Patients with knee pain are most worried about suffering from arthritis. Arthritis is mainly divided into osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis. In addition to the commonly heard rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis also has psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Although arthritis has common characteristics, namely pain, stiffness and swelling, the harm and treatment of inflammatory arthritis are more difficult. Early intervention is especially important. Different arthritis can be distinguished through the following points:
The location and characteristics of pain
Arthritis will cause joint pain. The pain of osteoarthritis is limited to a few joints, common in knees, hips, and hands. Many patients only have one joint pain, such as knees. Rheumatoid arthritis affects more joints and is symmetrical on both sides of the body, which is more like a systemic pain. It rarely starts from the knee, usually starts from the small joints of the fingers and toes, and then knee pain occurs. Patients with ankylosing complaints about low back pain and buttock pain.
Even if there is knee pain, the feeling is different. Osteoarthritis is mainly pain. As the pain patients feel foreign bodies in the knees, bones rub against bones. inflammatory arthritis is mostly accompanied by stiff pain, and there are other symptoms. psoriatic arthritis will have scaly rashes and psoriatic plaques, ankylosing is prone to eye inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis will be accompanied by weight loss and fever.
Differential age
Although it is not absolute, osteoarthritis occurs most of people over 50 years old. It is a degenerative disease. As you age, the cartilage that buffers the knee begins to decompose, and Knee joint wears and tear. If young people develop knee osteoarthritis, it is usually caused by severe trauma.
In contrast, inflammatory joints occur earlier, Ankylosing spondylitis is usually between 20 and 40 years old, and psoriatic arthritis is usually between 30 and 50 years old. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs most often in the age of 40 to 60.
morning stiffness is different
osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis may occur, but morning stiffness in osteoarthritis will not exceed 1 hour. Most of them can relieve and disappear on their own in 10 to 20 minutes. The morning stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis in lasts at least one hour, and the most will reach four or five hours.
treatment methods are different
Both types of arthritis once occur irreversible, but early detection of inflammatory arthritis is particularly important, and the consequences it may be more serious. The treatment of inflammatory arthritis is mainly based on drugs. It reduces inflammation and relieves joint pain through anti-rheumatic drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . Patients need to take medication and exercise for a long time. If serious joint deformities occur, surgical treatment is required, such as artificial knee replacement.
In addition to taking medicine, osteoarthritis can also be used for injection, arthroscopy, osteotomy, and artificial knee replacement according to the degree of the condition. Can
still exercise?
Whether it is osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis, proper and reasonable exercise is the key to treatment. Don’t worry about exercise hurting your knees. In fact, not exercising will do more harm than good. It is also harmful to not bear weight on the knee or bear too much weight on the knee. Patients can first perform some exercises that are not too intense, such as going out for a walk frequently, bringing canes or crutches, knee pads or sheaths when exercising, wearing well-cushioned shoes, and not wearing flat shoes, flip flops and high heels, otherwise it will accelerate lower limb deformity and put additional pressure on the knees.
Medical science popularization, for reference only.
