Bursitis? Never heard of it...

What Is Bursitis?

A Bursa is a small fluid sack that sits between your bone and muscles in many locations throughout your body. It helps lubricate joints and prevent friction while you contract and relax your muscles.

Now, imagine you are starting a fire with a stick and plank of wood in the forest. Rubbing the stick into the plank back and forth repeatedly over time can cause enough friction to start a fire, Yes? Now, place a bursa in between. Enough friction in your joint from muscle contraction and relaxation can cause the same amount of friction through repetitive tasks like running, swinging or jumping to ''catch fire'' or in this case ''inflame'' the Bursa into Bursitis. Make Sense?

Bursitis in the swelling and irritation of the Bursa, causing you pain and discomfort during repetitive tasks that once were pain free.

How Can Osteopath Help?

Your Osteopath will focusing broadly on your pain to correct compensatory patterns caused by your injury to return the affected joint back to neutral. This can assist with decreasing discomfort at the body part and neighbouring joints and reduce swelling to the bursa. Additionally, this can also help improve joint mobility. Treatment may use a combination of massage, dry needling, cupping, traction and manipulation to achieve these results.

Exercise rehabilitation may also be used with education around rest and mobility to avoid aggravation to the bursa, preventing further irritation. Exercises are commonly spaced over several weeks, starting with rest and mobility movements, slowly progressing to more vigorous exercises. However, exercise rehabilitation does depend on the severity of your injury and will be tailored to your needs by your treating Osteopath.

What You Do To Help?

Most important thing to do is avoid painful movements and pressure onto the affected area. Any repetitive tasks you were once doing that now aggravates and makes your pain worse should be avoided. Once your pain starts to subside, your and your Osteopath can ease back into your regular activities.

Secondly, using RICE after injury (R = Rest, I = Ice C = Compression E = Elevation). Can help ease your initial pain and reduce the amount of swelling in the bursa.