Bursitis

Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa. A bursa is a sac, filled with fluid that acts as a cushion between your bone and the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, fascia,...). The reason why we have these bursae (plural of bursa) is to minimise friction and assist with joint movements. We can compare bursa fluid with the oil in your car or in a machine: everything moves smoother with a bit of extra lube or oil.

WHERE COULD YOU HAVE BURSITIS?

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There are over 150 bursae in the body, so there are many different areas where your bursa could get inflamed! The most common joints are the places you put a lot of pressure on. The top 5 we see and treat at Physio K are:

• Shoulder bursitis (subacromial bursitis)

• Elbow bursitis (olecranon bursitis)

• Hip bursitis (trochanteric bursitis)

• Knee bursitis (prepatellar bursitis)

• Feet: big toe, heel or ball of the foot

CAUSES OF BURSITIS: THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION

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"The most common cause is overuse or repeated pressure on a part of the body."

Many patients arrive at our clinic with an ultrasound scan showing bursitis. At Physio K, we tend not to see this as a diagnosis, but as a result of a problem. Let’s explain this with a few examples:

Posture induced overpressure causing bursitis is quite common. Treatment for the bursitis will only solve your current symptoms, but does nothing to the cause of your issue, which is your posture!

Repetitive gym workouts could cause overpressure in a joint (for example the shoulder joint) and because of that give inflammation of the bursa. Shoulder instability or imbalance of the shoulder muscles can be the real cause to address, rather than just do treatment for the bursitis!

Bursitis can also be caused by acute trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents, falls and  sporting collisions.

SYMPTOMS OF BURSITIS:

The most common symptoms are:

• Localised pain

• Swelling

• Stiffness

• Warmth or heath in that area

• Redness of the skin in that affected area

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TREATMENT OF BURSITIS:

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As mentioned above (in causes of bursitis), it is important to treat the cause of the real problem, rather than just treating the symptoms. Anti-inflammatory medication, relative rest, cold packs and sometimes corticosteroid injections may resolve the symptoms. But if we maintain the same lifestyle, these symptoms will come back at some point. A thorough assessment will be necessary to find the root cause, which is what we do at Physio K.

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DOES DRY NEEDLING HELP BURSITIS?

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With bursitis, together with treatment for the symptoms, we need to address the root cause of your problem. Sometimes, that can be a wrong movement pattern or muscle tension that has been building up over time. Releasing a taut band and trigger points in the affected muscle can ease the pressure in the joint and therefore ease the bursitis. To learn more about dry needling, click here.