Caring for Bursitis

Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that lubricate and cushion pressure points between the bones, tendons and muscles near the joints. If you have pain when you move or put pressure on a joint, you may have bursitis, an inflammation of a bursa.

Bursitis often affects the shoulders, knees, elbows or hips. The pain usually goes away within a week or two with proper self-care, but flare-ups can occur if you don’t stop the activity that caused the condition.

Causes

Bursitis can have several causes:

• Injury from sports activities, such as baseball, tennis, racquetball and running

• Overuse of joints doing household chores, such as yard work, shoveling snow or house painting

• Prepatellar bursitis resulting from kneeling on a hard surface for long periods

• Olecranon bursitis resulting from repeated pressure on the point of the elbow; it often occurs when someone leans on a desk for a long time

Symptoms and self-care

Symptoms of this condition include swelling, redness and pain in the affected area, which is normally near a joint.

Here's what to do to relieve the pain:

• Rest the affected area.

• Put an ice pack on the area for 20 to 30 minutes three or four times a day.

• Take ibuprofen, such as Advil, to relieve pain and inflammation.

• Don’t put any pressure on the area until the swelling subsides.

• Maintain your range of motion by moving the joint to keep it from getting stiff.

• Gradually build strength in the area with gentle exercise.

• Wait three to six weeks before returning to the sport or task that caused your condition.

If symptoms persist, your doctor may remove excess fluid from the swollen area with a needle and syringe or inject the area with a steroid drug.

Prevention

Avoiding overuse or repetitive stress on a joint can help prevent bursitis.