If you suffer from bursitis, you know just how painful it can be on a daily basis. This condition results when small, fluid-filled sacs (bursae) get inflamed and can no longer optimally perform their job of cushioning the bones, muscle and tendons near joints. Bursitis is a kind of joint pain that is closely related to arthritis, and is often mistaken for such due to the proximity to a joint.
Bursitis usually affects the shoulder, elbow, buttocks, hip, knees, and calf, most often afflicting the elderly, athletes, and those who make repetitive movements as part of their jobs such as manual laborers and musicians. In addition to developing in areas near joints performing frequent repetitive motions, it can result in poor posture and walking habits, stress on soft tissue, metabolic conditions like diabetes, and bruises and infected cuts.
The Arthritis Foundation points out that bursitis can lead to pain, swelling, and tenderness around a joint, which makes a full range of motion difficult or impossible. The pain of bursitis may come on quickly without warning, and last for days. Fortunately, in mild cases, rest, self-care, and treatment can provide relief.
Treatment for mild cases include braces and splints, occupational therapy, OTC medications, physical therapy, and corticosteroid injections. Sometimes these treatments fail to improve the condition within six to 12 months, at which point surgery is usually recommended as a last resort.
However, regenerative medicine is an alternative to surgery that can be tried first.
Bursitis Pain Relief With Minimally-Invasive Solutions
A non-surgical, non-opioid treatment, regenerative medicine can provide pain relief and a faster healing time for bursitis because it reduces inflammation and pain. Not only does it offer faster recovery times, it comes with a reduced reliance on potentially addictive medication. Regenerative medicine uses your body’s own natural resources to kick start the healing process using an injection of bone marrow concentrate into the affected area.
This painless, straightforward, minimally-invasive process naturally reduces the inflammation of the bursae. Remember, these are fluid-filled sacs that act like a gliding and cushion surface which reduces friction.
The procedure can actually be done right in the doctor’s office as an out-patient procedure: with no expensive surgeries or unnecessary procedures, and no addictive pain medication to go with it. Orthobiologics encourage the damaged tissue to heal and regrow, all the while keeping inflammation to a minimum and providing support for the joints.
It only takes a few weeks to start feeling better as the healing advances, at which time you can return to your daily activities and active lifestyle.
Causes of Bursitis
Repetitive motions are the biggest culprit of bursitis. Whether you’re a pitcher throwing a baseball or you lift heavy boxes at work every day, you’re at a higher risk for developing this condition. Injuries and infections can also cause bursitis, or when you stay in one position for long periods of time, putting pressure on one joint (i.e., kneeling).
According to the Cleveland Clinic, activities that may lead to bursitis include:
- Playing sports (tennis, golf, baseball)
- Playing an instrument
- Carpentry
- Gardening and raking
- Painting
- Poor posture
- Scrubbing
- Shoveling
Anyone can experience bursitis, from athletes to musicians, as well as those with certain health conditions like arthritis, thyroid disease, and diabetes.
Contact Michigan Center for Regenerative Medicine
If you have bursitis and have been through all the other treatments to no avail, it’s time to learn how regenerative medicine can help ease your discomfort. Call our pain specialists at (248) 216-1008 to book a consultation.