Which Areas Are Affected by Bursitis?
Bursitis is a painful condition that affects your joints. More precisely, bursitis occurs when fluid-filled sacs, called bursae, become inflamed. Bursae normally cushion your joints and allow movement without damaging your bones, muscles, or tendons. However, with bursitis, you can feel joint pain and other symptoms stemming from the inflammation of these little cushions.
Since the human body has over 150 bursae, there are a lot of areas where bursitis can develop. Read on to discover the most commonly affected joints, bursitis symptoms, how chiropractors can help, and where to find the right chiropractor in Huntsville, Texas.
What Are the Symptoms of Bursitis?
Bursitis symptoms can vary depending on the affected area, but the most common ones include:
- Pain during movement
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Redness and warmth around the joint
These symptoms can be chronic or appear in bouts. That may lead to the deterioration of your muscles and joints, which is why you need to visit a doctor to receive adequate treatment.
You need to visit a doctor right away if:
- Your pain prevents you from doing everyday activities
- You suddenly lose the ability to move the affected joint
- You experience excessive swelling, redness, rash, or bruising,
- You develop a fever
- Your pain becomes more intense suddenly
Where Does Bursitis Occur?
Although this condition can affect any bursa in the body, these are the most common types of bursitis:
Knee Bursitis
Knee bursitis can affect different bursae in your knee. For instance, Pes Anserine bursitis affects the bursa positioned between your shin bones and tendons connecting the hamstring muscles on the inside of your knee. The common causes include lack of stretching before exercise, being overweight, having arthritis, and tight hamstring muscles.
Another common type is kneecap bursitis, which affects people who have to kneel a lot, such as plumbers or carpenters.
Hip Bursitis
Hip or trochanteric bursitis is most common in middle-aged and older women. It can result from arthritis, spinal abnormalities, injuries, or surgery. People with hip bursitis often feel pain while lying or sleeping on the affected side of the body.
Shoulder Bursitis
Shoulder or subacromial bursitis is hard to differentiate from other causes of shoulder pain. People with this condition feel pain in the shoulder joint, especially when lifting arms above the head.
Elbow Bursitis
Elbow bursitis can be caused by injury, arthritis, infection, etc. The most recognizable symptoms are pain while the elbow is flexed and visible swelling at the tip of the elbow.
Heel Bursitis
Heel or retrocalcaneal bursitis affects the bursa positioned between the heel bone and the Achilles tendon. Because this type of bursitis causes pain and swelling, it can easily be confused with the inflammation of the Achilles tendon.
How Can a Chiropractor in Huntsville, Texas Help With Bursitis?
Chiropractors perform adjustments that restore the normal positioning of joints, easing the pressure of the bursae and surrounding tissues. These procedures can help reduce pain, swelling, inflammation, and prevent further degradation of the affected joints.
Dr. Jeffrey Pruski and his team at the Joint & Spine Center in Huntsville, Texas, offer comprehensive chiropractic care to ease bursitis symptoms.
