Shoulder Bursitis
Knoxville’s Best Choice for Shoulder Bursitis Treatment in Eastern Tennessee
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What is Shoulder Bursitis?
Bursitis of the shoulder is a condition where the bursa is inflamed and usually causes pain, and sometimes redness. A bursa is a thin, sac-like structure that is found between skin and bones, between tendons and bones, or between ligaments and bones where there might be friction. For shoulder bursitis, these sacs help reduce the friction between the hard bone and the soft tissues in the shoulder joint.
What Causes Bursitis in the Shoulder?
This condition is typically caused by too much stress on the bursa. Bursitis can develop over time due to repetitive motions that irritate the bursa, and the risk of bursitis can increase due to preexisting conditions someone may be struggling with. These conditions might include gout, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.
Bursitis can also be triggered by an infection in the bursa or from trauma, such as repetitive rubbing of the shoulder against a hard surface or from too much bending of the joint.
Shoulder Bursitis Symptoms
The symptoms of bursitis will depend on how severe your condition is. Below are the most common symptoms, however, not all of these symptoms need to be present to have bursitis:
- Obvious swelling of the joint
- Painful joint
- Redness of the skin on the joint
- Excessive warmth at the site will be present for an infected bursa
- A fever may be present with an infected bursa
- Swelling can be accompanied by bruising when bursitis comes on from a trauma
Shoulder Bursitis Treatment
Your treatment will depend on what type of bursitis you have, chronic, infected, or traumatic. Treatments may include:
- Reducing activity that causes irritation of the bursa
- Immobilization of the shoulder using a sling
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Ice the joint 3 times a day for 20 to 30 minutes each time until the swelling goes down
- Steroid injections into the bursa
- Infected bursitis will require antibiotics
- Traumatic bursitis may require using a small needle to draw fluid from the affected bursa
Shoulder Bursitis FAQs
When is Surgery Needed for Shoulder Bursitis?
Shoulder surgery is rarely needed to treat shoulder bursitis. It is usually only done in cases that have been going on for a long time and haven’t gotten better with other treatments. If surgery is needed, the most common treatment is an incision and drainage, which is only done when a bursa is infected.
What do I do if My Shoulder Bursitis Symptoms do Not Improve?
If you treat the symptoms as described above, they should get better. If you think you might have an infection, it’s very important to see your doctor. You should also see a doctor if you have swelling in more than one spot, or if the swelling gets worse after you’ve tried the above solutions.
Shoulder Bursitis Treatment in Eastern Tennessee
Shoulder bursitis tends to be common for those who are active, or with those who struggle with other medical conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis. It is important to seek treatment as soon as you can so your treatment is effective and efficient. Give us a call here at TOC at (865)690-4861, and schedule your consultation at any of our locations today.
Our Orthopedic Shoulder Surgeons
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