It is an inflammation or irritation of the bursa, usually accompanied by an accumulation of fluid with proteins and blood particles.
The bursa is a sac containing lubricating fluid between tissues, bone, muscle, tendons, and skin. Its function is to reduce friction, friction, and irritation.
Shoulder bursitis is common among people who practice sports professionally and those whose activity involves bearing heavy loads on their shoulders.
Shoulder bursitis can be caused by:
A repetitive and slight impact on the shoulder: Excessive use of the shoulder joint in activities such as raking, shoveling, painting, tennis, golf, skiing, and throwing, among others.
For a sudden and severe injury: The shoulder’s bursa can become inflamed due to damage to the soft tissues, after an injury, or due to an infection and may develop septic bursitis.
An underlying rheumatic condition: Due to stress or inflammation of other conditions, such as gout, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Age: As the tendons age, they tolerate less stress, are less elastic, and easier to tear. Shoulder bursitis occurs in people after 50 years of age.
An incorrect position: Adopt a bad posture at work or home.
Poor stretching: During exercise, poor conditioning or stretching can also cause shoulder bursitis.
Because of metabolic problems: As calcium accumulation.
Symptoms of shoulder bursitis
Shoulder bursitis is a disease that does not cause significant problems in the initial stage, but it manifests with many symptoms as it progresses.
Among the most common are:
- As a general rule, the most common symptom of shoulder bursitis is pain. This can be gradual or sudden and severe. The location of the pain is in the shoulder or upper arm area.
- Loss of mobility in the shoulder, called “adhesive capsulitis” or frozen shoulder, is usually accompanied by acute pain.
- It is swelling in the area of the shoulder joint.
- Redness of the skin increases the local body temperature in the area above the inflamed joint.
- Purulent processes that cause body poisoning. In this case, you may have a headache, chills, and fever.
Without proper treatment, there is a risk of developing a septic form of shoulder bursitis. In this case, the pain becomes solid and throbbing.
Doctors can usually diagnose shoulder bursitis based on medical records and physical exams.
If necessary, the following tests can be carried out:
X-rays do not diagnose shoulder bursitis on their own, but they help rule out the rest of the causes of your discomfort.
Magnetic resonance or ultrasound is also used if it can not be diagnosed only with a physical examination.
When the patient presents with shoulder bursitis, they can be ordered an analysis of the inflamed bag or blood analysis to identify the pain in the joint and know the cause of the inflammation.
Treatment of shoulder bursitis
Shoulder bursitis can be treated in several ways and will depend on the degree and type of injury:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories: Proposed for pain relief and a significant reduction of inflammation, avoiding side effects from prolonged use.
Cortisone administration: Non-infectious bursitis of the shoulder can be treated with cortisone injected into the inflamed pouch. This is usually done at the same time as the aspiration procedure.
Administration of gels and ointments: Usually, in mild cases of bursitis, this can be a very effective treatment; it is also recommended for severe bursitis of the joint; treatment with ointments is accompanied by immobilization of the affected joint with special orthopedic equipment.
Administration of antibiotics: In the purulent form of bursitis, it is necessary to apply antibiotics to fight the infection.
Physical therapy: This often helps reduce pain and prevent swelling. This type of treatment is aimed at gradually advancing the activity of the shoulder muscles; some of these procedures are calcium electrophoresis, iontophoresis with hydrocortisone, and magnetic therapy.
Physiotherapy is used to treat bursitis, especially when accompanied by a frozen shoulder.
Massage: Massage, as well as physiological procedures, should be performed after neutralizing inflammation.
Surgery: The chronic form of shoulder bursitis requires surgical intervention in 80% of cases. Infectious or septic bursitis requires a deeper evaluation and aggressive treatment.
Once the intervention is done, a sample is taken to perform a biopsy.
It would help if you also avoided physical activities that cause or aggravate the problem and kept the injured area at rest.
Therapy with oral or intravenous antibiotics is used in septic bursitis. One or more aspirations of the inflamed fluid may be required.