Your joint is sore, swollen, or difficult to move. What to do? Which doctor should I contact with this problem? What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? Everything in our body works, works and wears out accordingly. Healthy cells repair themselves, but when this doesn't happen, it is necessary to look for the cause and its treatment.
Attention! Don't self-medicate, you can eliminate the symptoms, but the cause remains!
In small towns or villages, first of all, they go to a family doctor, if a child has problems - to a pediatrician, and he already determines which narrow specialist to refer you to.
If you've been diagnosed with arthritis, don't 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 - is chronic, with it the joints wear out and deform.
Symptoms of diseases are also different - this is the second sign:
- Arthritis - can occur latently (chronic) or make itself felt immediately (acute form). It is manifested by pain, fever, swelling and changes in skin color.
- Osteoarthritis does not necessarily have to be accompanied by painful symptoms. Sometimes the pain appears after a long pause, but after developing it disappears, there is a crunch or click when moving.
Osteoarthritis affects people over the age of 50, athletes or the result of a severe fracture - after the age of 40.
The third is the nature of damage to the body:
- Osteoarthritis affects the whole body. The inflammatory process affects the functioning of internal organs: heart, liver, kidneys.
- Osteoarthritis - affects only the joint.
Fourth - how exactly the joints are damaged:
- Any joint can develop arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis tends to affect the connective tissue, which is most affected by the strain. These are knees, ankles, hips and also the big toe joint.
Scientific studies have also shown that patients with arthritis make up 2% of the population on earth 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 taken from a vein on an empty stomach.
Osteoarthritis does not change the blood structure, with arthritis, inflammatory markers increase.
Rheumatoid arthritis is manifested by the appearance of rheumatoid factor in the blood, and with gout - increased uric acid.
X-ray - shows what stage the disease is at, if there are changes in the structure of the bone - osteoarthritis. MRI and CT scans can also be ordered.
Which doctor treats arthritis and arthrosis?
As already mentioned, we first visit a general practitioner. He examines and refers a rheumatologist, he examines, diagnoses and plans the treatment.
What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis? Having diagnosed arthrosis, the doctor prescribes additional examinations to determine the stage of the disease.
Treatment is carried out only with drugs, with the help of injections, ointments. First of all, the doctor advises reducing the load and taking chondroprotectors. To improve circulation, a number of exercises are recommended.
Treatment should be complex, so the following doctors of a narrow specialization may additionally be involved: a physiotherapist, a masseur, a specialist in physiotherapy exercises, a surgeon.
With diseases of the connective tissue, they can be sent to a sanatorium for further treatment and recovery.
An arthrologist is a doctor who deals with joint problems. However, these specialists can only be found in large clinics and are difficult to reach.
If the disease progresses and has passed into a difficult stage, you should contact an orthopedist. Depending on the treatment needs, he can perform two types of surgery: organ-preserving and endoprosthetics.
For the best treatment at each stage, specialists from different fields are involved, but the therapist or rheumatologist oversees the entire treatment.
Which doctor treats arthritis depends on the cause.
- With an injury that served as an impetus, for development it will be necessary to see a traumatologist.
- Rheumatism - specialists in immune diseases.
- Metabolic diseases (gout) - nutritionist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist.
- Problems with the jaw joint: dentist, ENT.
- If purulent - the intervention of a surgeon is necessary for the operation.
The doctor conducts treatment in several directions: to stop further destruction and restore the capacity of connective tissue.
Treatment should begin as soon as symptoms appear. So you will quickly feel relief, and the disease will cause minimal harm to the body.
treatment regimen
In each case, the doctor conducts treatment depending on the cause of arthritis, but there is a standard scheme:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). First, a series of intramuscular, intravenous or intra-articular injections is performed, ointments can be used for subsequent treatment.
- Antispasmodics (for muscle spasms).
- antidepressants.
- anesthetics.
- Gastroprotectors to protect the stomach.
- A vitamin complex is prescribed.
- Chondroprotectors - they improve the quality of cartilage tissue.
- Therapeutic Nutrition.
- Physical therapy.
- massages, acupuncture.
This treatment regimen is supplemented depending on the course of the disease. The recovery process is long and tedious, rehabilitation also requires a lot of work on your part.