Mar 11, 2024 | Chiropractic Therapy, Pain Relief
If you’re bothered by persistent joint pain and wondering what might be at the root of it, you may be talking about bursitis. This condition involves the inflammation of the bursae. Bursitis symptoms – pain, swelling, and restricted movement – can significantly interfere with your daily activities and overall quality of life.
You may be asking yourself, is there a way to address these symptoms beyond the usual pills and procedures? This is where chiropractic care comes in.
Chiropractic methods could offer an innovative and effective strategy for managing bursitis to reduce discomfort and improve joint mobility.
What Is Bursitis?
Bursitis is a painful condition characterized by inflammation of the bursae, the tiny fluid-filled sacs that cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles near the joints. When bursitis occurs, it can lead to joint pain and restricted movement, commonly affecting areas like the hip (hip bursitis), shoulder (shoulder bursitis), and elbow (elbow bursitis).
This inflammation can lead to pain, swelling, and reduced movement in the affected joint, commonly occurring in the hip, shoulder, and elbow.
Understanding Hip Bursitis: Causes and Symptoms
Hip bursitis, particularly trochanteric bursitis, is a common form of this condition. It occurs when the bursae near the hip joints become inflamed, often due to repetitive movements or pressure. Symptoms include hip pain, tenderness, and stiffness, which can worsen with activities like walking or climbing stairs.
The causes of hip bursitis can range from repetitive motion and injury to underlying conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
The Role of Hip Alignment in Joint Health
Hip alignment plays a pivotal role in maintaining the balance and functionality of the musculoskeletal system.
Proper alignment ensures the body’s weight is evenly distributed, reducing stress on joints, muscles, and tendons.
How Hip Misalignment Leads to Bursitis
Misaligned hips create unequal pressure and friction around the joint, potentially leading to inflammation of the bursae.
When the hips are not correctly aligned, other body parts, such as the legs and lower back, may compensate, leading to overuse and strain. This overuse can irritate and inflame the bursae as well.
Misalignment can also make the hip more susceptible to injuries from falls or awkward movements, which can, in turn, trigger bursitis.
Chiropractic Care for Bursitis
Chiropractic care for bursitis involves a holistic approach to treating the inflammation of bursae, the fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints. Through chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors aim to reduce inflammation and pain in the affected area.
By improving joint mobility and alignment, chiropractic treatments can help the body heal naturally and prevent further injury.
Chiropractic bursitis treatment focuses on the whole body, recognizing that issues in one area can affect overall well-being. This approach is beneficial not just for pain relief but also for maintaining joint health and overall well-being.
What Does Chiropractic Treatment Involve?
A chiropractor begins with a thorough physical exam, assessing the affected joint/s and the spine to identify any misalignments or capsular joint restrictions that could be contributing to your bursitis.
They use chiropractic adjustments to realign the spinal vertebrae and relieve pressure on the nervous system. This helps reduce inflammation in the bursa sac.
Chiropractic care for bursitis often includes advice to prevent further inflammation. This might involve identifying ways to reduce repetitive motions that put you at a higher risk of worsening bursitis or improving posture to alleviate strain on affected joints.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Chiropractic Treatments for Bursitis
Many patients report significant improvements in their symptoms following chiropractic care. The non-invasive nature of chiropractic adjustments makes it a preferred option for those seeking alternatives to certain medications or more invasive treatments.
To assess the effectiveness, chiropractors may track changes in pain levels, range of motion, and overall quality of life before and after treatment.
5 Chiropractic Treatments for Bursitis
The typical chiropractic treatments for bursitis focus on pain relief, reducing inflammation, and improving joint mobility. These treatments may include:
- Chiropractic Adjustments: To correct misalignments in the spine and joints, thereby relieving pressure and discomfort in the affected areas.
- Soft Tissue Therapy: To address muscle tension and enhance blood flow to the affected joint, reducing swelling and pain.
- Physical Therapy and Exercises: To strengthen the muscles surrounding the affected joint, improving its support and range of motion.
- Lifestyle and Ergonomic Advice: To help patients adjust their daily activities and work environments to reduce the strain on their joints.
- Nutritional Counseling: To recommend diets high in anti-inflammatory foods and possibly supplements to support the body’s healing process.
Does Bursitis Go Away on Its Own?
In some cases, bursitis can improve without extensive medical intervention. Factors influencing this natural resolution include:
- The Severity of Inflammation: Mild cases of bursitis are more likely to subside independently.
- Cause of Bursitis: If the bursitis is due to a specific, short-term strain or minor injury, it’s more likely to resolve once the aggravating factor is removed.
While bursitis may improve on its own, self-care plays a vital role in facilitating this process.
- Rest: Avoiding activities that exacerbate the condition is crucial.
- Ice Therapy: Applying ice to the affected area can help reduce swelling and pain.
- Elevation: Keeping the inflamed joint elevated can also aid in reducing swelling.
Discover How Chiropractic Care Can Ease Your Bursitis Symptoms in New Jersey!
At Bergen Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Center, our chiropractic team, under the leadership of Dr. Gregory Doerr, adheres to the highest medical standards to provide superior chiropractic help. Our mission is to provide unparalleled patient care in a comfortable, healing atmosphere.
Access our contact form or call us at (201) 945-4075 to learn more about our chiropractic care services! Our offices at 532 Anderson Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010, and 62 Summit Ave, Hackensack, NJ 07601, are ready to welcome you as we proudly serve the areas of New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, PA, and Baltimore, MD. Also, access our blog, Facebook, and Instagram pages for more information on ways to keep you healthy and active through your golden years!
May 23, 2022 | General Chiropractic
If you’re suffering from hip bursitis, the first thing your chiropractor will likely recommend is to reduce your activity level. You may need to take a break from impact activities or sports altogether. If your job involves sitting for long periods of time, you may need to take some time off work as well. Once the pain and inflammation have subsided, you can gradually reintroduce activity into your life. It’s important not to overdo it, though. Pushing yourself too hard too soon can trigger a relapse.
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the main hip bursitis symptoms and causes. As we move to Part 2, we will talk about how to treat hip bursitis and reduce its inflammation and pain.
What Causes Hip Bursitis?
Several factors can contribute to the development of hip bursitis. One of the most common is repetitive stress on the joint. This could be from a job that requires you to sit for long periods of time or from a sport that puts repeated stress on the hip joint. Age-related changes in the hip joint can also make you more susceptible to bursitis, such as loss of cartilage and changes in the shape of the joint.
Here are the leading causes of hip bursitis:
- Repetitive motion and overuse;
- Other conditions (e.g., scoliosis, arthritis, diabetes, gout, etc.);
- Bacterial infection.
In the United States, 15% of women and 8.5% of men of all ages suffer from hip bursitis. Older and middle-aged individuals are more likely to suffer from this condition. Various factors can cause bursitis in the hip, but the most common is a repetitive activity, such as walking or running on uneven surfaces, which creates friction in the hip area.
Hip Bursitis Treatment
Exercises and stretches are usually prescribed for treating hip bursitis to help prevent muscle loss. Do not engage in activities that cause pain while you are recovering. Instead, speak to a chiropractor about exercises that can help you build strength around the injured area. If you have bursitis, you may be unable to perform daily activities properly. It may be necessary to undergo physical therapy to get you moving again. This is especially true if you’re suffering from chronic bursitis.
Nonsurgical Treatments for Hip Bursitis
Patients who suffer from hip bursitis can seek treatment from primary care providers, physiatrists (i.e., physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists), sports medicine doctors, and orthopedic surgeons. Specialists may recommend the following types of treatment:
Adapting Your Activity Level and Resting
Rest and other methods of treating hip bursitis often provide relief from inflammation caused by injury or overuse. However, sports and/or standing for long periods of time may aggravate and inflame the bursa in people suffering from hip bursitis. Furthermore, a health care provider may recommend using a cane, crutches, or shoe inserts to relieve pressure on the hip.
Ice
In sore hips, an ice or a cold pack can reduce localized pain and swelling.
The Use of Topical Anti-inflammatory Medications
Over-the-counter pain relievers usually contain salicylates, which have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Salicylate topical products include Sportscreme and Aspercreme. In general, topical medications have fewer side effects than oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, others may require a physician’s prescription.
Corticosteroid Injection
A corticosteroid injection may be recommended if symptoms cannot be treated effectively with rest, NSAIDs, and/or physical therapy. The doctor may use an ultrasound to precisely place the injection into the bursa because it lies deep beneath the skin.
Once the pain and inflammation of hip bursitis have subsided, you can gradually reintroduce activity into your life. It’s important not to overdo it, though. Pushing yourself too hard too soon can trigger a relapse. Here are some exercises that can help you safely ease back into activity:
- Walking;
- Swimming;
- Cycling;
- Stretching;
- Hip-Strengthening exercises;
- Pilates;
- Yoga;
- General conditioning exercises.
4 Stretches to Decrease Hip Bursitis Pain
Your doctor or physical therapist will probably tell you when to start and how often you should do your hip bursitis exercises. Generally, it is recommended to do the stretches two to three times a day and the exercises one to two times a day as tolerated. You will need a cushion or pillow, as well as a floor mat. Take your time when you first begin each exercise, and ease up if there is pain.
Here are the four stretches:
#1: Hip Rotator Stretch
- On your back, bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Your affected ankle should be placed on the opposite thigh, near your knee.
- Push your knee gently away from your body with your hand until you feel a gentle stretch at the front of your hip.
- You should hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
Repeat this stretch two to four times. Here’s a video tutorial on how to do this.
#2: Iliotibial Band Stretch
- Standing against a wall, place the affected hip against it. If you need extra support, grab a chair or something else that’s sturdy.
- Cross the other leg in front of your affected hip and put your weight on your affected hip.
- Put your arm above your head, on the same side as the affected hip.
- As you lean away from the wall, let your affected hip press against it until you feel a gentle stretch.
- For 15 to 30 seconds, hold the stretch.
Repeat this stretch two to four times. Here’s a video tutorial on how to do this.
#3: Straight-leg Raises
- Lying on your side, place the affected hip on top. Make sure to support your head and stabilize yourself if you need to. Grab a pillow if necessary.
- Keep your knee straight by tightening the muscles in your affected leg.
- Lift the leg that’s on top until your foot is about 12 inches away from the floor.
- Make sure to always keep your hip and leg in line with the rest of your body. Keep everything straight.
- For six seconds, hold your leg in the raised position and slowly lower it.
Repeat this exercise eight to twelve times. Here’s a video tutorial on how to do this.
#4: Clamshell
- While lying on your side, place the affected hip on top. Be sure to support your head and stabilize yourself if you need to. If necessary, use a pillow.
- Bend both of your knees while keeping your legs together.
- Keeping your feet together, open your legs by lifting your top knee until your knees are about 8-10 inches apart. Make sure your top hip doesn’t roll back while doing each repetition.
- Hold your raised leg for six seconds, and then slowly lower your knee.
- Rest for 10 seconds before doing another repetition.
Repeat this exercise 8 to 12 times. Here’s a video tutorial on how to do this.
In general, hip bursitis heals by itself. The discomfort can usually be relieved through noninvasive measures, including rest, ice, and pain relievers. If these treatments don’t work, you may need to have fluid removed from the bursa, or you may need steroid shots to reduce swelling and pain.
Bursitis of the hip is rarely treated with surgery, which is used only when all other options have failed. When surgery is necessary, however, it is a simple procedure. Essentially, the bursa is removed from the hip, as it does not affect the hip’s function. The recovery period is generally brief and does not require an extended hospital stay.
Providing your hip joint with time to rest and heal is the best thing you can do if you suffer from hip bursitis. You can gradually get back to your routine once the pain and inflammation are gone.
We’re Looking Forward to Helping You at Our Chiropractic Offices in NJ!
At the Bergen Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Center, our chiropractic team, led by Dr. Gregory Doerr, follows the highest and most professional medical standards to provide superior chiropractic help. After all, our mission is to provide unparalleled patient care and services in a comfortable healing atmosphere. Contact us to learn more about our chiropractic services! Our chiropractic offices in Cliffside Park, NJ, and Hackensack, NJ, are ready to welcome you!
Apr 18, 2022 | General Chiropractic
“-ITIS.” It’s a suffix in words you don’t want to be associated with. In medical terms, “-itis” means there’s inflammation in a body part, such as encephalitis, appendicitis, dermatitis, conjunctivitis … and bursitis.
In Part 1 of this series, we’ll look at hip bursitis pain, symptoms, and causes. Later, in Part 2, we’ll discuss treatments and how to eliminate the inflammation and pain hip bursitis brings into your life.
What Is Hip Bursitis?
Bursitis is inflammation in the bursae—tiny sacs of thick fluid that provide padding among your joints’ bones and soft tissues. If they become inflamed, extra fluid will collect, and the area will swell and become painful. One of the most common types of the condition is hip bursitis.
Hip bursitis is the painful inflammation in the bursae of the hip. The most common type of hip bursitis is called trochanteric bursitis because it involves the bursa in the point of the hip bone, the greater trochanter. Walking, moving around, and even standing become painful. You may develop a limp.
So, where does all this pain and swelling come from?
Causes of Hip Bursitis Pain
Repetitive Motion and Overuse
Hip bursitis is often a result of long-term repetitive motion, overuse, and anything that puts excessive pressure on the bursae in the hip. Repetitive motion is routine for some athletes. As they train and practice, they repeat certain motions over and over every day. They train hard, more so than the average person, so tissues can be easily overused. Ending up at the bottom of a fall and piling up can add too much pressure on the hip.
People in certain physical occupations are also at risk for a hip injury and hip bursitis. Certain jobs require a large portion of the employee’s time climbing stairs or ladders, running from place to place, or remaining on their feet for hours. A slip and fall or a hard bump to the point of the hip can cause hip bursitis. Repetitive climbing, running, or standing can bring hip bursitis on more gradually.
Because we lose some strength as our bodies age, middle-aged adults and seniors are more susceptible to hip bursitis, especially if they engage in activities that put pressure on the hip.
Hip Bursitis Connection with Other Conditions
Hip bursitis may occur in connection with other physical conditions. Poor posture, caused by scoliosis, arthritis, or having one leg longer than the other, can shift additional pressure onto one hip more than the other and gradually lead to hip bursitis. Previous hip surgery or implants can also make you more susceptible to hip bursitis.
Some diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout, which have inflammation issues of their own, can increase your risk of hip bursitis. Being overweight also increases your risk. The higher weight puts more pressure on your hip joint.
Bacterial Infection
Hip bursitis may also be caused by a bacterial infection, or, in this case, septic bursitis, which can be quite severe. It needs immediate treatment before the infection enters the bloodstream. Septic bursitis has the same symptoms as hip bursitis. The diagnosis relies on medical history, lab tests, and outward signs of infection, such as redness and tenderness at the site. You may also have a fever.
What Does Hip Bursitis Feel Like?
The first symptom is, of course, pain in the hip. It is initially sharp and intense, then later it transforms into an ache across a larger area, possibly including the thigh. Hip bursitis pain will worsen if you put any stress on the hip, such as climbing stairs, lying on that side, or lifting yourself from a chair. In addition, with septic bursitis, you will have additional symptoms associated with infection, such as a fever.
Over time you may develop a limp, and the hip joint will begin to feel stiff. The pain will continue even when you’re not moving, and it can interrupt your sleep. If hip bursitis becomes a chronic condition, you can expect ongoing pain and swelling. This may eventually lead to muscle deterioration and a loss of normal motion range.
How Is Hip Bursitis Diagnosed?
Diagnosis begins with a medical history and physical exam. As the symptoms of hip bursitis are similar to those for other conditions, your chiropractor will also conduct one or more tests to rule out other conditions. The test may include X-ray, MRI, ultrasound, aspiration of fluid from the bursa, and blood tests.
We’re Looking Forward to Helping You at Our Chiropractic Offices in NJ!
The inflammation and pain of hip bursitis limit your ability to walk and move about freely. What if you suddenly couldn’t kneel to tend to your garden? You enjoy a vigorous run after a long workday, but now you have to rest your hip instead. You like to sleep on your right side, but that’s the side hip bursitis took over. You just don’t need this on top of managing your other medical conditions.
Whether it’s relatively mild and achy or infected and severe, hip bursitis interrupts your daily routine and seemingly everything in your life.
Fortunately, there is a wide range of options for treating hip bursitis. In Part 2 of this hip bursitis series, we will explore what is available, both within standard medical care and from chiropractors. This is a musculoskeletal condition, which is the category of conditions in which chiropractors specialize. At Bergen Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Center, we are experts in diagnosing and treating any musculoskeletal injury, including hip bursitis.
With our evidence-based techniques, we aggressively treat the condition and return you to normal function as quickly as possible. We have the knowledge and tools to remove the “-itises” from your musculoskeletal system and reintroduce you to your everyday life. We’ll provide more information in Part 2. Meanwhile, contact us for more information. We are here to help!
At the Bergen Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Center, our chiropractic team, led by Dr. Gregory Doerr, follows the highest and most professional medical standards to provide superior chiropractic help. After all, our mission is to provide unparalleled patient care and services in a comfortable healing atmosphere. Contact us to learn more about our chiropractic services! Our chiropractic offices in Cliffside Park, NJ, and Hackensack, NJ, are ready to welcome you!
