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HEALTH: BURSITIS (INFLAMMATION) PREVENTION & TREATMENT Tendonitis>>
What is Bursitis?
Bursitis is the painful inflammation or irritation of the bursa. The bursa is a soft, fluid-filled sac that covers and cushions the movement between the bones, tendons and muscles near the joints. The major bursa are
located adjacent to the tendons near the large joints, such as the
shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.There are 160 bursa in the body.
Bursitis usually occurs under the shoulder muscles, at the elbows (called epitrochlear bursitis or "tennis elbow"), the hip sockets (called trochanteric bursitis ), heel bones (called retrocalcaneal bursitis) or the kneecaps (called infrapatellar bursitis or "housemaid's knee"). It can also occur in the buttocks (called ischiogluteal bursitis) or the thigh (called trochanteric bursitis).
Bursitis can be acute (a sudden, sharp pain following an injury) or chronic ( a recurring inflammation in the same area). When a joint is overused or when it stays under pressure or tension for extended periods of time, a nearby bursa can become inflamed. The bursa fills with excess fluid, causing pressure on the surrounding tissue and resulting in bursitis. When inflammation occurs, movement or pressure is painful. Bursitis pain usually goes away within a few weeks or so with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are common. Bursitis pain usually goes away within a few weeks or so with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are common.
Health: Causes of Bursitis (inflammation)
Common causes of bursitis are overuse, stress and direct trauma to a joint, such as with repeated bumping or prolonged pressure from kneeling. Incorrect posture at work or rest, or poor conditioning before exercise or playing sport. Bursitis may also result from an infection, arthritis or gout. Many times, the cause is unknown.
Bursitis in certain locations of your body is caused by repetitive motion related to certain activities:
- Shoulder. Bursitis of the shoulder often results from injury to the rotator cuff, the muscles and tendons that connect your upper arm bone to your shoulder blade. Causes of the injury may include falling, lifting and repetitive overhead arm activities. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between the pain caused by bursitis and that caused by a rotator cuff injury.
- Elbow. This type of bursitis is associated with actions requiring you to repeatedly bend and extend your elbow. You may get such an inflammation by pushing a vacuum cleaner back and forth. Throwing a baseball and swinging a tennis racket or a golf club are other examples of repeated physical activities that may lead to bursitis or tendinitis of the elbow or shoulder. Simple repeated leaning on your elbows could lead to bursitis over the tip of your elbow.
- Buttocks. This type of bursitis describes an inflamed bursa over the bone in your buttocks. It may result from sitting on a hard surface for long periods, such as on a bike.
- Hip. Bursitis of the hip is frequently associated with arthritis or a hip injury. The pressure from standing or sitting for a prolonged time also may lead to bursitis of the hip.
- Knee. In this form of bursitis, a soft, egg-shaped bump occurs on the front of your knee, the result of repetitive kneeling while installing tiles, scrubbing a floor, gardening or doing other activities that place pressure on your knees. A sharp blow to the knee can cause inflammation of the bursae around the kneecap. People with arthritis who are overweight often develop bursitis of the knee.
- Ankle. Inflammation of the bursa in the ankle commonly occurs as a result of improper footwear or prolonged walking or in sports, such as ice-skating.
You may not be able to pinpoint a specific incident or activity that led to your bursitis. In some cases, the inflammation may stem from a staphylococcal infection.
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Also see: ARTHRITIS OSTEOARTHRITIS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS GOUT TENDONITIS
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Health: Symptoms of Bursitis (inflammation)
If you have bursitis, you may notice these symptoms:
- A dull ache or stiffness in the area around your elbow, hip, knee, shoulder, big toe or other joints.
- Increased pain with movement of joint or pressure.
- An area that feels swollen or warm to the touch.
- Occasional skin redness in the area of the inflamed bursa.
- Tenderness of joint.
- Limited movement in affected area.
Bursitis of the hip doesn't cause any visible swelling or skin redness because the bursae are located beneath some of your body's bulkiest muscles. In this type of bursitis, pain is primarily over the greater trochanter, a portion of your thighbone (femur) that juts out just below where the bone joins the hip.
Health: Diagnosis of Bursitis (inflammation)
Bursitis is typically identified by localized pain or swelling,
tenderness, and pain with motion of the tissues in the affected area.
X-ray testing can sometime detect calcifications in the bursa when
bursitis has been chronic or recurrent.
Although you usually can trace bursitis to events of overuse or
pressure, there may be no obvious cause. In the latter case, your
doctor may want to perform additional screening to rule out other
causes of joint inflammation and pain. This may include blood tests or
an analysis of fluid from the inflamed bursa.
Conventional Health Treatment of Bursitis (inflammation)
The treatment of any form of bursitis depends on whether or not it involves infection. Bursitis that is not infected (from injury or underlying rheumatic disease) can be treated with ice compresses, rest, and anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Occasionally, it requires aspiration of the bursa fluid. This procedure involves removal of the fluid with a needle and syringe under sterile conditions. It can be performed in the doctor's office. Sometimes the fluid is sent to the laboratory for further analysis. Noninfectious bursitis can also be treated with a cortisone injection into the swollen bursa. This treatment is sometimes done at the same time as the aspiration procedure and generally brings immediate relief that reduces the inflammation of the swollen bursa, in many cases, one injection is all you'll need.
Infectious (septic) bursitis requires even further evaluation and aggressive treatment. The bursal fluid can be examined in the laboratory to identify the microbes causing the infection. Septic bursitis requires antibiotic therapy, sometimes intravenously. Repeated aspiration of the infected fluid may be required. Surgical drainage and removal of the infected bursa sac (bursectomy) may also be necessary. Generally, the adjacent joint functions normally after the surgical wound heals.
Treatment of bursitis is usually simple:
- Resting the affected joint by immobilizing the affected area with a sling, splint, or cast.
- Applying ice to reduce swelling and inflammation.
- Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain and reduce inflammation
- Compression and elevation of the affected joint.
It can help to protect bursa close to the skin, such as the ankles and knees, with padding. Additionally, deep-heat therapy (diathermy) can also relieve the discomfort and inflammation of bursitis. With simple self-care and home treatment, bursitis usually disappears within a couple of weeks.
Health: Prevention of Bursitis (inflammation)
To help prevent bursitis or reduce the severity of flare-ups:
- Stretch your muscles. Warm up or stretch before physical activity, and cool-down of exercises.
- Strengthen your muscles. Strengthening can help protect your joints. Wait until the pain and inflammation are gone before starting to exercise a joint that has bursitis.
- Avoid overuse of joints in sports or heavy labor.
- Take breaks when doing physical labor or exercise.
- Take frequent breaks from repetitive tasks. Alternate repetitive tasks with rest or other activities.
- Cushion your joint. Use cushioned chairs, foam for kneeling or elbow pads. Avoid resting your elbows on hard surfaces. Avoid shoes that don't fit properly or that have worn-down heels.
- Don't sit still for long periods. Get up and move about frequently.
- Practice good posture. For example, avoid leaning on your elbows.
- Identify, change, or remove whatever caused it, after an episode of bursitis.
If your bursitis is caused by a chronic underlying condition, such as arthritis, it may recur despite these preventive measures.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________Disclaimer: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner. Therefore any content of this site is strictly intended for educational and informational purpose only. Any access to this site is strictly on a voluntary basis and at the sole discretion of the user. No content of this site is intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor constitute the practice of any medical profession or health care provider. The information provided on this site is here to educate visitors on health issues that may affect their lives. Otherwise, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. And never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
Sources: NIH News In Health/National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine/Dept of Health and Human Services_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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