What is Bursitis?
Bursitis is the irritation or inflammation of the bursa. The bursa is a sac that is filled with lubricating fluid. It is located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin. It helps to reduce rubbing, friction, and irritation of the areas in contact.
Bursitis is most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the area, or from a sudden, more acute injury. It may also be a natural outcome of the aging process. As tendons age, they won’t be able to tolerate stress and become less elastic which are easily susceptible to tear. The common causes that result in Bursitis are:
- Injury to the joint at work or play
- High-risk occupational activities like gardening, raking, shoveling, painting and sports activities like tennis, golf, skiing, throwing, and pitching.
- Incorrect sitting posture
- Poor stretching or conditioning before exercise
- An abnormal or poorly placed bone or joint
- Stress or inflammation from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, and thyroid disorders.
- Unusual medication reactions
The body parts that are easily affected by Bursitis are elbow, shoulder, hip, and Achilles tendon. Symptoms of Bursitis include:
- Sudden and severe pain
- Loss of movement in shoulder region – frozen shoulder
Bursitis can be treated in various ways, like avoiding activities that aggravate the problem, putting ice packs on the area immediately after an injury, taking OTC medications to ease the pain, Physical Therapy, and surgery.
Physical therapy is often used to treat Bursitis. Attending a Physical Therapy program will help you quickly relieve from Bursitis and overall symptoms. Physical Therapists at Optimum Rehab offices in New York City, Wall Street and Astoria, Queens treat Bursitis effectively thus removing all root causes that may lead to degenerative conditions later.