What is Bursitis?
Bursitis is a painful condition when small fluid-filled sacs called bursa — which cushion your bones, tendons and muscles near your joints — become inflamed in your shoulder, elbow, hip or knee.
Causes of bursitis include:
- Overuse from activities like running, cycling, climbing stairs or standing for long periods of time
- Injuries from falling, impact to your hipbone or laying on one side for extended periods
- Lack of muscle flexibility
- Hip surgery or prosthetic implants in hips
- Ripped tendon
Treating Bursitis
Treatment for bursitis begins with avoiding activity which aggravated the area. Non-traumatic bursitis is related to your movement patterns and should be assessed by our experienced physiotherapist who understands how subtle movement may cause pain or discomfort and how to prevent injury from reoccurring.
Ice to reduce inflammation
Until you come in to meet with our physiotherapist, we recommend that you apply ice to the painful area to reduce inflammation. For best results, apply an ice pack to the inflamed area for 10 to 15 minutes and repeat several times throughout the day until our physiotherapist assesses your condition.
Physiotherapy
Untreated bursitis can result in calcification of the bursa and lead to increased pain and immobility. People who live with bursitis often bear other health conditions, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis and torn tendons or ligaments, which cause inflammation in their bursa.
It is important for you to consult a physiotherapist if you suspect bursitis. After assessing your range of motion, our physiotherapist will recommend specific exercises to relieve your pain and prevent future injury. Bursitis responds well to electrotherapy which reduces inflammation. Exercises and a treatment plan will be discussed upon consultation with our physiotherapist.
Not sure if the pain you’re experiencing is bursitis?