First of all, relax : You probably don’t have bursitis. Most people who think they have it actually have tendinitis. The same activities cause both conditions : swinging at tennis balls, kneeling in the garden, lifting heavy weights, bumping into things, using a jackhammer, carrying those plastic shopping bags with handles.
If your pain comes on suddenly, sharply and intensely, though, bursitis is a possibility. It occurs when the bursa become inflamed. These little sacs of fluid are located throughout the body, primarily in the joints. They serve to cushion points where muscles or tendons rub against bones or ligaments.They’re especially important in the shoulders, elbows, hips and knee joints. And that’s where you most often get bursitis.
The actual cause of bursitis is usually overuse or injury of the joint. And the usual treatment is rest combined with medication, like ibuprofen or aspirin.This is followed by ice and moist heat. Whatever it is you’ve been doing to aggravate your bursa, stop doing it for at least ten days. Rest does not mean total immobilization,however. Doctor’s caution that complete non use of a joint can cause it to “freeze up”, a condition that can result in permanent impairment.
Inflammation of the bursa can be so intense that the skin surrounding the joint is hot to the touch. This is the time to use an ice pack or gel pack, which also reduces inflammation. Protect your skin with a towel or wash cloth between the pack and the skin. Leave the pack on for 10 minutes, then replace it for 10 more minutes, until the heat is gone.
A moist heating pad comes in handy when the pain isn’t too severe and the joint itself isn’t hot. If that’s the case, alternate cold and heat treatments – 10 minutes of cold, 10 min. of heat, and so on. After a few days the intense pain subsides.
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