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A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions the bone from other moving parts, such as tendons, muscles, and skin. Bursae (plural of bursa) help your joints work smoothly. They cushion your tendons, bones, and ligaments as they move against each other.
Bursitis is when these small bursae become irritated or inflamed. This is, and usually happens a result of injury or joint overuse. For example, kneeling on a hard floor for a long time may cause or worsen bursitis. Repeating the same motions or joint stress every day can also cause or worsen bursitis.
Bursitis is often confused with tendonitisBursitis is an inflammation of the bursae that cushion the bone. Tendonitis, on the other hand, is an inflammation of the tendon, or cord, that attaches muscle to bone.
Bursitis can be short-term (acute), as a result of an injury or infection. Or, it can be long-term (chronic), as a result of long-term repetitive motion. Chronic bursitis can occur in any joint that regularly performs repetitive motion.
Bursitis can be very painful. Bursitis often creates the following common symptoms in the affected joint(s):
Symptoms may vary based on the type of bursitis.
The first sign of trouble with bursitis is pain. Please see your healthcare provider as soon as possible if you have any of the following conditions:
Bursitis can be caused by
The following groups of people typically perform these types of motion, and commonly develop bursitis:
Other causes of bursitis include trauma or injury to the affected joint, inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid [ROO-ma-toyd] arthritis), infection, and/or gout.
You are also more likely to get bursitis at an older age, or if your occupation or hobbies involve frequent repetitive motion.
To diagnose bursitis, your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam. They may take a sample of the bursa’s fluid to make sure the pain is not caused by an infection.
In some cases a healthcare provider may also ultrasound or other imaging to help diagnoses bursitis.Ultrasound is a noninvasive medical test to help your doctor perform a diagnosis by showing real-time conditions of the body’s internal organs, blood vessels, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and soft tissues. It is very safe and painless.
Often, bursitis will get better on its own if you rest the affected joint and protect it from any further harm. Most people feel better within a few weeks with proper treatment. However, some people may still have flare-ups of bursitis in the affected area.
Common treatments to relieve bursitis pain include;
If these measures do not help, your healthcare provider may recommend these treatments:
Some types of bursitis cannot be prevented. There are certain things you can do to help reduce your risk of bursitis due to overstrain or overuse of a joint. These prevention methods include the following:
A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions the bone from other moving parts, such as tendons, muscles, and skin. Bursitis is when the bursa becomes inflamed, and usually happens with overuse or injury. Bursitis is not the same thing as tendonitis.