bursitis : Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention

What is Bursitis?

Bursitis is the inflammation orirritation of the bursa. The bursa isa sac filled with lubricating fluid,located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, that decreases rubbing, friction, and irritation.

What are the causes of Bursitis?

The most common causes of bursitis are repetitive motions or positions that put pressure on the bursae around a joint. Examples include:

• Throwing a baseball or lifting something over your head repeatedly
• Leaning on your elbows for long periods
• Extensive kneeling for tasks such as laying carpet or scrubbing floors

Other causes include injury or trauma to the affected area, inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and infection.

What are the symptoms of Bursitis?

• A person with bursitis can have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Pain that increases with movement or pressure
• Tenderness, even without movement
• Swelling
• Loss of movement

If the bursitis is caused by an infection, it is called septic bursitis. A patient with septic bursitis may have the following additional symptoms:

• Fever
• Redness in the affected area
• The affected area feels hot when touched

What are the tests to diagnose Bursitis?

Doctors can often diagnose bursitis based on a medical history and physical exam. Testing, if needed, might include:

• Imaging tests. X-ray images can't positively establish the diagnosis of bursitis, but they can help to exclude other causes of your discomfort. Ultrasound or MRI might be used if your bursitis can't easily be diagnosed by a physical exam alone.
• Lab tests. Your doctor might order blood tests or an analysis of fluid from the inflamed bursa to pinpoint the cause of your joint inflammation and pain.

What are the treatments of Bursitis?

• antibiotics – usually taken for 7 days if bursitis is due to an infection
• a steroid injection may be given into the affected joint to reduce the swelling – this won't be done if bursitis is caused by an infection
• if bursitis is severe or keeps coming back, the inflamed bursa may need to be surgically drained or even removed – but this is rare