Does Bursitis Resolve on Its Own?

Did you know that small, fluid-filled sacs called bursae — important cushions for your joints — can be a source of pain problems? This can be the case if you develop a condition called bursitis, in which some of your bursae become inflamed and irritated. Bursitis commonly occurs in joints found in your shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, and feet.

Bursitis symptoms include persistent pain, pain that gets worse when you move or press on the affected area, and stiffness and aching in the affected joint. If you’re dealing with disabling joint pain, joint immobility, swelling, redness, or fever, you want your condition to improve soon!

For support to get you through the worst parts of bursitis attacks, get in touch with expert podiatrist Dr. Leonard Greenwald at his San Jose, California office. While your bursitis symptoms will likely ease over time, treatment can improve your quality of life as you heal, and help you recover more quickly and completely.

Understanding bursitis

Bursitis often occurs due to repetitive stress and wear-and-tear over time. Bursitis can recur, flaring up again and again in the same area.

To learn more about your unique care needs, Dr. Greenwald uses diagnostic testing, discusses your medical history, and conducts a thorough physical exam. He might need X-rays, lab tests, or ultrasound screening to determine the cause of your symptoms and find the affected bursae with pinpoint accuracy.

Relieving your bursitis symptoms

The key to recovering from bursitis is rest. With a few weeks of the right protective care, the area of your body affected by bursitis recovers and heals in almost all cases.

Dr. Greenwald may suggest that you take measures at home to relieve your bursitis symptoms and let the affected area recover. These can include:

• Resting and avoiding overuse
• Cushioning your knees with a pillow between your legs, especially at night
• Icing therapy to manage swelling
• Heat therapy using either dry or wet heat
• Pain management with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen

If these conservative treatment measures don’t do enough to relieve your pain, Dr. Greenwald can recommend other options. You might need antibiotics to address an infection in a bursa, or corticosteroid injections for targeted pain relief. In severe cases, you may need surgery to drain a badly inflamed bursa.

If necessary, Dr. Greenwald can also guide you to an assistive device like a cane to help you move more comfortably and further reduce pressure on the painful area. Also, physical therapy can strengthen the surrounding area where you’re experiencing bursitis pain, to eliminate the same kind of repetitive stress in the future and prevent a recurrence.

To learn more about your options for bursitis support, contact Dr. Greenwald online or over the phone today to schedule an appointment.