Bursitis Shoulder is a phenomenon wherein we can witness a swelling between the tip of the shoulder and the top of the arm bone. Redness can also be seen in this area. Between the arm bone and the tip of the shoulder, there is a rotator cuff with the tendons. Bursa is also located in this region only.
Bursa is nothing but a sort of sac in which a fluid is present. This fluid filled sac performs the function of protecting the tendons. In a normal situation, the tendons perform their sliding motion perfectly without any hindrance.
Bursitis occurs when this smooth sliding motion is affected negatively. What generally happens is that the space in which the tendons perform this sliding motion, gets narrower, thereby causing difficulty for the tendons to slide smoothly. This interruption caused by the narrowing of space results in irritation in the tendons as well as the Bursa. This irritation gives rise to inflammation.
This inflammation, in turn, causes the swelling of Bursa and tendons, hence continuously making the space narrower. A time comes when the tendons find it too difficult to slide and it cause a lot of friction and pinching. This causes a bruise which we technically call as bursitis shoulder.
What are the main causes for bursitis in shoulder?
There are a couple of causes that result in shoulder bursitis pain. The main causes may be overuse of the tendons. This affects the tendons in a negative way and cause them to have inflammation. Another evident cause can be a sort of injury to the region. The cause of this injury can be anything, such as falling on the ground or been hit by some object, etc. Another indirect reason can be some sort of infection in the concerned region.
An interesting point to note is that bursitis shoulder may be a result of some other problems in other body parts that have an impact on the tendons of the shoulders as well. These problems can be arthritis, diseases related to thyroid, gout, diabetes or tendonitis, etc.
What are the Shoulder Bursitis Symptoms?
It is often seen that a small injury poses a risk of inflammation. After this, this small injury takes a big form and the condition gets worse. This information, in turn, becomes a cause for the swelling of the tendons and the Bursa. Gradually this swelling goes on increasing and reduces the surrounding space. Because of this, the shoulder pain in tendons and Bursa starts to increase.
How can we diagnose the bursitis of the shoulder?
Medical field has grown a lot and due to this we can diagnose bursitis shoulder pain.
X-Ray: This is a test in which electromagnetic energy is used and images of cells or bones or other organs inside the body are made.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Large magnets are used in this test and images are made with their coordination.
Ultrasound: Under this technique high frequency sound waves are used and internal organs and cells are seen through them.
Aspiration: Through this technique, a needle is inserted into the swollen Bursa and the fluid is taken out. After taking out the substance, an infection check is done and an attempt is made to find out the cause of the disease.
Blood test: This is a lab test and through this one gets information about the problem to some extent.
Non-surgical shoulder bursitis treatment
Through this treatment, the effort is to solve the problem without using surgical instruments. The first step is to reduce inflammation. The best way to reduce swelling is to not go outside the comfort zone like stretching your hand too much or moving it around. Inflammation can also be reduced by medicines. There are some medicines which are very effective in reducing inflammation.
In the context of many patients, it has been found that the problem is resolved in a few weeks only by adopting the above measures. Once the pain subsides, simple shoulder bursitis exercises are performed or the patient is given physical therapy to be able to perform normal activities again.
If the symptoms are not cured by adopting the above suggestions, then we have to resort to cortisone injection. Apart from this, steroid shots can also be given to the patient. This is a shot through which swelling can be reduced but pain is not reduced.
If symptoms start appearing in the beginning, then your doctor may give you this injection in the first visit itself. One downside of injection is that it makes tendons weak. If this injection is being given repeatedly, the doctor should take special care that its side effects are minimized.
Shoulder Bursitis Surgery
If the patient does not get relief even by adopting non-surgical methods, then surgical treatment is resorted to. During surgery, a slight cut is made in the region and the inflamed area is removed. Apart from this, other unnecessary cells are also removed at the same time, due to which space is created inside. This space helps the tendons to slide smoothly, once again.
Shoulder bursitis exercises
This problem can also be overcome by bursitis shoulder exercises. There are many exercises of shoulder bursitis. Following are some of the workouts that you can also do at home.
● If you are involved in a repetitive movement, then our advice would be to do a warm up exercise before that.
● Start new workouts or new sports slowly. Continue to increase the demand that is put on your body slowly.
● If you are doing some physical activity, then take frequent breaks so that your arm gets rest.
● Stop activities that cause you pain.
● Always keep in mind that your posture is correct. Pain also increases due to incorrect postures.
How long does it take bursitis shoulder to heal?
It is a subjective thing. It depends on the patient as to how long he or she is taking to be recovered. There are some patients who get cured in just a few weeks by just exercising. On the other hand, there are some patients who have to undergo shoulder bursitis surgery.