Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a group of diseases triggered by infection, improper metabolism, disorders of the immune system, in which an inflammatory process occurs in one or more joints. In this case, swelling, redness of the skin and increased temperature in the affected area are observed. The process can proceed acutely or chronically. In the first case, the patient has an acute pain in the knee or other joint, in the second case, the disease develops slowly due to insufficient treatment of the pathology in the acute phase. The most common types of arthritis are:

• osteoarthritis - damage to cartilage and adjacent bone tissue and muscle fibers;
• rheumatoid is a chronic autoimmune disease of the connective tissue that causes irreversible changes in the joints of the wrists, phalanges of the fingers and toes, and also leads to systemic damage to the body.
• dystrophic - degenerative destruction of joints caused by metabolic disorders, lack of vitamins, hypothermia or excessive physical exertion;
• traumatic - an inflammatory process that occurs in large joints (knee, elbow, shoulder) after an injury;
• gouty (gout) - a systemic disease caused by an increase in the content of uric acid in the blood and a violation of purine metabolism, occurs more often in men.

Causes of Arthritis

Each type of arthritis has its own cause, most often it is:

• transferred viral, parasitic, urogenital, fungal diseases;
• the presence in the body of foci of infection in the form of phlegm, abscess, boils, tuberculosis, caries and others;
• injuries resulting in joint damage;
• excessive physical activity;
• allergy;
• hereditary predisposition;
• metabolic disease;
• unbalanced diet, insufficient amount of vitamins and microelements in food;
• bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs);
• overweight.

arthritis symptoms

The causes of the disease can be different, but there are a number of characteristic symptoms that occur in all patients. Seek medical attention if you feel:

• severe joint pain when moving or touching the skin in the joint area;
• stiffness of movement 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 crisis of the joints when performing sudden movements;
• feeling of rapid fatigue when performing simple work;
• permanent joint deformity.

Important!

If you ignore the first symptoms and do not start 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 disease development

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

• First - there is a slight limitation of joint mobility, the ability to self-care and professional activities is preserved.
• The second - the mobility of the joints is significantly limited, a crisis appears when moving, leg pain increases when walking and at night.
• Third - there is a noticeable deformity of the joints, stiffness and severe pain are noted, the ability to work is partially lost.
• Fourth - there is a deformation of the joints and loss of mobility, cartilage is completely destroyed, intense pain creates a psycho-emotional load, the patient loses the ability to self-care.

treatment methods

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

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

In the acute period, periarticular blocks and courses of drug anti-inflammatory therapy are performed. During remission, exercise and physical therapy are prescribed. According to the indications, surgical treatment is prescribed:

• corrective osteotomy of the bones of the leg, femur, knee joint to restore the axis of the lower limb;
• therapeutic and diagnostic arthroscopy (LDA), which involves chondroplasty and microfractures to eliminate defects in cartilaginous tissue.

Stage III arthritis is treated surgically. Mobility of the hip joint is restored with the help of arthroplasty (total, unipolar, bipolar). When replacing the knee joint, a complete 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 joints;
• performing physical stretching exercises, 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 exposure to cold;
• give up bad habits;
• periodically take a course of preventive massage;
• strengthen immunity.

what is osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a disease in which there is a deformation and destruction of the cartilaginous tissues that cover adjacent joint joints. As a result, the bone tissue inside the joint becomes dense, cavities and pathological growths (osteophytes) form in it. Gradually, the space between the joints narrows and grows too large, and they lose their mobility.

Most often, the disease develops in people aged 45 to 50 years or older. The most common form of pathology is osteoarthritis deformans, 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 joint joint to support this load. The transition from acute to chronic arthrosis will lead to joint deformation and destruction.

Possible causes of the 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 joint surfaces in relation to the normal axis, hematomas, dislocations, torn ligaments;
• inflammatory processes in the body;
• metabolic disease;
• congenital pathologies - flat feet, different lengths of limbs, dysplasia;
• peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or alcohol abuse;
• hypothermia and others.

osteoarthritis symptoms

The disease develops gradually, then signs of pathology appear after the onset of joint destruction. Patients list the following as their main symptoms:

• crunch that occurs when moving;
• joint pain during heavy physical exertion;
• increased stiffness in the morning after waking up;
• deterioration of joint mobility;
• deformation of the fingers and toes due to bone growths;
• painful pain when changing weather conditions and atmospheric pressure, as well as pain at night.

stages of arthrosis

In the absence of treatment, there are three stages of osteoarthritis:

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

treatment methods

Treatment of osteoarthritis aims to eliminate the cause of the disease, relieve pain, and regenerate cartilage to restore joint mobility..For this, the patient is prescribed analgesics 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 restoration of a damaged joint;
• PRP-therapy with the introduction into the joint cavity of drugs that eliminate inflammation and reduce pain;
• periarticular blocks with the introduction into the periarticular tissues of drugs that restore joint mobility.

In cases of prolonged pain, surgical treatment is carried out:

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

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

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

Osteoarthritis prevention

To prevent the development of osteoarthritis, experts recommend:

• avoid heavy loads on joints;
• eat well, introduce foods that contain collagen and omega-3 in the diet;
• regularly perform physical exercises for stretching, if possible visit the pool;
• do not cool down too much;
• wear comfortable shoes;
• refuse bad habits;
• control weight.

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