
• a characteristic crunching of the joints during sudden movements;
• feeling tired quickly when performing simple tasks;
• permanent deformity of the joints.

Important!

If you ignore the early symptoms and do not begin treatment for arthritis, the disease will progress and significantly reduce the patient's quality of life. In this case, the process can become irreversible and lead to disability!

Stages of development of the disease

When determining the stage of the disease, the clinical manifestations of the pathology are taken into account:

• First - there is a slight limitation in joint mobility, the ability to self-service and professional activity is preserved.
• The second - the mobility of the joints is significantly reduced, there is a crunch when moving, the pain in the legs increases when walking and at night.
• Third - there is a noticeable deformity of the joints, stiffness and severe pain are noted, working capacity is partially lost.
• Fourth - there is deformation of the joints and loss of mobility, the cartilage is completely destroyed, severe pain causes psycho-emotional distress, the patient loses the ability to self-service.

treatment methods

In specialized clinics there is an orthopedic department where traumatologists-orthopedists of the highest qualification category deal with the treatment of arthritis. The doctor chooses the treatment option depending on the severity of the diagnosis. At stages I and II of the disease, conservative treatment is carried out:

• drug therapy, including intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid and drugs;
• SVF therapy - treatment using cells of the stromal-vascular fraction obtained from the patient's adipose tissue;
• PRP therapy is the treatment of joints, tendons and ligaments by injecting plasma obtained from the patient's blood and enriched with platelets.

In the acute phase, periarticular blockades and drug anti-inflammatory therapies are performed. During remission, exercise therapy and physiotherapy are prescribed. Depending on the indication, surgical treatment is prescribed:

• corrective osteotomy of the bones of the lower leg, femur, knee joint to restore the axis of the lower limb;
• therapeutic and diagnostic arthroscopy (LDA), which includes chondroplasty and microfracture to eliminate cartilage defects.

Stage III arthritis is treated surgically. With the help of endoprosthetics (total, unipolar, bipolar), mobility of the hip joint is restored. When replacing the knee joint, a total prosthesis is performed.

Arthritis Prevention

To prevent the development of the disease and consolidate the results of treatment, follow the doctor's recommendations:

• avoid heavy loads on the joints;
• perform physical exercises for stretching, as well as joint gymnastics;
• organize proper nutrition, eat more fish, fresh vegetables and fruits;
• watch your weight, wear comfortable shoes, protect your joints from the cold;
• give up bad habits;
• regularly participate in preventive massage;
• strengthen immunity.

What is osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a disease in which there is deformation and destruction of the cartilage that covers adjacent joints. As a result, the bone tissue in the joint thickens, cavities and pathological growths (osteophytes) form. Gradually, the gap between the joints narrows and widens, and they lose mobility.

Most often, the disease develops in people aged 45-50 years and older. The most common form of the pathology is deforming arthrosis, which affects the hip, knee and ankle joints, wrists and hands.

causes of osteoarthritis

Important!

The main cause of osteoarthritis is the mismatch between physical activity and the ability of the articular joint to withstand this load. The transition from acute to chronic osteoarthritis leads to deformation and destruction of the joint.

Possible causes of pathology can be:

• Diseases of the endocrine system - diabetes, obesity, hyperthyroidism, excessive secretion of pituitary and parathyroid hormones;
• various injuries: fractures with displacement of the articular surfaces relative to the normal axis, bruises, dislocations, torn ligaments;
• inflammatory processes in the body;
• metabolic disease;
• congenital pathologies - flat feet, different limb lengths, dysplasia;
• peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or alcohol abuse;
• hypothermia and others.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis

The disease develops gradually, so the signs of pathology appear after the destruction of the joints begins. Patients cite the following as their main symptoms:

• crunch that occurs when moving;
• pain in the joint during heavy physical exertion;
• increasing stiffness in the morning after waking up;
• deterioration of joint mobility;
• Deformation of the fingers and toes due to bone overgrowth;
• aching pain with changing weather conditions and air pressure, and pain at night.

stages of osteoarthritis

Without treatment, three stages of arthrosis are distinguished:

• Stage I - the mobility of the joints is slightly reduced, the amount of nutrients in the synovial fluid decreases, the load on the joint causes pain.
• Stage II - the mobility of the joints is significantly reduced, the cartilage begins to break, a crunch and pain appear during movement.
• Stage III - the destruction of the cartilaginous structure and the deformation of the joint site occurs, osteophytes form on the bone tissue, the joint practically loses mobility, the pain syndrome becomes permanent.

treatment methods

Osteoarthritis treatment aims to eliminate the cause of the disease, reduce pain and regenerate cartilage to restore joint mobility..For this, the patient is prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. In the first and second stages are also carried out:

• injection therapy with the introduction of hyaluronic acid into the joint;
• SVF therapy, based on the ability of the stromal-vascular fraction of adipose tissue to stimulate the repair of a damaged joint;
• PRP therapy with the introduction of drugs into the joint cavity that eliminate inflammation and relieve pain;
• periarticular blockages with the introduction of drugs into the periarticular tissues that restore joint mobility.

With persistent pain, surgical treatment is performed:

• corrective osteotomy to restore destroyed joints (knee, hip, ankle and others);
• therapeutic and diagnostic arthroscopy, including chondroplasty and microfracture to eliminate a cartilage defect.

During the period of remission, physiotherapy, exercise therapy and massage are recommended.

In the third stage of osteoarthritis, hip arthroplasty (total, bipolar, unipolar) and total knee replacement are performed.

prevent osteoarthritis

To prevent the development of arthrosis, experts recommend:

• avoid heavy loads on the joints;
• eat right, introduce foods with collagen and omega-3 into the diet;
• regularly perform physical exercises for stretching, visit the pool if possible;
• do not overcool;
• wear comfortable shoes;
• refuse from bad habits;
• control weight.

It is impossible to talk about which is more dangerous: arthritis or arthrosis, because if left untreated, in both cases there will be complete immobility of the joints, which can lead to their destruction and disability. Therefore, it should be remembered that with timely treatment in the clinic, the patient can count on a favorable prognosis.