Arthritis and arthrosis

Arthritis is a group of diseases triggered by infection, improper metabolism, disorders in the immune system, in which the inflammatory process occurs in one or more joints. In this case, swelling, redness of the skin, and an increase in temperature in the affected area were observed. This process can continue in acute or chronic form. In the first case, the patient experiences sharp pain in the knee or other joints, in the second case, the disease develops slowly due to inadequate pathological treatment 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 connective tissue disease 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, vitamin deficiency, hypothermia or too much physical energy;
• traumatic - an inflammatory process that occurs in large joints (knees, elbows, shoulders) after 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, most often in men.

Causes of Arthritis

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

• viral, parasitic, urogenital diseases, transmitted fungi;
• the presence in the body of the focus of infection in the form of phlegmon, abscesses, boils, tuberculosis, caries and others;
• injuries resulting in damage to joints;
• excessive physical activity;
• allergies;
• hereditary tendencies;
• metabolic diseases;
• unbalanced diet, insufficient amount of vitamins and micronutrients in food;
• bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol, taking illegal drugs);
• overweight.

symptoms of arthritis

The cause of the disease may be different, but there are some characteristic symptoms that occur in all patients. Seek medical attention if you experience:

• severe joint pain when moving or touching the skin in the joint area;
• stiffness of movement in the morning after waking up;
• swelling around diseased joints, periarticular tissues and ligaments;
• local hyperemia of the skin, accompanied by fever;
• characteristic irritation of the joints when performing sudden movements;
• a feeling of rapid fatigue when doing simple work;
• permanent defects in the joints.

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 are few limitations of joint mobility, the ability to self -care and professional activities are preserved.
• The second - the mobility of the joints is very limited, dryness appears when moving, pain in the legs increases when walking and at night.
• Third - there is a significant deformation of the joints, stiffness and severe pain are observed, work capacity is partially lost.
• Fourth - there is joint deformation and loss of mobility, cartilage is completely destroyed, severe pain poses a psycho -emotional burden, the patient loses the ability to self -care.

Methods of Treatment

In specialized clinics, there is an orthopedic department, where the traumatologist-orthopedist of the highest qualification category is involved in the treatment of arthritis. Doctors choose treatment options depending on the severity of the diagnosis. In stage I and II disease, conservative treatment is carried out:

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

In the acute period, periarticular blockade and a course of anti-inflammatory drug therapy are carried out. During remission, exercise therapy and physiotherapy are prescribed. According to the instructions, surgical treatment is prescribed:

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

Arthritis in stage III is treated surgically. 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.

Prevention of arthritis

To prevent the progression 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 articular gymnastics;
• arrange proper nutrition, eat more fish, fresh vegetables and fruits;
• pay attention to your weight, wear comfortable shoes, protect your joints from being exposed to the cold;
• leaving bad habits;
• periodically take preventive massage courses;
• strengthens immunity.

Is arthrosis

Osteoarthritis is a disease in which there is deformation and destruction of cartilage tissue covering adjacent articular joints. As a result, the bone tissue in the joint becomes dense, cavities and pathological growths (osteophytes) form on it. Gradually, the gap between the joints narrows and widens, and they lose their mobility.

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

Causes of arthrosis

Important!

The main cause of arthrosis is a mismatch between physical activity and the ability of the articular joint to withstand this load. The transition of acute to chronic arthrosis will lead to deformation and destruction of the joint.

Possible pathological causes 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 surface relative to the normal axis, bruises, dislocations, torn ligaments;
• inflammatory processes in the body;
• metabolic diseases;
• congenital pathology - flat feet, different limb lengths, dysplasia;
• peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or alcohol abuse;
• hypothermia and others.

Symptoms of arthrosis

The disease develops gradually, so pathological signs appear after the destruction of the joint begins. Patients listed the following as their main symptoms:

• dryness that occurs when moving;
• pain in the joints during strenuous physical exercise;
• increase stiffness in the morning after waking up;
• deterioration of joint mobility;
• deformity of fingers and toes due to bone growth;
• pain aches when changing weather conditions and atmospheric pressure, as well as pain at night.

Rating of arthrosis

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

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

Methods of Treatment

Arthrosis treatment aims to eliminate the cause of the disease, relieve pain and regenerate cartilage to restore joint mobility..For this, patients are given 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 joints;
• SVF therapy, based on the ability of stromal-vascular breakdown of adipose tissue to stimulate recovery of damaged joints;
• PRP-therapy with the introduction into the joint cavity of drugs that eliminate inflammation and reduce pain;
• periarticular blockade with the introduction into the periarticular tissue of drugs that restore joint mobility.

In case of prolonged pain, surgical treatment is performed:

• corrective osteotomy to restore destroyed joints (knee, hip, ankle etc. );
• therapeutic and diagnostic arthroscopy, including chondroplasty and microfracturing to remove cartilage defects.

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

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

Prevention of arthrosis

To prevent the development of arthrosis, experts recommend:

• avoid heavy loads on the joints;
• eat right, include foods that contain collagen and omega-3 in the diet;
• regularly do physical exercises for stretching, if possible visit the pool;
• don't be too cold;
• wear comfortable shoes;
• reject bad habits;
• control weight.

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