What is Bursitis, and what does it feel like?

Bursitis can feel like a sharp, aching pain in your joints, making even simple movements tough. If you're dealing with swelling, stiffness, and discomfort, it could be Bursitis. Bursitis is a condition you can develop where the small, fluid-filled sacs known as bursae become inflamed. Bursae are located throughout your body, acting as cushions between bones, tendons, and muscles near the joints. Their main role is to reduce friction during movement, ensuring smooth and painless motion. When these sacs become irritated and inflamed, it leads to Bursitis, a painful condition that can significantly interfere with daily activities.

Bursitis can affect many joints, especially those that perform repetitive movements. While Bursitis is often associated with older adults, it can occur at any age, especially in individuals who engage in repetitive tasks or high-impact activities.

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Where Does Bursitis Occur?

Bursitis can develop in several areas of the body. The joints most commonly affected include:

Symptoms of Bursitis

The symptoms of Bursitis can vary based on its location, but the most common signs include:

What Causes Bursitis?

Several factors can lead to Bursitis, with the primary causes including:

When to See a Doctor for Bursitis

While many cases of Bursitis can be managed at home, it's important to consult a doctor if:

• The pain is severe and doesn't improve with home treatments.
• There is excessive swelling or redness in the joint.
• You have a fever or other signs of infection, such as warmth or pus near the bursa.
• You experience a significant reduction in joint mobility.

Treatments for Bursitis

Bursitis can typically be managed with non-invasive treatments. Here's a breakdown of the most common methods:

Rest: Resting the affected area is essential to allow the inflammation to subside. Avoid the activities that triggered the condition, especially repetitive movements.

Ice: Applying ice packs to the area in 15-20 minute intervals multiple times a day can help to reduce inflammation and alleviate your pain, especially in the early days of the condition.

Over-the-Counter Medications: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, can help control pain and reduce swelling.

Physical Therapy: A physical therapist can design a rehabilitation program tailored to your specific needs. This typically includes exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles surrounding the joint which helps to improve flexibility and prevent future occurrences.

Steroid Injections: In cases of severe or persistent pain, a corticosteroid injection directly into the bursa can provide quick relief. These injections reduce inflammation and may alleviate symptoms for several months.

Aspiration: In cases of severe swelling, fluid may be drained from the bursa through a procedure called aspiration. This can reduce pressure and provide relief from pain.

Surgery: In rare cases, when conservative treatments fail, surgery may be necessary to remove the inflamed bursa. Surgical removal of the bursa typically resolves the issue and is followed by physical therapy to restore full function to the joint.

Home Care for Bursitis: How to Heal Hip Bursitis and Other Forms at Home

Many cases of Bursitis, particularly mild ones, can be treated effectively at home. Here's how to manage it:

Rest the Affected Joint: Stop any activity that may have caused the condition. Rest allows the inflammation to calm down and prevents further damage.

Ice the Area: Apply ice to the affected joint for 15-20 minutes every few hours during the first 48 hours. Ice helps reduce swelling and numbs the pain.

Use Compression and Elevation: Wrapping the joint with an elastic bandage can help control swelling. Elevating the joint can promote blood flow and reduce swelling, especially in the knees and ankles.

Perform Gentle Stretches: Once the pain has subsided, gentle stretching can improve flexibility and reduce stiffness. Be cautious and avoid overextending the joint.

Preventing Bursitis

Preventing Bursitis involves taking steps to reduce stress on the joints and prevent inflammation. Some helpful strategies include:

Is it Bursitis or Arthritis?

To distinguish between bursitis and arthritis, it's important to look at the specific symptoms and areas affected:

In short, bursitis tends to be acute, focused on a specific joint with movement-triggered pain, while arthritis is typically chronic, affecting joint function and movement over time. If in doubt, an orthopedic specialist can help provide a diagnosis through physical exams and imaging tests like X-rays or MRIs.

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This blog post is meant to be informative and should not act as a self-diagnosis tool. If you’d like to see one of our doctors, please contact us here.

When it comes to the health of your hips, bursitis is not something you want to hear. But if you have ever experienced it, you know how much of a nuisance it can be. Bursitis is inflammation of one or more bursa—fluid-filled sacs located beneath your skin in certain spots, most notably around your hips. This condition can make even the simplest tasks extremely painful. Prolonged bursitis can even result in permanent damage. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help prevent bursitis from developing or coming back. But if you suspect that you have developed bursitis and are ready to take action to get rid of it for good, this article will help get you started on the right track. Here, you’ll learn about the common causes and symptoms of hip bursitis as well as various treatment options that might be right for you.

What Is Bursitis?

Bursitis is a form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the bursa. Bursa are small sacs of fluid — like miniature joints — that help cushion the joints and reduce friction and pain. Bursitis can occur in the shoulder, knee, hip and even the elbow. If the bursa becomes irritated and swollen, it can become a bursitis. People who do repetitive motions such as people who lift weights or who sit at a computer all day are at risk for bursitis. If you have an inflamed bursa, you may experience pain and swelling around the area where the bursa is located. The most common areas in which bursitis develops are the shoulder, elbow, knee and hips. Bursitis can also develop in your feet, which is referred to as plantar bursitis.

How Does Bursitis Happen?

Bursa are small pouches filled with fluid that sit between your muscles, tendons and bones. Some bursa help reduce friction between the bones and may be referred to as “dynamic” bursa, such as the ones found around the hips. While others are known as “static” bursa and are located near joints, helping to keep the bones from rubbing against each other. The buildup of pressure in this fluid-filled sac can cause inflammation, which is known as bursitis. Bursitis can be caused by a number of factors, including injury, overuse, infection or poor posture. You are most at risk for bursitis if you have a job that requires repetitive motions, such as manual labor or work on a computer, as well as those who participate in activities that require a lot of jumping or quick movements, such as sports or dancing.

The Symptoms of Hip Bursitis

• Pain or tenderness on or around the hip - Usually the outside portion of the hip or the upper portion of the buttocks is affected 
• Swelling of the hip - Swelling may be present on the outside of the hip or may be visible inside the joint if a large amount of fluid has accumulated. 
• Swelling of the surrounding muscles 
• Limping or a change in walking pattern 
• Decreased ability to raise the knee towards the chest 
• Pain when lying down or rolling over in bed 
• Pain when rising from a seated position 
• Pain when walking up stairs or hills 
• Pain when twisting or turning the hip 
• Weakness or decreased strength of the muscles in the leg 
• Decreased ability to lift objects

Possible Causes of Bursitis

The exact cause of bursitis is unknown, but it can develop when a sudden increase in pressure occurs within a bursa sac. This often happens when the bursa are overused or irritated. 

Common causes of bursitis include:

• Repetitive motions - Whether it’s from sports, manual labor or a repetitive action from your daily life, repetitive motions that irritate the bursa can cause them to become inflamed. 
• Injuries - Bursitis can develop following an injury, such as a fall or sprain, that causes an increase in pressure within the bursa. 
• Infection - Infection can cause an increase in the pressure within a bursa, which can lead to inflammation. 
• Poor posture - Bursitis can develop if you have poor posture and put added pressure on the bursa. 
• Age - As you age, the bursa become less effective, which can lead to bursitis.

Treatments for Hip Bursitis

Since bursitis is an inflammatory-based condition, treatment includes reducing inflammation by following a warm compress or ice pack routine while resting as much as possible. In addition, you may want to consider following a healthy diet and lifestyle to further help prevent the condition from recurring. 

• Heat - Applying a warm compress to the affected area may help reduce inflammation and relieve pain by improving blood flow. This is best done for 15-20 minutes, two times per day, at a moderate heat level. 
• Rest - While this may be difficult for those who are unable to work, resting is one of the most effective ways to decrease inflammation and speed up the healing process. 
• Healthy Diet - While there are no specific foods that are proven to help with bursitis, following a healthy diet will help prevent many health conditions and promote general wellness. 
• Exercises - Exercises that don’t irritate the bursa can be performed as part of the treatment plan. 
• Medication - While bursitis is not an immediate emergency, you should see your doctor if you suspect you have this condition. If a doctor determines that you have bursitis, they will likely prescribe medication to help reduce inflammation, such as NSAIDs or corticosteroids.

Conclusion

Hip bursitis can be a painful condition that can make even the simplest activities difficult. Luckily, there are several things you can do to help prevent it or reduce its severity, such as following a healthy diet, exercising regularly and changing your posture. If you think you may have developed bursitis, you should see your doctor for treatment.

Hip bursitis is a painful condition caused by inflammation of the small sacs that cushion the hip joint. It can be painful enough to limit mobility, including walking upstairs or getting out of a deep chair. The good news is, there are several treatment options available for hip bursitis. The experts at Princeton Orthopaedic Associates can find the right treatment plan for your pain. 

What Is Hip Bursitis?

Hip bursitis, also known as trochanteric bursitis, is an inflammation of the bursa, tiny fluid-filled sacs near the hip joint called the greater trochanter. This joint is the area where the head of the femur (thigh bone) meets the long part of the bone. This area has a bursa that cushions the femur and its joint with the pelvis (hip bone). 

There are several possible causes of hip bursitis:

• Hip injury due to a fall or impact
• Bad posture
• Overuse from climbing stairs or standing for too long
• Bone spurs on the hip
• Poor joint positioning leading to soft tissue damage
• Previous surgery
• Chronic ailments such as arthritis or gout

Symptoms can include pain or stiffness, particularly when climbing stairs or standing from a deep chair or cushion. The pain tends to be on the side of the hip but can radiate around to the outside of the buttock or the hip. 

Treatment of Hip Bursitis

Treatment of hip bursitis can vary depending on the severity of the pain and inflammation. That’s why it’s essential to assess your pain level before deciding on the best course of treatment. That treatment can range from over-the-counter pain medications to surgery. 

Treatment begins with nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. It also may require rest of the joint, which means not standing for long periods or not climbing stairs. 

The next step is corticosteroid injections, which quickly reduce inflammation and pain. Relief can last several weeks to a few months. 

Physical therapy can build up strength in the joint, straighten the joint, improve posture, and reduce pain and inflammation. We can also use physical therapy sessions to recover from bursitis and help prevent it from recurring.

If these methods fail to alleviate or eliminate the pain, surgery may be necessary. During surgery, the surgeon removes the bursa causing the problem. The surgery can be performed arthroscopically using only small incisions, which means faster healing for the patient. 

Surgery for hip bursitis is rare and is only done in extreme cases. In most cases, other treatment methods bring sufficient relief.