Battling Bursitis
You have swelling on the back of your elbow. In fact, it looks like you have an orange on top of your elbow. Not to mention, it is very painful. You could have a case of bursitis.
Bursitis is an inflammatory condition of the bursae, which are small fluid-filled sacs that lubricate and cushion pressure points between your bones and tendons and muscles near your joints.
The four major areas for bursitis are in the elbow (the back of the elbow), on the outside of the hip, on the front of the knee (known as a Baker’s cyst) and in the shoulder at the shoulder joint.
One of the most common ways to get bursitis is from overuse. For instance, if you work at a job where you are constantly on your knees, bursitis can appear in your knee. Other causes associated with this condition include trauma, acute or chronic infection, rheumatoid arthritis or gout.
Each year, at least 1 out of 10,000 people develop bursitis on the knees or elbows alone. One third of these inflammations are caused by a bacterial infection. Middle-aged men are often affected. That’s because they more commonly have jobs that are associated with a greater risk of bursitis.
Bursitis may be acute or chronic. It starts with localized pain and tenderness and with immobility in various ranges of motion. The chronic or severe pain in the shoulder joint, will cause the sufferer to limit or reduce the use of the joint. When the joint motion is limited over a period of time, it can result in a “frozen shoulder.”
Chronic bursitis may come from previous bouts of acute bursitis or repeated injuries. Attacks of chronic bursitis may last from a few days to several weeks and may come and go.
Bursitis often is compared to arthritis, especially with respect to pain and other symptoms. However, bursitis is likely to begin more quickly than arthritis, and arthritis typically limits the range of motion of the joint more than bursitis. Symptoms of this condition include pain, redness, swelling and discomfort when moving the affected joint.
Most bursitis is caused by trauma to the local area. At the time of the trauma, you should first apply cold for up to 30 minutes, then later apply heat. Immobilization of the joint and elevation (when practical) is also beneficial. But applying cold or hot pads after the fact does little good. Unfortunately, often a person is not aware of the trauma until long after the bursitis has begun to develop.
Because a swollen bursa can press against other structures such as nerves and blood vessels or may even rupture, the standard treatment is to drain it. Draining can be done easily by aspiration, in which a needle is inserted through the skin into the bursa, then the excess fluid is sucked out. Removing the entire cyst would disrupt the bursa’s protective effect and cause greater problems later, so it should be left in tact if it all possible.
If fluid in the bursa is infected (it rarely is), the pus must be removed by withdrawing it through the needle, after which antibiotics are injected.
But most of all, rest is best. Some people use a splint or a sling to immobilize the area. But for the most part, the affected area just needs time to rest. When the pain is gone and the bursae is no longer inflamed, you can slowly resume your normal activities.
You can find relief with nonprescription medications. Aspirin and anything with ibuprofen in it (such as Advil) will decrease the swelling and pain.
An elastic bandage might make the area feel better. Limber up by stretching which is a good way to stay comfortable.
After six to 12 months with little to no improvement, then you may be eligible for surgery. But most bursitis attacks disappear within two to three days with proper treatment.
