Arthrosis Vs Arthritis: Understanding The Differences And Similarities!

Arthritis and arthrosis sound similar and they are also similar medical conditions. They are similar in many ways and there are also considerable differences between the two. Both are diseases that affect your body’s joints, ligaments, and bones. Both these conditions cause joint pain and stiffness. In this article, we will discuss more about these two conditions.

How To Diagnose And Manage Joint Pain?

Arthritis is an umbrella term that is used to refer to many of the conditions that cause inflammation in the joints. Sometimes these inflammations can also affect your skin, muscles, and other organs. Examples of some kinds of arthritis include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. Arthrosis is the other name for osteoarthritis. So arthrosis is a kind of arthritis. Let us discuss arthritis in the coming section before we move on to the discussion of arthrosis.

Arthritis

It is a condition that can affect your joints or the areas where your bones meet and move. It usually involves inflammation or degeneration of our joints. This can make your joints painful while moving. Arthritis commonly affects joints in our feet, hands, hips, lower back, and knees. Arthritis affects parts of your joints. Cartilage is a connective tissue that helps your joints move smoothly without friction or pain. The synovial membrane is another part that gets affected by arthritis. Tendons and ligaments are parts that support many of the joints like knees. Tendons help to connect muscles to your bones, and ligaments help to connect bones with other bones.

There are different types of arthritis. They have different types of symptoms like pain, stiffness, swelling, tenderness, redness, warmth, and decreased range of motion. The symptoms can be mild in some and can be severe in others. The discomfort in the joints can come and go or could stay constant. As we have mentioned earlier osteoarthritis or arthrosis is the most common type of arthritis. It is also known as wear and tear arthritis, as it develops when joint cartilage degenerates from repeated stress. Ankylosing spondylitis is arthritis that affects the spine, usually the lower back. Juvenile arthritis is a condition where the immune system attacks the tissue around joints and it typically affects children who are 16 or younger. Gout is a condition that affects your joints and can cause hard crystals of uric acid to form in your joints. Psoriatic arthritis is a joint inflammation that develops in people with psoriasis. Psoriasis is a kind of autoimmune disorder that causes skin irritation. Rheumatoid arthritis is another disease that affects the joints.

Different kinds of arthritis can have varying causes. For example, gout is caused when there is too much accumulation of uric acid in your body. But the reasons behind many arthritis are not exactly known. You can get infected by arthritis if you have a family history of arthritis or have a job or sport that put repeated stress on your joints. Arthritis is also caused by some autoimmune diseases or viral infections.

Factors like age, lifestyle, sex, and weight can make you more likely to develop arthritis. You have a higher chance of getting infected with arthritis as you age. Lifestyle choices like smoking or a lack of exercise can increase the risk of arthritis. Your weight can also be a factor. High mass conditions like obesity can put a lot of strain on your joints and can lead to arthritis.

If you feel that you have arthritis, you can contact your doctor. Your doctor will ask about symptoms and will conduct a physical exam to assess the condition. Imaging exams like X-rays, MRIs, or ultrasounds can be used to get a clearer picture of the condition. The doctor will order a blood test if gout or rheumatoid arthritis is suspected. After the proper diagnosis, the treatment can begin. Unfortunately, there is no proper cure for arthritis.
Treatments can help you to cope with the condition. Mainly anti-inflammatory and pain medications are given to relieve arthritis symptoms. Medications called biologics can target the inflammatory response of the immune system. It is mainly used to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. Physical therapies can also be helpful in improving symptoms of arthritis. Strength, range of motion, and overall mobility can be improved with the help of rehabilitation. Therapists will give you proper guidance for making adjustments in your daily activities to lessen the pain of arthritis. Therapeutic injections like cortisone shots will help you to temporarily relieve pain and inflammation in the joints. Arthritis in some joints like your knee is treated by injecting lubricants to help the joints to move smoothly.

Arthrosis or Osteoarthritis

Arthrosis is a very common form of arthritis. This condition affects the protective cartilage that helps to cushion the ends of bones. Arthrosis causes these cartilages to wear down over time. Arthrosis which is also known as osteoarthritis can damage any joint in your body. But it is most commonly found to affect joints in your hands, knees, hips, and spine. The symptoms associated with arthrosis can be usually managed, but the damage to the joints can’t be reversed. It is possible to slow the progression of the disease and improve pain and joint function by staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and receiving certain treatments.

Arthrosis has got symptoms like pain, stiffness, tenderness, loss of flexibility, grating sensation, bone spurs, and swelling. You will feel pain in the affected joints during or after movement. After a short period of inactivity, you will feel joint stiffness. Your joints will lose their capacity for a full range of motion. There will be a grating sensation when you move the joint. You may hear popping or crackling sounds. Bone spurs will grow around the site that is affected by arthrosis. These extra bits of bone will feel like hard lumps.  You can find swelling in the affected parts that are caused by soft tissue inflammation.

The cartilage that is found in the joints helps in frictionless joint motion. Arthrosis causes the wear and tear of this cartilage and as a result, the bone will rub on the bone causing further damage and pain. Thus arthrosis is generally referred to as a wear and tear disease. It not only causes the breakdown of cartilage, but it also affects the entire joint. The joint lining also gets inflamed due to this condition.

There are many factors that can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. You have a higher chance of getting affected by arthrosis as you age. Women have a higher chance of getting affected by arthrosis. Conditions like obesity can increase the chance of arthrosis. The more you weigh, the higher will be the stress on weight-bearing joints like hips and knees.
Moreover, fat tissues are known to produce some proteins that can cause harmful inflammation in and around your joints. Joint injuries can be another major factor. Injuries to the joints can occur while playing or during some accidents. Even injuries that were healed years before can cause arthrosis. Repeated stress on joints from games or jobs can eventually result in arthrosis. Arthrosis can be inherited from your parents. Arthrosis can develop in some people with malformed joints or defective cartilage. Some metabolic diseases like diabetes can also cause arthrosis.

Like many other kinds of arthritis, arthrosis does not have a proper cure. Treatment involves managing the symptoms with a combination of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments. Medications for arthrosis involve topical pain medicines and oral analgesics including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Land and water-based exercises are recommended. Hot and cold packs can be applied to relieve pain in the joints. You should focus on weight loss if you are overweight. You should eat healthily and manage conditions like diabetes and cholesterol.

Conclusion

Arthritis and arthrosis are debilitating conditions that affect your joints. While arthritis is a general term that refers to many diseases that affect our joints, arthrosis is a type of arthritis that affects the cartilage and bones in our joints. There is no cure for these medical conditions that affect our joints. All we can do is treat the symptoms and follow therapies that help in rehabilitation. If you feel any symptoms of arthritis, you can consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and follow the treatment and instructions accordingly.