Bursitis is a relatively uncommon issue to have, but when it’s confirmed it can feel absolutely horrible. A bursa is a fluid filled sac located around the bones and joints in your body that acts as a cushion to prevent too much friction. Some joints in your body like the shoulder, have numerous bursae (plural) as there are so many tendons crossing over each other attaching to their final destination (think about a chaotic downtown London roundabout).

 

Causes of bursitis really vary between overuse, a hard impact injury, arthritis and tendonitis as precursors, to even kneeling or leaning on your elbows too often. Symptoms can be stiffness, pain when applying pressure or moving, or it’s visibly swollen and red, but these are symptoms of a whole lot of other pathologies so the most precise method of diagnosis would be an ultrasound.

 

Factors that increase the risk of getting bursitis are age, occupations or hobbies that require frequent kneeling like gardening or tiling, and some medical conditions like gout and diabetes. Remember it’s not a guarantee, it just increases the risk so make sure you use appropriate tools for prevention, like thick kneepads!

 

In some cases I’ve experienced with my patients, there are going to be locations of bursitis that can be extremely difficult to treat. A couple of those areas are the hips and knees and sometimes just walking or laying down is enough of an impact to wreak havoc and create so much pain. I will always encourage movement, but in instances like this, the duration and intensity of movement should be modified to prevent more harm being done.

 

Using an ice pack can be super helpful to reduce the pain and inflammation, but what do you do when applying pressure on your bursitis is too painful?

 

Easy!

 

Get a hand towel, soak and wring it out, then twist and shape it into a donut and put into the freezer. Once frozen, apply to the area where the bursitis is and leave for 15 minutes or until numb. Using this method of the towel allows you to get the relief of any pain and inflammation without applying pressure to the bursa itself! For safety, use a paper towel in between your skin and the ice to prevent any burning to the skin itself.

 

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