Bursitis

A fluid filled sac that causes the reduction of friction around the joints is called as bursa. In some cases, the bursa becomes swollen due to irritation or infection of the fluid inside the sac. This is known medically as bursitis. This can result in swelling, pain as well as difficulty to move affected joint.

Generally, bursitis develops in the knees. But it can occur in any body joint say the ankle, elbow or even the shoulders.

If a person is involved in a job having repetitive movements, the chances of the person being affected with bursitis is quite high. The golf players and tennis players usually have bursitis on the elbow joint.

Bursitis can occur more frequently in elder people.

Symptoms

The normally found symptoms of bursitis are

• tenderness of the joint
• swelling of the joint
• pain in the joint
• difficulty in moving the joint affected.

The pain worsens as the person moves the joint affected. The pain worsens at night.

If the bursitis gets infected, causing septic bursitis, the affected area will be red and swollen. The person might usually develop fever due to the infection.

Causes

Some of the causes of bursitis are:

• pressure or trauma to a particular joint
• The bursitis found in the knee is known as housemaid’s knee or carpet layer’s knee. This condition occurs due when a person kneels down on hard surfaces constantly.
• The septic bursitis or an infected bursitis normally happens to those bursae than are present very close to the skin surface.
• The crystal deposits that are deposited in the area around the joints can also cause bursitis. Persons suffering from gout have higher chances of developing the bursitis. The presence off large quantities of uric acid in our body can cause the deposition of crystals around joints. This in turn leads to gout. The symptoms of this condition are inflammation, swelling and pain of the joints.

Treatment

One must go to the doctor if he is affected by bursitis. The treatment for bursitis can include giving rest to the part of the body affected by bursitis. One may be advised to use ice pack on the area. The ice pack must be covered with a cloth and then used on the affected area. Otherwise it can harm the affected area.

Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen may be prescribed. These Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will help the sufferer to get relief form the pain. But ibuprofen is not advised in people who have asthma.

If the symptoms still persist even after undergoing the above mentioned steps, one may have to get the bursae drained. Then a corticosteroid drug will be injected into the drained area. This will help to reduce the inflammation.

In cases where bursitis occurs because of infection, the person is advised to use antibiotics. Using antibiotics will help the person to get relief form the infection.

Prevention

Try to avoid rubbing joints as much as possible. Long term pressure must be avoided on the joints. Use of knee pads is advised in case of persons who are subjected to long working conditions.

One must wear proper shoes to avoid bursitis in the toes.