What is bursitis?
Often patients come into the office stating that they have been suffering with bursitis for months on end that nobody has been able to help them fix. Bursitis is a painful condition that affects the small, fluid-filled sacs — called bursae (bur-SEE) — that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near your joints.
Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed. The most common locations for bursitis are in the shoulder, elbow and hip. But you can also have bursitis by your knee, heel and the base of your big toe. Bursitis often occurs near joints that perform frequent repetitive motion.
Bursitis symptoms
Bursitis pain may develop rapidly or gradually with time. Rapid onset is usually associated with calcified deposits within the bursa cavity. Reduced mobility and range of motion, pain, and/or swelling are all common symptoms of bursitis.
What causes bursitis?
Severe injury and overuse are the most common causes of Bursitis. Some activities commonly associated with bursitis are: gardening, carpentry, sporting activities, poor posture, or a poorly positioned joint.
Risk factors of bursitis
The chance for bursitis greatly increases with age, as more wear and tear of tendons reduces their ability to handle impact. Elasticity of tendons and ligaments also greatly decreases as people age which also contributes to their decline in resilience and proneness to irritation and damage. Other factors include specific jobs or hobbies that require repetitive movements and conditions such as thyroid disease, arthritis, diabetes, or gout.
Most common areas to develop Bursitis:
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Hips
- Knees
- Achilles tendons
How can I prevent bursitis?
Keep active: building up your body’s ability to handle force gradually can greatly reduce the chances of developing bursitis in the future.
Stretching: Stretching helps prevent maintaining muscle flexibility and function, reducing chances of injury.
Use padding: Use padding while kneeling during specific activities such as carpentry or gardening greatly reduces pressure on knees and protects joints.
Maintain proper form: Lifting properly reduces chances for injury and reduces chronic strain on the back and hips.
Modifications: Minimize the potential for injury and strain on shoulders by using a dolly when moving heavy objects around.
Take breaks: Taking rest breaks can reduce the impact of chronic stress from repetitive tasks on tissue.
Maintain a healthy weight: Holding extra weight puts more stress on joints and will make an individual more susceptible to joint issues such as bursitis.
See a chiropractor: Working with a chiropractor can help you develop a plan of action to help catch and reduce symptoms early on.
How can a chiropractor help?
Here at SCCC, our chiropractors are trained in proper diagnosis and treatment of bursitis. By having a proper diagnosis and performing movement assessments, your chiropractor at Custom Chiropractor can perform manual therapy/soft tissue work to help alleviate your pain and create a rehab program to strengthen the weakened area affected by bursitis to ensure long-lasting pain-free results.
How to make an appointment
To schedule an appointment, please call us at 408-248-8700 or visit our website at santaclaracustomchiro.com.
After scheduling your appointment, intake forms will be conveniently emailed to you to complete prior to your initial evaluation. These forms will include questions about your health history so our chiropractors can get a clear picture on how to get you back to your pain-free life again.
