Your joint is painful, swollen, or difficult to move. What to do? Which doctor should I consult with this problem? What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis? Everything in our body works, works and wears accordingly. 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 practice, if the child has problems - they turn to a pediatrician, and he already determines which narrow specialist to turn to.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, do not confuse it with arthrosis. What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis? Now we will understand how these diseases differ.
What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?
The 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 - becomes chronic, with which the joints wear out and deform.
Symptoms of diseases are also different - this is the second sign:
- Arthritis - can occur in a hidden form (chronic) or immediately feel itself (acute form). It manifests itself with pain, fever, swelling, skin discoloration.
- Arthrosis may not necessarily be accompanied by painful symptoms. Sometimes the pain occurs after a long rest, but disappears after development, there is a crunch or click when moving.
Arthrosis affects people over 50 years old, athletes or as a result of a severe fracture - after 40 years old.
Third, the nature of the damage to the body:
- Arthritis affects the whole body. The inflammatory process affects the work of internal organs: heart, liver, kidneys.
- Arthrosis - affects only the joint.
Fourth - how exactly the joints are damaged:
- Any joint can be affected by arthritis.
- Arthrosis likes to affect the connective tissues that are most affected by the load. These are the joint of the knee, ankle, hip, and also the thumb.
Also, scientific studies have shown that arthritis patients make up 2% of the population on Earth, and arthrosis makes up 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, the composition of leukocytes and erythrocytes increases with arthritis.
Rheumatic tests and biochemical analyzes are carried out - they are taken from a vein on an empty stomach.
Arthrosis does not change the structure of blood, markers of inflammation increase with arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is manifested by the appearance of rheumatoid factor in the blood, and with gout - an increase in uric acid.
X-ray - shows the stage of the disease, if there are changes in the bone structure - arthrosis. MRI and CT scans can also be ordered.
Which doctor treats arthritis and arthrosis?
As mentioned earlier, we first consult a general practitioner. He examines and refers to a rheumatologist, examines, diagnoses and plans treatment.
What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis? If the doctor has diagnosed arthrosis, he prescribes additional examinations to determine the stage of the disease.
Treatment takes place only with drugs, injections, ointments. First of all, the doctor advises to reduce the load and take chondroprotectors. A number of exercises are recommended to improve blood circulation.
The treatment should be complex, therefore the following narrowly qualified doctors may be involved in addition: physiotherapist, massage therapist, specialist in physiotherapy exercises, surgeon.
In case of connective tissue diseases, it can be sent to a sanatorium for further treatment and recovery.
An arthrologist is a doctor who deals with joint problems. However, these specialists are found only in large clinics and are difficult to reach.
If the disease progresses and has passed to a difficult stage, you should contact an orthopedic surgeon. Depending on the need for treatment, two types of surgery can be performed: organ preservation and endoprosthetic.
Specialists from different fields are involved for the best treatment at each stage, but the whole treatment is supervised by a therapist or a rheumatologist.
Which doctor will treat arthritis depends on the cause.
- With an injury that serves as an impetus, it is necessary to visit a traumatologist for development.
- Specialists in Rheumatoid - Immune Diseases.
- Metabolic disorders (gout) - nutritionist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist.
- Problems of the maxillofacial joint: dentist, ENT.
- With pus - the intervention of a surgeon is required for surgery.
The doctor carries out treatment in several directions: to stop further destruction and restore the ability of connective tissues.
Treatment should be started 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 conducts treatment depending on the cause of arthritis, but there is a standard scheme:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). First, a course of intramuscular, intravenous or intra-articular injection is carried out, ointments can be used for further treatment.
- 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 added depending on the course of the disease. The recovery process is long and laborious, and rehabilitation will require a lot of work from you.