The human knee joint performs a serious function - it helps a person move and make fast and dynamic movements. If discomfort appears in the knee area, a person cannot walk normally, he begins to limp and suffer from discomfort.
A symptom such as knee pain may be a sign of a serious pathology, such as knee bursitis. It usually leads to serious impairment of motor activity, so it is important to know the symptoms of the disease and how to treat knee bursitis correctly. Timely and competent therapy will help get rid of pain and reduce the risk of serious complications.
Bursitis is an inflammation of the joint space formed by the synovial membrane, which contains joint fluid, it is called the synovial bursa or bursa. The joint capsule with fluid plays an important role in the functioning of the entire joint; thanks to this structure, its normal mobility is ensured, and the articular fluid lubricates the cartilage, preventing them from rubbing.
When the bursa becomes inflamed, serious disturbances occur; the joint ceases to be properly lubricated, as the synthesis of synovial fluid is disrupted. As a result of such violations, the cartilage begins to slowly fray, the joint stops moving normally, and the damaged areas are overgrown with bone tissue. This whole process is accompanied by very painful sensations.
The development of the disease occurs in several stages:
Bursitis usually does not appear without a reason; sometimes it is provoked by various infections, but most often the disease occurs after mechanical damage to the joint and surrounding tissues. The following situations can trigger knee bursitis:
It is important to note that sometimes it is not possible to establish the exact cause of the disease; it is possible that many negative factors influence it at once, for example, an unhealthy lifestyle, working on your feet. After all, joints can become inflamed if you don’t monitor your diet and work and rest schedule, so they can suffer under increased load and vice versa, with a passive lifestyle.
There are three bursae in the knee joint, and each of them can become inflamed. Depending on the location of the infection, bursitis is divided into three main types:
Also, bursitis of the knee joint is divided into acute and chronic, and in the presence and absence of infection into purulent and serous, respectively.
As a rule, knee bursitis is always accompanied by pain, especially when moving and impaired motor activity; in this case, slight swelling and hardness may appear in the bursa area. Depending on the type of bursitis, other characteristic symptoms may occur:
It is worth noting that in the acute form the symptoms are usually pronounced, but if the disease becomes chronic, the pain disappears and may not bother the patient at all, or may occur after heavy exertion. But in this case, exacerbations always occur, which reveal the disease.
Only a competent specialist can identify the symptoms of knee bursitis and prescribe treatment, since there are many joint pathologies that are accompanied by pain, swelling and even fever. Therefore, it is very difficult to diagnose yourself, especially without knowledge in the relevant field and test results.
Bursitis is treated by orthopedists, traumatologists and surgeons, but first of all, the patient will probably have to visit a therapist and tell him about his complaints. The general practitioner must issue a referral to the required specialist. At the first examination, the specialist interviews the patient; it is important to remember what chronic diseases the patient suffers from, whether there have been recent injuries and infectious diseases.
The doctor will also conduct an external examination and palpation. Based on the data obtained, the specialist will certainly be able to establish a preliminary diagnosis, to confirm which he will order a series of studies. The exact list of tests can only be announced by the attending physician, but most often they are referred for the following studies:
Based on the patient’s tests and medical history, the doctor makes an accurate diagnosis and prescribes the necessary treatment. Bursitis can be completely cured only under the supervision of a specialist, otherwise it will become chronic and cause a lot of inconvenience. Therefore, at the first signs of illness you should consult a doctor.
The treatment method depends primarily on the type of bursitis, since each case requires different medications. But for any type of inflammation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to relieve pain; in addition, they relieve fever and reduce the inflammatory process in the bursa. In addition, during the acute phase of the disease, complete rest of the limb is indicated to reduce the risk of joint destruction.
Infectious bursitis of the knee joint is treated with antibacterial drugs, and a therapeutic puncture of the synovial bursa is indicated, during which the doctor removes the pus and rinses the bursa cavity with an antiseptic. A drainage of the joint capsule may also be installed to drain pus. In advanced cases, surgical removal of the bursa is indicated.
For serous (non-infectious) bursitis, taking anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as attending physiotherapy, is indicated. For severe pain, the doctor may inject corticosteroids, these are hormonal drugs that quickly relieve inflammation and pain. And in case of excessive secretion of synovial fluid, especially with a Baker's cyst, a medicinal puncture is indicated.
How to perform a medicinal puncture:
The puncture is completely painless and does not cause any complications; it helps to quickly get rid of the inflammatory process and alleviate the patient’s condition.
For any type of bursitis, medications are prescribed for external use, most often ointments with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The doctor may also prescribe homeopathic ointment or herbal medicine in complex treatment to alleviate the patient’s condition.
Therapeutic treatment for any type of bursitis involves the use of physiotherapy methods. It is important to note that with purulent bursitis, you should never heat the sore spot, as this will lead to a worsening of the condition. That is why it is better to resort to such treatment methods only on the recommendation of a doctor.
Bursitis of the knee joint is treated with the following procedures:
Treatment of knee bursitis at home is possible only after consultation with a doctor. Experts do not approve of treating bursitis exclusively with traditional methods, as this can be very dangerous, because no lotions will rid the body of the infection if it is present.
In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect of folk remedies is very weak; the disease can quickly become chronic, and the patient will not even notice it, and will most likely think that the pain has gone away thanks to folk recipes. In this case, bursitis will soon make itself felt, but in the form of an exacerbation of the chronic form.
To avoid constant pain and relapses, you need to immediately consult a doctor and be treated normally, undergoing all prescribed procedures and taking medications. Competent therapy will help you get rid of the problem forever and never think about it again.
Bursitis is a very serious and dangerous condition if left untreated. If the inflammation is provoked by an infection, suppuration will soon appear, the infection will spread to the bones and osteomyelitis will occur; if bacteria and pus enter the blood, sepsis is possible. These complications are very dangerous for human life and often cause death.
If bursitis is non-infectious, it is complicated by the fact that it becomes chronic. In this case, the person is initially bothered by periodic pain, which gradually becomes constant. Quite often the disease worsens, swelling of the knee appears and it becomes impossible to step on the leg due to pain.
In the chronic form of the disease, adhesions and scars form in the bursa, due to which the joint suffers from a lack of synovial fluid and is destroyed. As a result, arthritis occurs, the joint loses motor activity and the person becomes disabled.
With timely diagnosis and proper treatment, you can get rid of bursitis forever. But in the future, it is necessary to follow preventive measures to avoid the occurrence of the inflammatory process again:
Bursitis of the knee joint (pictured) is a disease when the synovial bursa (bursa), which is a small pocket filled with a small amount of fluid, becomes inflamed.
The location of the bursae is in the places where muscles and tendons connect. They are designed to reduce stress on the joints.
There are 3 synovial bursae near the knee joints, each of which can be susceptible to bursitis. Depending on the type of synovial bursa, this disease also comes in different types.
There are several causes of knee bursitis. The main ones are the following:
All kinds of small bruises, wounds and abrasions near the synovial bursa often act as causes for the development of bursitis of the knee joint. Athletes often fall into the risk category for this disease, since they constantly receive all kinds of sprains and injuries and expose the knee joints to high loads.
However, in addition to the above reasons, bursitis can appear as a result of other inflammatory diseases of the joints, for example, gout or arthritis. Allergic reactions, autoimmune diseases and metabolic disorders can also affect the development of knee bursitis.
Symptoms of knee bursitis include the following:
As a rule, the symptoms of knee bursitis are expressed in different ways. In any case, if they appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Diagnosis of the disease is not a difficult process if the superficially located bags are inflamed. It is based on the standard clinical signs described above. In addition, the diagnosis can be facilitated by puncture of the bursa cavity, which makes it possible to determine the nature of the current inflammation from the contents (purulent, serous, purulent-hemorrhagic, etc.), to identify the nature of the microflora and the degree of its sensitivity to antibiotics.
In order for the treatment of knee bursitis to be most effective, it is important to promptly exclude the specific infection that could cause inflammation (brucella, gonococci, spirochetes, and others).
This can be done on the basis of the collected anamnesis, bacteriological studies of the contents of the synovial bursae, and the results of special serological reactions.
To know how to treat knee bursitis, you must first distinguish it from arthritis. In this case, the main sign is the ability to maintain movement in the joint.
For acute bursitis in the early stages, rest, the use of a pressure bandage and warm compresses are recommended.
To prevent purulent bursitis, you should begin treatment of acute serous bursitis of the knee joint as early as possible and use fixing bandages.
Chronic bursitis requires the use of a puncture to remove exudate and further rinsing of the bursa cavity using solutions of antibiotics and antiseptics.
Treatment of traumatic bursitis of the knee involves the injection of a hydrocortisone solution into the synovial bursa. It is important to properly observe asepsis, otherwise major complications may occur.
Purulent bursitis is treated with punctures. As this process progresses, sometimes the bursa is even opened and the pus is removed. Then the purulent wound is treated according to the general rules. The disadvantage of this method of treating knee bursitis is the long period of wound healing.
Prognosis for acute bursitis will depend on several factors:
Sometimes it happens that it is not easy to get medical help. Then the question arises of how to treat bursitis of the knee joint, because inflammation in people whose activities are associated with physical labor occurs quite often. Traditional medicine has its own methods of treating knee bursitis.
Over time, all methods have been tested for effectiveness. Only the best of them remain.
They are made overnight, and vegetables need to be alternated (potatoes, beets and cabbage). Before going to bed, you need to cut 2-3 raw potatoes into slices, which you then place on clean material, wrapping it around the affected joint. In addition, a film is placed on top and wrapped with a woolen scarf. The next morning the compress is removed.
On the second night, a compress is made in the same way from beets (raw). The third night is for a compress of finely chopped fresh cabbage. Treatment should be continued until the formation disappears.
In a dry frying pan, the sugar heats up, but does not melt. Then it is poured into a small bag made of thick fabric and applied to the affected joint overnight. The top is covered with cellophane and tied with a warm scarf. The next morning, the compress is removed, and the soaked sugar is thrown out of the bag. This procedure must be repeated until recovery (complete).
This drink helps strengthen the body and helps fight existing inflammation.
To prepare it, take 1 table. l. celery seeds, pour a glass of boiling water, infuse for 1.5-2 hours and filter. You need to drink twice a day for 2 weeks.
In addition to simple folk recipes, there are also more exotic and new ones.
For example, lotions with propolis. To prepare them, 10 g of propolis is poured into 100-150 ml of 40% vodka. All this is infused for five days, after which lotions are made until the swelling completely disappears.
Or you can do a massage with aroma oils. To do this, take equal amounts of eucalyptus, lavender and vaseline oil, mix and gently massage the area near the affected joint, during which the mixture is rubbed into the skin. This procedure should be performed every evening before going to bed.
However, when self-treatment does not help, and the situation only gets worse, you should definitely consult a doctor.
What is knee bursitis? Bursitis is called inflammation of the periarticular bursa (bursa) of any joint, and since a person has an average of one and a half hundred joints, the disease is extremely common. Most often, pathology of large joints develops, therefore, in traumatology, the treatment of knee bursitis is especially important for a person, since it makes walking difficult and limits movement.
The periarticular bursa is filled with synovial fluid and plays a protective role in areas of mechanical pressure or friction on the bone of tendons and muscles. There are many of them in the knee joint, so bursitis is classified according to location.
Due to the ease of injury, 3 superficially located periarticular bursae are most often affected:
Based on the nature of inflammation, serous and purulent bursitis are distinguished. In the latter case, bacteria (streptococci and staphylococci) penetrate into the cavity of the periarticular bursa due to microtraumas, causing the formation of pus.
The course of bursitis can be acute or chronic.
Read the article about treatment methods for arthrosis of the knee joint.
Post-traumatic bursitis of the knee joint is the most common occurrence in traumatology. In addition, it can be triggered by a number of reasons:
Any person knows the classic signs of inflammation: swelling, pain, fever, redness, organ dysfunction. All this is typical for this pathology. The intensity of the manifestations depends on the location (the least painful are popliteal and chronic bursitis), the addition of infection (inflammation is pronounced in purulent ones). Prepatellar and infrapatellar bursitis have a clear sign - sharp swelling in the form of a painful, soft, round elastic tumor up to 10 cm in diameter, most often in the area of the upper part of the knee. Limb mobility is limited, regional lymph nodes are enlarged, and the temperature may be elevated.
During the purulent process, symptoms of intoxication of the body occur in the form of headache, chills, general weakness, and high body temperature.
What are the dangers of knee injuries? You can learn about synovitis of the knee joint from the article
Balneotherapy, mud therapy and climatotherapy in the treatment of joint diseases. More details
Timely treatment is very effective. Its duration does not exceed 2 weeks.
We can distinguish between traditional medicine methods (conservative/therapeutic and operative/surgical) and folk ones. Therapy is carried out in the following areas.
Currently, the Russian-made Almedis device is increasingly being advertised, which, according to the manufacturers, helps get rid of pathology in 2-3 sessions of 4 minutes each. The principle of its action is spectrum wave therapy (SW).
Radiation therapy is also one of the newest methods, which destroys microbes inside the bursa and, accordingly, quickly relieves inflammation.
The operation is applicable for severe purulent process or frequent relapses. The joint capsule is punctured and drained, followed by the administration of antibiotics. The point is examined to identify the pathogen.
On the advice of your doctor, you can use healing techniques that have been developed over centuries. Conventionally, all methods of “grandmother’s” medicine can be divided into compresses, restorative decoctions and infusions, baths and massages with aromatic oils.
Compresses provide a pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Their main principle is that the active remedy is applied to the knee, covered with canvas, plastic wrap and something warm. Use within a week.
At a glance, you can list a huge number of options:
Herbal baths have the same effect. First, prepare the decoction for 30 minutes, leave for 24 hours, and take warm for 15 minutes. They also use a pine bath made from hay dust.
Teas, tinctures, and other drugs used internally, in addition to anti-inflammatory, also have a general strengthening effect. They are consumed 1-2 times a day. Famous teas are made from celery, a decoction of burdock root, St. John's wort, yarrow and chamomile, an infusion of nettle flowers, take butter with propolis, a tincture of vinegar with honey, fresh grapefruit - all the remedies are good in the fight for health.
Knee bursitis is relatively easy to treat. There is only one condition: it needs to be treated at the initial stage and only by a specialist.
Remember: even traditional methods of treatment must be selected by a doctor.
Each joint in our body is “packed” into a special synovial (articular) bursa (bursa), which is designed to protect the joint from mechanical damage and infection.
For a number of reasons, an inflammatory process may occur in the joint capsule - this condition is called bursitis.
Periarticular bursae are closed thin-walled cavities that are lined with synovial membrane and located near the joint.
The main purpose of the bursa:
Fig.: joint structure
Bursitis is an inflammatory process in the synovial bursa (bursa), the development of which can be facilitated by a number of reasons.
Due to the high load and location, the knee joints are constantly exposed to microtrauma, irritation and infection.
The main causes of bursitis of the knee joint are its trauma or microtrauma.
In addition to the above reasons, inflammation of the joint capsules can occur when:
Systemic causes of the disease can be:
With bursitis, serous, hemorrhagic or purulent exudation, cell proliferation and tissue fibrosis occur.
In some cases, salts are deposited in necrotic tissues. In most cases, bursitis is accompanied by other inflammatory diseases of soft tissues.
When inflammation of the synovial bursa and the tendon touching the affected bursa are combined, the disease is called tendobursitis.
Depending on the location of the bursa, bursitis can be:
Some authors separately distinguish inflammation of the synovial bursa that occurs after injury - post-traumatic bursitis of the knee joint.
In this case, the damage can be open or closed, with or without penetration into the bursa cavity.
According to the course and activity of the disease, bursitis is distinguished:
The main clinical picture of bursitis depends on its location.
In the case of superficial bursitis, painful, mobile, round tumor-like formations with clear boundaries are noted under the skin. The skin over them is hyperemic and hot to the touch.
The severity of the described symptoms depends on the contents of the synovial bursa.
Clinical signs are pronounced:
Photo: knee bursitis
Diagnosis of the superficially localized form of the disease does not present any particular difficulties.
Pain with superficial bursitis intensifies with movements that strain the bursa, and even more so when they are compressed from the outside.
It is more difficult to make a correct diagnosis with deep-lying bursitis.
In this case, accurate knowledge of the topographic anatomy of the synovial bursae is indispensable.
Symptoms of compression of muscles and tendons and limited mobility only indirectly confirm the diagnosis of deep bursitis or tendobursitis.
Diagnosis is greatly facilitated when signs of calcification of the bursa, heel “spur” or other similar formations are detected on the X-ray image.
This type of disease includes inflammation of the synovial bursa, which is located between the patella and the skin.
An external examination of the lower limb reveals a clearly limited tumor-like formation localized anterior to the patella.
The knee joint itself is not affected by this type of bursitis, since there is no connection between the synovial bursa and the joint cavity.
This form is more often developed in people of such professions as parquet floor workers, miners, etc. - this is due to the fact that people in these specialties are in a kneeling position for a long time.
This type of bursitis occupies one of the special places, since the cavity of the popliteal bursa in half of the cases connects to the articular cavity.
This explains the frequent occurrence of bursitis and arthritis at the same time, which significantly complicates the diagnosis and differentiation of knee joint pathology.
The popliteal bursa consists of two parts, which are located under the semimembranosus and the initial section of the gastrocnemius muscle and occupy the entire popliteal fossa posterior to the joint capsule.
Its inflammation is accompanied by the appearance of a painful swelling of elastic consistency under the knee.
Causes of Baker's cysts:
Clinically, the disease is manifested by pain under the knee, which intensifies when the leg is extended.
Full extension of the limb at the knee joint is often impossible due to pain. There may be a feeling of numbness and weakness.
It is based on tenobursitis of the pes anserine tendons, but the knee joint is not affected.
The process is localized along the inner surface of the knee at the site of attachment of the semimembranous and semitendinosus muscles and the internal collateral ligament.
The disease manifests itself as severe pain when walking or standing for a long time on the inner surface of the joint, mainly when bending.
Fig.: “Anserine” bursitis of the knee joint
With palpation, you can detect pain points at the muscle attachment points.
There may be some swelling and redness.
How to treat a spur on the heel? Find out here.
It is necessary to carry out differential diagnosis with various benign and malignant neoplasms in the knee area: lipoma, hemangioma, etc.
In this case, the puncture is very informative.
When puncturing the cyst cavity, you can get a clear yellowish liquid (serous bursitis), pus or hemorrhagic contents.
The aspirated contents are subject to bacteriological and serological examination to exclude rheumatism.
The exact size of the formation can be determined using contrast radiography.
If there is communication between the cavity of the bursa and the joint cavity, the contrast agent will flow into the joint space.
Another method for diagnosing the disease is ultrasound.
The main condition for the treatment of knee bursitis is rest of the affected limb.
Immobilization with a splint or splint promotes recovery within several days.
For serous inflammation, conservative therapy is intensively carried out.
Photo: splint for immobilizing the knee joint
When the process becomes chronic or when a purulent infection occurs, surgical treatment is used.
Which doctor treats bursitis? Treatment takes place in a clinic or inpatient department by a surgeon or orthopedic traumatologist.
Taking analgesics is widely used, but positive results are not always observed.
For persistent excruciating pain, infiltrative novocaine blockade of the diseased area has an analgesic effect.
Conservative treatment also involves puncture of the bursa with the administration of various antibacterial or hormonal drugs.
Fig.: puncture of the knee joint
Electrical and thermal procedures have a good therapeutic effect.
For minor pain, a good effect is observed after using:
In the presence of foci of calcification and prolonged pain, radiotherapy is used in anti-inflammatory doses.
In chronic cases, radon and hydrogen sulfide baths are indicated.
At the moment there are a large number of anti-inflammatory ointments:
Compresses with dimexide and a 0.5% solution of novocaine, taken in proportions of 1:3, are applied externally:
The duration of use of such a compress should not exceed 30 minutes, as severe burns can occur.
Homeopathy uses substances borrowed from living nature: insects, plants, animal secretions, minerals, etc.
However, treatment of purulent inflammation with homeopathic methods is fraught with severe complications.
Several traditional methods:
Why does fibrous bone dysplasia occur? Find out here.
What are the symptoms of infectious arthritis of the knee? Read here.
Physical therapy exercises begin only after the acute inflammatory process has subsided.
They start with careful passive movements and gradually move on to active ones.
Therapeutic exercises should be performed for several months.
Massage during the acute period is contraindicated.
After the pain subsides, light massaging is allowed without involving the affected area.
For bursitis of the left knee joint or any other localization, excision of the periarticular bursa is performed.
Surgical technique for excision of the prepatellar bursa
To prevent relapses, it is necessary to completely excise the inflamed tissue.
Postoperative course and diet after surgery
The limb is immobilized with a plaster cast or splint for 10-14 days until the wound heals.
Prevention of thrombosis and purulent complications is carried out.
The drainage is removed within 2-3 days, the sutures are removed after 2 weeks, full load on the joint is possible after 1 month.
Photo: knee splint
To improve tissue healing, it is necessary to take large amounts of vitamins, nutrients, and proteins.
If inflammation occurs due to rheumatism or gout, it is necessary to exclude fried foods, spices, canned food, pickles, and alcoholic beverages from the diet.
The difficulty of any treatment during pregnancy lies in the contraindications to the use of a number of drugs that can negatively affect the development of the child and the course of pregnancy as a whole.
In this case, joint treatment is carried out by a traumatologist-orthopedist or a surgeon and a gynecologist.
The main preventive measures are:
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Bursitis is an acute, subacute or chronic inflammation of the synovial bursa, which is accompanied by abundant formation and accumulation of exudate (inflammatory fluid) in its cavity.
There are about 140 bursae (synovial bursa) in the human body. Bursitis can affect any of them, but most often inflammation is observed in the elbow, knee and shoulder joints, less often in the bursae located between the heel bone and the Achilles tendon, and in the hip joints.
What kind of disease is this, why it occurs and how to get rid of it, let's look further.
Bursitis is an inflammation of the synovial bursae (they are called bursae - small cavity formations) located in the joint area, which is accompanied by the accumulation of inflammatory fluid in them.
As a result, a swelling occurs, the size of which in some cases reaches ten centimeters. To the touch, the joint capsule is quite dense, sometimes touching causes pain, but it is worth noting that the functionality of the joint itself is not limited.
Bursitis most often occurs in the shoulder, elbow, or knee in men under 35, especially athletes. The hip, wrist, or ankle may also be affected. This is usually an occupational disease, but it also occurs in people who are overweight or wear ill-fitting shoes.
Usually the disease lasts 1-2 weeks and does not pose a threat to the patient’s life. But secondary trauma can cause the development of chronic bursitis, the treatment of which is very difficult.
In addition to the fact that the patient experiences persistent pain, he is also limited in movement, as the mobility of the joint is impaired. The risk group for bursitis includes athletes (skiers, golfers, tennis players), and people whose profession involves heavy physical labor (builders, miners, loaders).
The name of the bursa comes from the Latin word bursa, which translates as “bag”, “purse”. It is a flattened cavity containing fluid (it is produced by cells lining the inside wall of the synovial bursa).
The function of the bursa is to soften the mechanical impact on the joint elements, resulting in better mobility, as well as protection of the joints from adverse factors. The bursa can be articular or periarticular.
In traumatology and surgery, there are several classifications of bursitis:
In addition, in clinical practice, aseptic (uninfected) and infected bursitis are often distinguished.
The cause of bursitis is usually an injury, bruise or abrasion, that is, infection through the blood or damage to the affected area. It is also possible for pus to enter from erysipelas, this happens with osteomyelitis, bedsores, boils, and carbuncles. Infection occurs through abrasions or severe bruises. The chronic manifestation of this disease occurs due to constant irritation of the source of inflammation.
Causes of joint bursitis:
To summarize all of the above, the main causes of bursitis: in most cases, these are various injuries (chronic microtraumas, bruises, etc.), a little less often, these are metabolic disorders, infections, intoxications, autoimmune processes and allergic reactions
Symptoms of bursitis include the definition of a rounded, limited, painful swelling, elastic consistency, fluctuating, at the site of the anatomical location of the bursa. This swelling can be about eight or ten centimeters in diameter.
Complications that arise from untimely treatment:
Simple tests help diagnose bursitis:
If pain and limited movement are detected, the likelihood of illness increases. The farther the inflamed bursa is located from the surface of the body, the more difficult it is for a specialist to make a diagnosis. But no matter how deep the focus is hidden, when pressure is applied the patient will definitely feel pain.
Initially, the doctor interviews the patient and palpates the affected joint. Bursitis can be diagnosed using the following examination methods:
Regardless of the location of the pain, the main components of the fight against the disease are rest and immobility of the joint. How to treat bursitis depends on the type of inflammation, but in any case it will be complex therapy. What does it include:
As a rule, treatment of acute bursitis is carried out on an outpatient basis. During the first five to seven days, complete rest is recommended, during which a plaster cast is applied and treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs is prescribed. Treatment with rest should not last more than ten days.
With chronic bursitis, various complications develop. Treatment for such forms of the disease is only surgical. In the first case, a bursectomy operation is performed (surgical removal of a pathologically altered synovial bursa). If there were no infectious contents inside, the postoperative wound will heal in 7-10 days. If a fistula is present, complete surgical excision is performed with further treatment of the purulent wound.
Medicines can be used both for oral administration or injections, and for local therapy (ointments, gels, compresses). As a rule, drugs from the group of analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. They suppress the inflammatory process, help reduce or completely disappear the main signs of bursitis (pain, swelling, fever).
In addition to general medications, orthopedic doctors always prescribe local remedies to patients with bursitis, such as ointment, warm compress, and the like.
Local treatments for bursitis include:
Treatment for bursitis may also include the following physiotherapeutic procedures:
All these actions are aimed at activating the body's metabolic processes. They are prescribed strictly individually, in accordance with the symptoms of the disease.
When bursitis goes into remission, doctors advise using therapeutic exercises and manual massage. You can also massage the damaged area yourself, but remember that this must be done carefully - an incorrect massage can only worsen the patient’s condition. Massage the inflamed area at night using plant oils - eucalyptus, petroleum jelly and lavender.
Therapeutic exercises are especially important for bursitis. It helps improve blood flow and, as a result, tissue nutrition, and restore motor function of the joint. Exercises are selected individually, taking into account the patient’s age and type of bursitis. As a rule, the initial exercises are very simple - just swing your arm back and forth.
The entire treatment period for bursitis takes on average from 1–2 to 4–5 weeks. The prognosis is almost always favorable. Relapses of the disease with timely and complete treatment (including surgery) occur in 2–3% of cases.
All traditional methods of treating bursitis should be used after the permission of your doctor.
Prevention of bursitis includes following the following recommendations: