Bursitis

Bursitis is a specific type of inflammatory condition. Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that acts as cushions and smooth gliding surfaces for tendons where they come close to, or cross joints.

Bursitis happens when a bursae sac becomes injured. They can get injured from overuse, an injury to the area, or infection.

There are many bursae throughout the body and we only become aware of them when they’re inflamed. Bursitis will appear as a very localized, painful, swollen area near a joint.

What it Feels Like

Bursitis is painful. The affected joint will feel stiff, achy and probably have a limited range of motion. The area will be very tender and may appear swollen and red.

Sometimes bursitis can be mistaken as arthritis; however one difference is that bursitis typically occurs in one area of the body - it would be very rare for it to affect both elbows, for instance. Rare, but it can happen. However, arthritis almost always occurs on both sides of the body - both shoulders, elbows, knees, etc.

What Causes It

Most of the time, bursitis occurs from overusing a joint. So, think of activities that involve using the same joint, over and over again in a repetitive motion. Throwing a baseball, lifting things overhead, or even staying in the same position (like kneeling) over time can lead to bursitis.

Other times an injury to the area (like getting hit with a ball, or making contact with another player) can lead to bursitis. This scenario is less frequent than overuse.

Lastly, bursitis can occur due to an infection - if you get injured and at the same time the skin over the bursitis gets broken or punctured in some way, bacteria can be introduced into the body and infect the underlying bursae.

An infected bursae will be very hot, red, and swollen. You may have enlarged lymph nodes near the joint and even fever or chills.

How to Heal Bursitis

If you have bursitis, the inflamed area needs to be rested - so this means stopping whichever activity it was that led to it. If you keep going, the bursae will continue to be inflamed and could even burst, leading to a serious infection in the area. Or, the body will deposit calcium into the bursae and surrounding area and this will lead to possibly losing the ability to use the joint!

A warm compress can relieve pain and also improve blood circulation to the area, speeding up the healing process.

There are several natural medicines that can also help heal bursitis; we use this combination with our patients in clinic:

1. Inflammation Relief contains systemic enzymes that help break down pain-generating chemicals that the body produces in response to injury and inflammation. It also speeds healing by improving oxygen and nutrient delivery to damaged areas. 

2. Cell Rescue contains a powerful combination of the strongest natural anti-inflammatory botanical medicines.

3. Curcumin Relief is a highly absorbable form of the herb turmeric. We use it in all cases of inflammation due to its very powerful anti-inflammatory effects, without the side effects of over the counter medications like ibuprofen.

Other natural medicines that can help as well:

• Essential Fatty Acids - omega-3 fats are an important addition to anyone’s supplement regimen because they help tip the balance away from inflammation that can result from over-consumption of pro-inflammatory foods.

• (MSI) Musculoskeletal injury formula is great for helping to heal injuries to muscles - it contains all the nutrients your body needs to repair and recover from injuries.

• T-Relief Ointment is a topical homeopathic cream that can temporarily relieve minor aches and pains associated with sports injuries, repetitive use injuries, sprains, backaches, muscle aches, and bruises in addition to minor arthritis pain and muscle inflammation.

Bursitis will heal up in a couple of days to a week by resting and following the above protocol. Be sure to hydrate well, get good sleep and a healthy diet whenever you’re trying to heal any type of injury or inflammation!

For more information and detail, here's our video on bursitis.