If you have bursitis, you’re not alone. More than 8 million people in the United States suffer from the condition each year. Bursitis makes it challenging to perform even simple movements, so it’s hard for you to go about your normal activities.
At Vulcan Pain Management in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, our dual-board certified pain management physician, Victor Mendoza, MD, understands the challenges of living with chronic pain. In this blog, he shares how bursitis is linked to joint pain and offers solutions to help you feel better fast.
You have a type of soft tissue in your body called bursa. They’re filled with a lubricating fluid that cushions tendons, skin, muscles, and bone as you move. When any of these more than 150 bursa are inflamed, you develop a painful condition known as bursitis.
Bursitis can occur anywhere in your body, where one of your 150 bursa are located. It’s most common in your knees, ankles, elbows, hips, and shoulders.
Bursitis typically strikes because of one of these causes:
Aging also increases your risk of developing bursitis.
Many people automatically think about arthritis when they have pain in their joints, but bursitis is also common in adults over 40. When you engage in activities that require you to use a joint too much, such as hiking, skiing, playing golf or tennis, gardening, throwing, digging, painting, and other repetitive movements, your tendons and joints are less capable of bearing the brunt over time and begin to break down, putting undue pressure on your bursa. In addition to joint pain, you may experience swelling, and your full range of motion may be impaired.
Bursitis is highly treatable. Dr. Mendoza typically recommends the most conservative strategies to treat your joint pain from bursitis. He begins your treatment with suggestions to:
Physical therapy can also help by strengthening your muscles and alleviating pressure from your joints. Depending on the severity of your bursitis and joint pain, Dr. Mendoza may prescribe medication to eradicate the inflammation and pair that with steroid injections to alleviate pain and improve your ability to move and use the joint freely.
If your bursa are inflamed and irritated and causing pain in your joints, our team stands ready to help you feel good again. Call the office closes to you to book an appointment or use the online scheduling option.
