BUSTING BURSITIS
One of the most common soft tissue conditions that patients experience is bursitis. In this week’s blog, we are going to talk about what bursitis is and explain what we can do to help.
What is Bursitis?
Bursitis is a painful, inflammatory condition that affects the fluid-filled sac that cushions the joints called the bursa. Bursa helps reduce friction and cushion each joint. Bursitis is most commonly caused by repetitive motions or positions that put pressure on the bursa, but other causes include trauma, infection or an inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid or gout.
Bursitis most commonly affects joints with frequent repetitive motions including the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and feet. Symptoms of bursitis include swelling and redness, pain upon movement or pressing in the affected area and/or achiness and stiffness.
What Can We Do to Help?
Whenever inflammation is present, ice should be applied to the area. However, bursitis is the one condition where heat should be applied over ice. Heat helps promote blood flow to the bursa and reduce pain, allowing the joint to move more freely. Most cases of bursitis are treated best by reducing the activity or motions that caused the bursitis. In more severe cases, patients may be prescribed medications, physical therapy, injections or drainage of the bursa.
As chiropractors, our best professional advice is to apply heat to the affected area for 20 minutes and then rest for 40 minutes. Furthermore, avoid or limit repetitive motions that may have caused the inflammatory response.
Getting regular chiropractic adjustments will further reduce the inflammatory process and remove any nerve interference from the affected area. At our office, we provide high-quality, safe and effective adjustments that don’t require high force or twisting motions. Patients with chronic bursitis may require more in-depth treatment using our horizontal therapy treatment, which will allow medium frequencies to penetrate deeper into the tissue and restructure cell formation.
If you have any questions about bursitis, please call us at (724) 547-3377 and check out our website at www.laurelmountainchiro.com for more content.
Yours In Health,
Brian M. Steinert, DC
Larry E. Wilkins, DC