Bursitis and Tendon Injury
What is Bursitis?
Overuse or repetitive stress on your body’s joints may eventually lead to a painful inflammation called bursitis.
Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs in your body that lubricate and cushion pressure points between the bones in your body and the muscles and tendons near your joints. Bursitis arises when one of the bursae becomes inflamed. The inflammation occurs and movement becomes painful.
Bursitis most often affects joints in your shoulders, hips or elbows. However, it can also affect your heel, knee a d base of your big toe.
Symptoms
People with Bursitis may notice:
- Stiffness or an ache in the area around your elbow, knee, hip, shoulder or big toe and other joints.
- Pain with movement or pressure.
- Skin around the joint that feels warm to the touch or swollen.
- Occassional redness of the skin in the area of the inflammation.
Will I need surgery?
Bursitis is usually treated by:
- Resting and immobilization of the affected area.
- Applying ice to reduce swelling.
- Prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) to relieve pain.
Physical therapy or exercises may also be recommended or an injection of cortisone may also be given.
Surgery is rarely needed unless the Bursitis is caused by an infection that does not disappear with antibiotics. In this case, it is surgically drained.
