What is bursitis and how is it treated

This helps prevent muscle atrophy. You should avoid activities that cause pain. Ask your doctor about exercises to help build strength in the area. Your bursitis may affect your ability to function normally. If so, you may need physical therapy to help you move again. This is especially true if you have chronic bursitis. You can also use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs such as ibuprofen brand names: Advil, Motrin or naproxen brand name: Aleve to relieve pain and swelling.

You also may want to use an ice pack on the area to reduce swelling. Or you may need steroid shots to reduce pain and swelling. Steroid shots are usually very effective in treating bursitis. You may need another shot after a few months. Surgery is rarely needed to treat bursitis. The doctor removes the bursa from the hip. The hip can function normally without the bursa.

The recovery period is typically short. If you have chronic bursitis, try to minimize flare-ups by stretching each day to increase range of motion. And avoid activities that you know will result in pain. Repetitive-motion activities are especially bad for bursitis. If you do have a flare up, remember that resting your hip is important.

Without proper rest, healing is delayed. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone.

You might have bursitis if 1 of your joints is: painful — usually a dull, achy pain tender or warmer than surrounding skin swollen more painful when you move it or press on it The area may also be red. This can be harder to see on darker skin. How to treat bursitis yourself To help bring down swelling and pain you can: rest — try not to move the joint too much and avoid activities that put pressure on it use ice — gently hold an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel on the area for around 10 minutes at a time and repeat every few hours during the day take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen , to ease any pain It may also help to put extra cushions around the affected joint while you sleep, to help protect and support it.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:. Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs shown in blue that reduce friction between moving parts in your body's joints. Knee bursitis is inflammation or irritation of one or more of the bursae in your knee. Bursitis bur-SY-tis is a painful condition that affects the small, fluid-filled sacs — called bursae bur-SEE — that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near your joints. Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed. The most common locations for bursitis are in the shoulder, elbow and hip.

But you can also have bursitis by your knee, heel and the base of your big toe. Bursitis often occurs near joints that perform frequent repetitive motion. Treatment typically involves resting the affected joint and protecting it from further trauma. In most cases, bursitis pain goes away within a few weeks with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are common. The most common causes of bursitis are repetitive motions or positions that put pressure on the bursae around a joint.

For more information on bursitis and other conditions we treat, visit our website. If you are experiencing bursitis or other forms of hip pain, our hip specialists at the Lifespan Orthopedics Institute in Rhode Island are here to help. Ramin Tabaddor is an orthopedic surgeon with the Lifespan Orthopedics Institute , specializing in sports medicine. What is Bursitis and How is it Treated? Bursitis is a common, painful condition that affects many Rhode Islanders.

What causes bursitis? The signs of bursitis: The symptoms of bursitis typically include: pain swelling stiffness possible warmth and redness, if infected Bursitis and the hip Bursitis can occur anywhere we have bursa sacs. How is bursitis treated? At The Lifespan Orthopedic Institute in Providence, Rhode Island we treat bursitis in the following manner: Initially, it is treated with a period of rest or activity modifications to reduce the amount of friction or pressure on the affected area.