Arthritis and osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a group of diseases caused by infection, improper metabolism, disorders in the immune system, in which an inflammatory process occurs in one or more joints. In this case there is swelling, redness of the skin and an increase in temperature in the affected area. The process can continue in acute or chronic form. In the first case, the patient has a sharp 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 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 joints caused by metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiency, hypothermia or physical overload;
• traumatic - an inflammatory process that occurs in large joints (knee, elbow, shoulder) after an injury;
• gout (gout) - a systemic disease caused by an increased 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 own cause, most often it is:

• transferred viral, parasitic, urogenital, fungal diseases;
• 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;
• allergies;
• hereditary predisposition;
• metabolic diseases;
• unbalanced diet, insufficient amount of vitamins and trace elements in food;
• bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol, taking illegal drugs);
• overweight.

arthritis symptoms

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

• severe joint pain when moving or touching the skin in the wrist area;
• stiffness of movements in the morning after waking up;
• swelling around diseased wrist, periarticular tissue and ligaments;
• local skin hyperemia, accompanied by fever;
• a characteristic crackling of the joints during the performance of sudden movements;
• feeling of rapid fatigue while performing simple tasks;
• permanent deformity of 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

In 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 for self-service and professional activities is preserved.
• Second - the mobility of the joints is significantly limited, a crack appears when moving, pain in the legs increases when walking and at night.
• Third - there is a noticeable deformation of the joints, stiffness and severe pain are observed, working capacity is partially lost.
• Fourth - there is a deformity of the joints and loss of mobility, cartilage is completely destroyed, severe pain creates a psycho-emotional burden, the patient loses the ability for self-service.

Treatment Methods

The orthopedic department operates in specialized clinics, where orthopedic traumatologists of the highest qualification category for the treatment of arthritis are engaged. The doctor chooses the treatment option depending on the severity of the diagnosis. In stages I and II of the disease, conservative treatment is performed:

• drug therapy, including intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections and medications;
• SVF-therapy - treatment using 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 taken from the patient's blood and enriched with platelets.

In the acute period, periarticular blockades and courses of anti-inflammatory drug therapy are performed. During forgiveness, exercise 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 limbs;
• therapeutic and diagnostic arthroscopy (LDA), which includes chondroplasty and microfracture to eliminate cartilage tissue defects.

Arthritis in stage III is treated surgically. Thigh joint mobility is restored with the help of arthroplasty (total, unipolar, bipolar). During knee replacement, a total prosthesis is performed.

Prevention of arthritis

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

• avoid heavy loads on joints;
• perform stretching exercises as well as joint gymnastics;
• arrange the right food, eat more fish, vegetables and fresh fruits;
• watch your weight, wear comfortable shoes, protect your joints from exposure to cold;
• give up bad habits;
• take a preventative massage course periodically;
• strengthen immunity.

What is osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a disease in which there is a deformity and destruction of cartilage tissue covering the adjacent articular joints. As a result, the bone tissue inside 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 deforming arthrosis, which affects the joints of the hips, knee and ankle, 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 will lead to deformity and destruction of the joint.

Possible causes of pathology may be:

• diseases of the endocrine system - diabetes, obesity, hyperthyroidism, excessive secretion of pituitary and parathyroid hormones;
• various injuries: fractures with displacement of articular surfaces in relation to the normal axis, bruising, dislocations, torn ligaments;
• inflammatory processes in the body;
• metabolic diseases;
• congenital pathologies - flat feet, different lengths of 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 destruction of the joints begins. Patients list as their main symptoms:

• crackling that occurs during movement;
• joint pain during strenuous physical exercise;
• increased hardening in the morning after waking up;
• deterioration of joint mobility;
• deformity of the toes and feet due to bone growths;
• aching pain during changing weather conditions and atmospheric pressure, as well as pain at night.

Stages of osteoarthritis

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

• Stage I - joint mobility is slightly limited, the amount of nutrients in the synovial fluid decreases, the load on the joints causes pain.
• Stage II - joint mobility is significantly limited, cartilage begins to break down, a crack and pain appear during movement.
• Stage III - destruction of the cartilage structure and deformation of the articular site occurs, osteophytes are formed in 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, relieve pain and regenerate cartilage to restore joint mobility..For this, the patient is prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. In the first and second phase are also performed:

• injection therapy with the introduction of hyaluronic acid into the joints;
• 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 blockade with the introduction into the periarticular tissues of drugs that restore joint mobility.

In cases of prolonged pain, surgical treatment is performed:

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

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

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

Prevention of osteoarthritis

To prevent the development of osteoarthritis, experts recommend:

• avoid heavy loads on joints;
• eat properly, include in the diet foods that contain collagen and omega-3;
• perform regular stretching exercises, if possible visit the pool;
• do not get too cold;
• wear comfortable shoes;
• rejection of bad habits;
• check the 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 in the clinic, the patient can rely on a favorable prognosis.