Few people are familiar with bursae until problems arise. These small, fluid-filled sacs exist near your joints, serving as a cushion and lubricant between bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and skin.
You have more than 150 bursae throughout your body, but you don’t even notice them when they work properly. However, when they become irritated or inflamed, they can lead to painful symptoms from a condition known as bursitis.
In addition to pain, additional signs of bursitis in a joint include:
- Tenderness, stiffness, or achiness
- Swelling or redness
- Warmth in the area
It’s also possible for infection to occur, which can lead to serious health complications.
Our team at Metro Pain Centers treats bursitis at each of our offices in New York and New Jersey. If you have bursitis, we may recommend these solutions.
Rest and ice
You can develop bursitis anywhere in your body, but it’s most common in the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, foot, or near the Achilles tendon. It usually occurs because of overusing or putting too much pressure on a joint.
For example, common causes of bursitis include:
- Spending prolonged periods kneeling or leaning on your elbows
- Repeatedly throwing a baseball or playing a musical instrument
- Lifting objects over your head repeatedly
As a result, the most conservative approach to treating bursitis involves avoiding any activity or pressure that causes pain in the affected joint. Applying ice can also help reduce inflammation and swelling in the area.
Medication
When you have bursitis, using anti-inflammatory or pain-relieving medications can significantly help the recovery process while your bursae heal.
For faster results, we could recommend injecting corticosteroid medications directly into the affected bursa. This approach provides quick and effective relief for pain and inflammation, often providing results with a single injection.
If we detect an infected bursa, you may also need antibiotic medications to address the infection.
Physical therapy
While you should avoid putting unnecessary pressure on your bursae when you have bursitis, exercise plays an important role in the recovery process. We can provide specific activities or a physical therapy program designed to help strengthen muscles in the affected area.
Not only does physical therapy help ease your discomfort, reduce stiffness, and improve your range of motion, but it can also prevent recurring problems in the joint.
Aspiration
When you have bursitis, this thin tissue can fill with fluid, causing considerable discomfort. If this occurs, we could recommend draining the excess fluid with a needle to relieve pressure in the area. In rare cases, the bursa requires complete surgical removal.
Do you have bursitis? We can help manage your symptoms and condition. Contact the Metro Pain Centers office nearest you by calling or booking an appointment online today.
