Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that works a a gliding surface to limit friction between different tissues in the body. There are approximately 160 bursae in the human body. The most prominent bursae are positioned adjacent to the tendons in the major joints of the body, like the knees, hips, wrists, shoulders, and elbows.
A bursa can become inflamed due to injury, infection (although infections in some joint are rare without an initial injury), or an underlying rheumatic ailment. Some examples of bursitis include infected bursa on the front of the knee, from falling and scraping a knee, or from an injury as minor as lifting a bag of pet food and causing the shoulder bursa to become inflamed.
Bursitis is generally recognized by pain that is localized, inflammation, irritation and sensitivity, and pain with motion of the affected area. Sometimes, X-rays can show calcifications in the bursa when the bursitis has been recurrent or long standing.
The treatment of bursitis, in any part of the body, is dependent on whether or not there is infection involved. Bursitis that is not associated with infection can be treated with rest, anti-inflammatory pain medication, and ice packs. Infrequently, it may be necessary for a doctor to aspirate the fluid from the bursa with a needle and syringe under sterile conditions. Bursitis, that is not related to infection, can also be treated with a cortisone injection into the inflamed bursa. A cortisone injection is frequently done in the same sitting as a bursa aspiration, and helps to reduce the inflammation, and pain very rapidly.
Infectious bursitis requires significantly more evaluation and aggressive treatment. It is likely, that your doctor will aspirate the bursal fluid, and have it examined in a laboratory, to identify the microorganism that is causing the infection. Bursitis caused by infection requires antibiotic treatment. Depending on the type and severity of the infection, the antibiotic may have to be administered intravenously. Repeated aspirations of the infected bursa fluid may be required. In some cases, surgical drainage and/or removal of the infected bursa sac may also be needed. Usually, the adjacent joint functions perfectly normally once the surgical cuts have fully healed.
