Arthritis and osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a group of diseases triggered by infections, 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 a rise in temperature in the affected area are observed. The process can proceed in an acute or chronic form. In the first case, the patient has severe pain in the knee or another joint, in the second case 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 cartilage and adjacent bone tissue and muscle fibers;
• Rheumatoid is a chronic autoimmune disease of 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 the joints caused by metabolic disorders, lack of vitamins, hypothermia or physical overexertion;
• traumatic - an inflammatory process that occurs in large joints (knee, elbow, shoulder) after an injury;
• gout (gout) - a systemic disease caused by an increase in the content 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 cause, most often it is:

• transferred 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 resulting in damage to the joints;
• excessive physical activity;
• allergy;
• hereditary predisposition;
• metabolic disease;
• unbalanced diet, insufficient amount of vitamins and microelements in food;
• bad habits (smoking, drinking, taking 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. See a doctor if you experience:

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

Important!

If you ignore the early 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 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 of joint mobility, the ability to carry out self-service and professional activities is preserved.
• The second - the mobility of the joints is significantly limited, a crunch appears during movement, 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 a deformation of the joints and a loss of mobility, the cartilage is completely destroyed, severe pain creates a psycho-emotional load, the patient loses the ability to self-service.

Methods of treatment

In specialized clinics there is an orthopedic ward, where traumatologists-orthopedists of the highest qualification category are engaged in the treatment of arthritis. The doctor chooses the treatment option based 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 drugs;
• SVF therapy - treatment with cells of the stromal-vascular fraction obtained from the patient's adipose tissue;
• PRP therapy is the treatment of joints, tendons and ligaments with plasma injections obtained from the patient's blood and enriched with platelets.

In the acute period, periarticular blockages and courses of drug anti-inflammatory therapy are carried out. During remission, physical therapy and physiotherapy are prescribed. According to the indications, 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 involves chondroplasty and microfracture to eliminate defects in the cartilage tissue.

Stage III arthritis is treated surgically. The mobility of the hip joint is restored with the help of arthroplasty (total, unipolar, bipolar). 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 and 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;
• giving up bad habits;
• periodically follow a preventive massage course;
• strengthen immunity.

What is osteoarthritis

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

Most often, the disease develops in people aged 45 to 50 years and older. The most common form of the condition is deforming osteoarthritis, 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 joint's ability to withstand this load. The transition from acute to chronic osteoarthritis will lead 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 lengths of the limbs, 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 onset of joint destruction. Patients list the following as their main symptoms:

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

Stages of arthrosis

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

• Stage I - the mobility of the joints 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, crunches and pain appear during movement.
• Stage III: destruction of the cartilage structure and deformation of the joint site occurs, osteophytes are formed on the bone tissue, the joint practically loses mobility, the pain syndrome becomes permanent.

Methods of treatment

Treatment of osteoarthritis is aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease, relieving pain and regenerating cartilage to restore joint mobility..For this, the patient is prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. In the first and second phase, the following are also carried out:

• injection therapy with the introduction of hyaluronic acid into the joint;
• SVF-therapy, based on the ability of the stroma-vascular fraction of the 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 the mobility of the joints.

In case 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 microfracture to eliminate a cartilage defect.

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

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

Prevention of arthrosis

To prevent the development of osteoarthritis, experts recommend:

• avoid heavy loads on the joints;
• eat well, introduce foods containing collagen and omega-3s into the diet;
• regularly perform physical exercises for stretching, if possible visit the pool;
• do not overcool;
• wear comfortable shoes;
• reject bad habits;
• check your 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 lead to their destruction and invalidity. Therefore, it should be remembered that with timely treatment in the clinic, the patient can count on a favorable prognosis.