Your joint is sore, swollen, or difficult to move. To do? Which doctor should I contact with this problem? What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? In our body, everything works, works, and consequently wears out. Healthy cells repair themselves, but if this does not happen, the cause and treatment must be sought.
Attention! Do not self-medicate, you can eliminate the symptoms, but the cause remains!
In small towns or villages, first of all, they go to a general practitioner, if a child has problems, to a pediatrician, and he already determines which narrow specialist to refer him to.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, do not confuse it with osteoarthritis. What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? Now we will understand how these diseases differ.
What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis?
First difference in etiology:
- Arthritis can occur due to injury or infection, a malfunction in the metabolic system, and is characterized by an inflammatory process.
- Osteoarthritis: it is chronic, with it the joints wear out and become deformed.
Symptoms of diseases are also different - this is the second sign:
- Arthritis: it can occur in a latent form (chronic) or make itself felt immediately (acute form). It is manifested by pain, fever, swelling, changes in skin color.
- Osteoarthritis may not necessarily be accompanied by painful symptoms. Sometimes the pain appears after a long rest, but disappears after development, there is a crunch or snap when moving.
Osteoarthritis affects people over 50 years of age, athletes or as a consequence of a severe fracture, after 40.
The third is the nature of the damage to the body:
- Arthritis affects the entire body. The inflammatory process affects the functioning of internal organs: the heart, liver, kidneys.
- Osteoarthritis: affects only the joint.
Fourth: how exactly are the joints damaged:
- Any joint can get arthritis.
- Arthrosis likes to affect the connective tissues, which are the most affected by the load. These are the knee, ankle, hip, and also the big toe joint.
In addition, scientific studies have shown that arthritis patients on Earth represent 2% of the population, and osteoarthritis - 10%.
What is the diagnosis based on?
General blood test: blood from a finger. If arthrosis, as a rule, does not change the composition of the blood, then with arthritis the content of leukocytes and erythrocytes increases.
Rheumatic tests and biochemical analyzes are carried out: it is drawn from a vein on an empty stomach.
Arthrosis does not change the structure of the blood, with arthritis markers of inflammation increase.
Rheumatoid arthritis is manifested by the appearance of rheumatoid factor in the blood, and with gout - increased uric acid.
X-ray - shows at what stage the disease is, if there is a change in the structure of the bone - arthrosis. MRIs and CT scans may also be ordered.
What doctor treats arthritis and osteoarthritis?
As mentioned above, first of all we visit a general practitioner. Examines and refers to a rheumatologist, examines, diagnoses and plans treatment.
What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? If the doctor has diagnosed osteoarthritis, he prescribes additional tests to establish the stage of the disease.
Treatment occurs only with drugs, with the help of injections, ointments. First of all, the doctor advises to reduce the load and take chondroprotectors. To improve blood circulation, a series of exercises is recommended.
The treatment must be complex, so the following doctors of a limited specialization may additionally participate: a physical therapist, a masseur, a physical therapy exercise specialist, a surgeon.
In case of connective tissue diseases, they can be sent to a sanatorium for further treatment and recovery.
An arthrologist is a doctor who works with joint problems. However, these specialists are only found in large clinics and are difficult to reach.
If the disease progresses and has passed into a difficult stage, you should contact an orthopedic surgeon. You can perform, depending on the need for treatment, two types of operations: organ preservation and endoprosthesis.
For the best treatment at each stage, specialists from different fields are involved, but the therapist or rheumatologist supervises the entire treatment.
The doctor who will treat arthritis depends on the cause.
- With an injury that served as an impetus, for the development it will be necessary to visit a traumatologist.
- Rheumatoid - specialists in immune diseases.
- Metabolic disorders (gout) - nutritionist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist.
- Problems with the maxillofacial joint: dentist, ENT.
- With purulent - the intervention of a surgeon is necessary for the operation.
The doctor conducts treatment in several directions: stop further destruction and restore the ability of connective tissues.
Treatment should begin as soon as discomfort is felt. Thus, you will quickly feel relief, and the disease will cause minimal damage to the body.
treatment regimen
In each case, the doctor carries out treatment depending on the cause of arthritis, but there is a standard scheme:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). First, a course of intramuscular, intravenous or intra-articular injections is carried out, for further treatment, ointments can be used.
- Antispasmodics (for muscle spasms).
- Antidepressants.
- anesthetics
- Gastroprotectors, to protect the stomach.
- A vitamin complex is prescribed.
- Chondroprotectors: improve the quality of cartilage tissue.
- therapeutic diet.
- Physiotherapy.
- Massage, acupuncture.
This treatment regimen is supplemented according to the course of the disease. The recovery process is long and laborious, rehabilitation will also require a lot of work on your part.