Bursitis

Treatment for bursitis can ease pain and swelling and prevent it from becoming chronic. After treatment, preventative action can help stop bursitis from flaring up.

The cause of knee bursitis is often apparent, such as frequent kneeling or a one-time trauma. Other times, the cause is a less obvious underlying condition.

Elbow bursitis could be the result of repetitive pressure on the elbow, previous injury, infection, or an underlying condition, such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis.

Elbow bursitis is characterized by swelling making it easier to diagnose, but whether or not it is infected, called septic bursitis, requires additional testing.

Swelling is the most common symptom of elbow bursitis, but it can also occur with elbow pain and tenderness. If the bursa is infected medical attention is needed.

Elbow bursitis may be treated with rest, elbow pads, medication, and injections. If the bursa is infected, antibiotics are needed.

Read about the two types of bursitis can cause heel pain and swelling, what causes them, and what medical conditions are associated with them. Both retrocalcaneal and calcaneal bursitis of the heel may take 2 or 3 weeks to fully treat.

Heel bursitis is often caused by everyday activity. Certain medical conditions, an infection, or a past trauma can increase the risk of heel bursitis.

Heel bursitis may be diagnosed after a physical exam and patient interview. In certain cases, medical imaging and lab tests may be ordered.

Heel bursitis can cause heel pain and swelling, skin redness, and back of the heel stiffness. If symptoms indicate septic bursitis, urgent medical care is needed.

Heel bursitis is treated first with home therapies, then other medical interventions. Surgery, such as a bursectomy, may be considered if other methods fail.

Hip bursitis is a form of inflammation. Pain at the outside of the hip, or trochanter pain syndrome, could be bursitis of the hip, or less commonly the iliopsoas.

Hip pain from hip bursitis can be from a hip injury or surgery, repetitive weight on the hip, being overweight, or inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

Other conditions must be ruled out before diagnosing hip (trochanteric) bursitis, with the use of MRI, X-ray, and lab tests.

Common symptoms of hip bursitis include pain and tenderness at the outside of the hip that worsens with certain activities, aching pain, and radiating pain.

Hip bursitis is treated first with rest, activity change, and sometimes medication and injections. If it is severe and persists, surgery may be considered.

Knee bursitis, or prepatellar bursitis, is a common cause of knee swelling and inflammation. It may last weeks or more if left untreated.

To diagnose prepatellar bursitis, other conditions must first be ruled out. Diagnostic tools used include patient interviews, physical exams, lab tests, and imaging.

Symptoms of knee bursitis include swelling and stiffness at the front of the knee. Some indicate septic bursitis, requires immediate medical attention.

If home remedies don’t work to treat knee bursitis, or if the bursa is infected, medical interventions like aspiration or removal of the bursa may be considered.

Septic bursitis can turn into a serious medical condition if the infection spreads. Learn about the symptoms of septic bursitis, how a bursa can become infected, and how the condition is diagnosed.

Medical consensus on treating septic bursitis includes antibiotics, and possible additional methods like draining or removal of the bursa depending on circumstances.

Shoulder bursitis can have many underlying causes, such as poor posture to a rotator cuff tear. A misplaced vaccination injection can trigger shoulder bursitis too.

Other shoulder conditions often accompany bursitis. Diagnosis will include a physical exam, and possibly an injection or order x-rays, MRI, ultrasound, or lab tests.

Most shoulder bursitis cases won’t need surgery unless accompanied by a rotator cuff tear. Surgery, if recommended, will depend on the symptoms and cause of pain.

The symptoms of shoulder bursitis can range from localized pain and tenderness at the shoulder to radiating pain and muscle weakness.

Treatment for shoulder bursitis focuses on decreasing inflammation of the bursa through rest, activity modification, and at times medications and injections.

Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. If the bursa becomes infected, it is called septic bursitis and must be treated immediately.

Shoulder bursitis occurs is caused by an inflamed bursa. It occurs often with shoulder impingement syndrome, known also as subacromial pain syndrome.