I’ve decided to designate a handful of future posts to discuss injuries or medical terms that are often used but may have people wondering what they really are/mean. I figured I would start with bursitis as I had two patients come in today with bursitis and were under the impression that it was a strain or a sprain.
A bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between a bone and other moving parts, such as muscles, tendons, or skin. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. Typically, people get bursitis by overusing a joint but it can also be caused by compression or injury to a bursa. Doing repetitive movements such as working over head or running increases the risk for bursitis. Common locations for overuse bursitis are shoulder and hip because these are the joints that are required to move in a variety of motion planes and are the major joints of the upper and lower extremity. Injury bursitis is most common at the elbow due to falls.
Symptoms of bursitis include pain and swelling. Diagnosis is typically rendered from physical exam findings and history. Treatment of bursitis includes rest, ice, anti-inflammatories, and manual therapy such as chiropractic, massage and physiotherapy. Bursitis can take months to heal because once the bursa becomes inflamed it takes time for the body to reduce it. Additionally, the joints commonly involved (hip/shoulder) are joints that are near impossible to rest while performing activities of daily living. Therefore, if you think you may have bursitis, make sure you accelerate the healing process by talking to a health care professional at Clayton Heights Chiropractic today.