Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease that can result in joint damage and increased pain over time. The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness, particularly first thing in the morning or after resting.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is recognized as the most disabling type of arthritis. While they both fall under the "arthritis" umbrella and share certain similarities, these diseases have significant differences.
The two conditions can cause similar symptoms, but they have different causes and treatments. OA usually affects fewer joints, and its symptoms are generally limited to the joints. The progression of RA is more difficult to predict, and it can cause more widespread symptoms.
In osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative disease that affects the whole joint, the protective cartilage and fluid break down over time, making joint movement difficult and painful. Eventually, bones of the joint may rub directly against one another, causing severe pain.
What is rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body.
Stage IV: Bony Ankylosis
As the name suggests, stage IV is when the bones fuse together with actual bone tissue instead of just a connective fibrous tissue. At this stage, pain actually goes away, but so does the ability to move. The joint is essentially gone, so you can't bend or flex the area.
Osteoarthritis (OA) can be crippling if untreated as it disintegrates the cartilage that supports the joints of the spine, knees, hands, and spine. This causes debilitating pain because the bones start rubbing against one another.
Many people who have arthritis or a related disease may be living with chronic pain. Pain is chronic when it lasts three to six months or longer, but arthritis pain can last a lifetime. It may be constant, or it may come and go.
RA is symmetrical, where a patient feels symptoms in the same spot on both sides of the body, often in the joints in the feet and hands. Osteoarthritis, in contrast, begins in an isolated joint, often in the knee, fingers, hands, spine and hips. While both sides may hurt, one side is more painful.
Symptoms vary from mild to severe and may come and go. Some may stay about the same for years, but symptoms can also progress and get worse over time. Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain, difficulty performing daily activities and make walking and climbing stairs painful and grueling.
End-stage arthritis is the progressive wearing down of the cartilage that is present between the bones of a joint causing the bones to come in contact with each other and painfully rub against each other during movement of the joint. This results in severe pain with loss of movement and function.
The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and sometimes stiffness in the affected joints. The pain tends to be worse when you move the joint or at the end of the day.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. It tends to involve more than one of the small joints of the hands and feet. In particular, the lining of the joint or tendons (the synovium) is inflamed, causing warmth, pain, and stiffness.
Key points about arthritis
Symptoms may include pain, stiffness, swelling, warmth, or redness in 1 or more joints. There is no cure for arthritis. The treatment goal is to limit pain and inflammation and preserve joint function. Treatment options include medicines, weight reduction, exercise, and surgery.
Laboratory tests
The analysis of different types of body fluids can help pinpoint the type of arthritis you may have. Fluids commonly analyzed include blood, urine and joint fluid. To obtain a sample of joint fluid, doctors cleanse and numb the area before inserting a needle in the joint space to withdraw some fluid.
If you have RA, joint pain can range from mild to moderate or severe. Sometimes it can feel like a sprain or broken bone. Some areas of your body may even be painful to the touch.
Lupus and Scleroderma
The autoimmune diseases systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma often present with joint involvement that mimics rheumatoid arthritis. While lupus and scleroderma are two different diseases, they often overlap with one another.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others). All work by blocking enzymes that cause pain and swelling.
Besides ibuprofen and naproxen, other examples of prescription NSAIDs include diclofenac (Cambia, Cataflam, Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), meloxicam (Mobic), oxaprozin (Daypro), and piroxicam (Feldene).
You may automatically qualify for benefits if your arthritis is affecting your spine and compromising any nerve roots within the spinal cord. Arthritis should cause your spinal cord to experience widespread pain, limited flexibility, and inflammation that necessitates a change in positioning every few hours.
Arthritis and osteoporosis are significant contributors to disability, with almost 16% (in 2003) of Australians with a disability reporting one of the two to be their main disabling condition.
Severe Osteoarthritis and mobility
Sadly for some Osteoarthritis can lead to need to using a wheelchair. The pain while often manageable with drugs can combine with joint stiffness and loss of dexterity to require the use of a wheelchair to help alleviate the conditions.