So… What is BursITIS…?
“Itis” is a suffix used in pathological terms to indicate inflammation. This can be inflammation of anything in the body. Commonly you may have heard of, or even had TendonITIS, BronchITIS, plantarfasciITIS, conjunctivITIS,or SinusITIS. So then what is BursITIS?
Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs, located around joints and positioned between two structures; usually tendons and bones. These little cushions help reduce friction, rubbing and help movement of the tendon over the bone.
Inflammation of these bursae, or bursitis, is most commonly found in the hip, shoulder, knee, heel, and elbow.
Bursitis causes localized pain, swelling, stiffness and a warm feeling around the area. It is often aggravated by movement that is repetitive or causes impingement or compression of the bursa and is worst at night. It can cause significant discomfort and pain as well as limitations to the sufferer’s activities.
Bursitis can be caused by injury, poor posture or strain, repeated pressure or overuse, especially when the activity is executed awkwardly or with poor technique. It is this repetitive strain and compression of the bursa between the two structures that can cause irritation.
It can also be as a result of other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and thyroid problems which causes changes in the underlying musculoskeletal system and hence altered biomechanics and pulling on postural muscles, tendons and bones.
For example, A concreter kneeling down all day can compress the bursa in his knee. This can create knee pain around the knee cap, aggravated by bending or straightening, the knee, resting on the knees and squatting.
Or a poorly executed squat, walking or cycling for long distances can cause stress and strain on the gluteal tendons which in turn can rub over the hip bursa causing them to be inflamed and painful.
This can cause pain to sleep on your side at night, walking or sitting for too long, muscle wastage due to poor use and compensations, as well as inactivity due to pain.
In some uncommon cases, the bursae can become infected, requiring an aspiration or removal of the fluid. This infection can be caused by trauma or an underlying rheumatic disease.
Your Osteopath at St Kilda Osteopathy can help diagnose, treat and manage your bursitis. Osteopath’s main approach to treatment is finding the root or primary cause of the bursitis (or other presenting complaint which you may come in for!).
Is the complaint/s caused by muscle and joint instability? A tight muscle? Or a singular or repetitive movement, which is aggravating the ailment? With a thorough examination, your Osteopath will be able to create a tailor made treatment plan for you, which will be specific for what your body needs.
Osteopaths have a large collection of different techniques.
These can include:
Dr. Catriona Bauld B.Sci (Clin.Sci), M.H.S.(Osteo) Member Osteopathy Australia
Dr Gaby Nowak
BAppSci(ClinSci); BOstSci
Member Osteopathy Australia
Level 2 APMA Pilates Instructor
Reference: Clinically Oriented Anatomy. K.L Moore, A.F. Dalley, A.M. Agur
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/arthritis-bursitis
This blog post is an educational tool only. It is not a replacement for medical advice from a registered and qualified doctor or health professional.
“Itis” is a suffix used in pathological terms to indicate inflammation. This can be inflammation of anything in the body. Commonly you may have heard of, or even had TendonITIS, BronchITIS, plantarfasciITIS, conjunctivITIS,or SinusITIS. So then what is BursITIS?
Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs, located around joints and positioned between two structures; usually tendons and bones. These little cushions help reduce friction, rubbing and help movement of the tendon over the bone.
Inflammation of these bursae, or bursitis, is most commonly found in the hip, shoulder, knee, heel, and elbow.
Bursitis causes localized pain, swelling, stiffness and a warm feeling around the area. It is often aggravated by movement that is repetitive or causes impingement or compression of the bursa and is worst at night. It can cause significant discomfort and pain as well as limitations to the sufferer’s activities.
Bursitis can be caused by injury, poor posture or strain, repeated pressure or overuse, especially when the activity is executed awkwardly or with poor technique. It is this repetitive strain and compression of the bursa between the two structures that can cause irritation.
It can also be as a result of other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and thyroid problems which causes changes in the underlying musculoskeletal system and hence altered biomechanics and pulling on postural muscles, tendons and bones.
For example, A concreter kneeling down all day can compress the bursa in his knee. This can create knee pain around the knee cap, aggravated by bending or straightening, the knee, resting on the knees and squatting.
Or a poorly executed squat, walking or cycling for long distances can cause stress and strain on the gluteal tendons which in turn can rub over the hip bursa causing them to be inflamed and painful.
This can cause pain to sleep on your side at night, walking or sitting for too long, muscle wastage due to poor use and compensations, as well as inactivity due to pain.
In some uncommon cases, the bursae can become infected, requiring an aspiration or removal of the fluid. This infection can be caused by trauma or an underlying rheumatic disease.
Your Osteopath at St Kilda Osteopathy can help diagnose, treat and manage your bursitis. Osteopath’s main approach to treatment is finding the root or primary cause of the bursitis (or other presenting complaint which you may come in for!).
Is the complaint/s caused by muscle and joint instability? A tight muscle? Or a singular or repetitive movement, which is aggravating the ailment? With a thorough examination, your Osteopath will be able to create a tailor made treatment plan for you, which will be specific for what your body needs.
Osteopaths have a large collection of different techniques.
These can include:
- Soft tissue massage to help reduce muscle tension which is influencing the region of the bursa and inflammation,
- Gentle joint mobilization to assist in decompression of the joint and improving range of motion.
- Dry needling to help strengthen tendons and reduce muscle tightness – Have a read of what dry needling is here!
http://www.stkildaosteopathy.com.au/dry-needling-and-how-is-it-different-to-acupuncture - Assisting with fluid movement to help reduce inflammation to and around the inflamed and congested area.
- Unwinding fascial connections to help with any torsions or adhesions within the connective tissues.
- Providing rehabilitation exercises.
- Appropriate ergonomic advice
- Providing taping if required
- Referral back to your GP or a sports physician for further imaging and scans, possible anti-inflammatory pain medication, or even cortisone injection if required.
- Avoid what aggravates it! If you’re repetitively compressing the region because of work, or overtraining the muscles from gym this would be a good time to reassess your posture, work outs, sleeping positions, and how much you do at a time.
- Pain medication, such as an anti-inflammatory, can be useful to decrease pain and inflammation, but please talk to your GP, Pharmacist, or Sports Physician first
- Ice over the painful region – this will not only help decrease pain, but will also decrease the inflammation in the area.
- Have a look at our blog on heat Vs Ice and what you should use when as it gets confusing!!
http://www.stkildaosteopathy.com.au/heat-or-ice-2 - Retrain those sleepy and sore muscles. Your osteopath will be able to prescribe rehabilitation exercises for you. These can be based on strengthening weak muscles to create better muscular forces, retraining muscular recruitment patterns to ensure we’re not overloading anywhere we shouldn’t, and stretching out muscles that may be tight and putting pressure over that bursa.
Dr. Catriona Bauld B.Sci (Clin.Sci), M.H.S.(Osteo) Member Osteopathy Australia
Dr Gaby Nowak
BAppSci(ClinSci); BOstSci
Member Osteopathy Australia
Level 2 APMA Pilates Instructor
Reference: Clinically Oriented Anatomy. K.L Moore, A.F. Dalley, A.M. Agur
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/arthritis-bursitis
This blog post is an educational tool only. It is not a replacement for medical advice from a registered and qualified doctor or health professional.
