Treatment of elbow bursitis at home

Symptoms of bursitis

Bursitis is an acute inflammatory disease that manifests itself in inflammation of the synovial bursa of the joint.

Synovial bursae (bursae) are peculiar bags located in places where pressure is expected on a joint, for example, the knee, during physical activity.

Symptoms usually include the following inflammation:

• Soreness. The intensity is determined by the type of disease. Large joints
  are more involved in movement, and pain in them will be more pronounced. The chronic stage is less painful.
• Swelling and redness. Manifestations of inflammation may be accompanied by swelling, redness and a local increase in body temperature in the joint area.
• Problem with limb control. An advanced disease can cause dysfunction of the limb of the affected joint.

Treatment of bursitis

Treatment can be done conservatively or surgically.

For mild cases of the disease, the patient is observed on an outpatient basis. Treatment is carried out using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for external use.

The course takes 5-8 days, during which time the acute symptoms of the disease subside and the damaged area begins to recover.

In cases where the synovial bursa (bursa) is located deep or the symptoms of the disease are very severe, surgical intervention is used. Traditionally, it is performed using local anesthesia by puncturing the bursa, pumping out fluid and administering anti-inflammatory drugs.

If left untreated, the disease enters the chronic stage.

Surgery

When complications of the disease develop and pus appears in the joint capsule, an operation becomes urgent, which is quite simple and consists of pumping out the fluid and injecting antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs into the joint.

Bursitis is usually treated with medications, but if complications occur, it requires surgery.

Surgeries are also performed to remove the damaged bursa. They are completely uncomplicated and highly effective. Patients soon return to their normal lives.

Types of bursitis

Bursitis is divided according to its form into chronic and acute. It can also be classified according to the location of the lesion.

Elbow bursitis

In the case of inflammation affecting the synovial bursa of the elbow joint, a person notices painful sensations that intensify during flexion and extension of the arm at the elbow, often radiating to the forearm or hand, movements are limited. At the site of inflammation, elastic compaction and swelling of the soft tissues are observed.

Bursitis of the knee joint

Symptoms directly depend on the form of the disease.

Patellar bursitis is characterized by pain in the anterior surface of the joint. The patient notes a feeling of stiffness while walking. Swelling, redness and a slight increase in local temperature are possible. Palpation is slightly painful; a soft elastic tumor formation is detected.

With popliteal aseptic, the patient notes moderate pain in the knee, which is recorded during prolonged standing or prolonged walking. The joint is slightly enlarged.

Anserine bursitis manifests itself as nagging pain in the joint when bending and straightening the knee, for example, while using stairs.

Symptoms of the purulent form include sharp pain, a feeling of fullness in the joint, and swelling. The patient exhibits symptoms of general intoxication: an increase in body temperature to 38-39°C, headache, weakness.

Bursitis of the shoulder joint

The main symptom of the disease is pain. Its intensity depends on the severity of the disease.

There are several types of inflammatory lesions of this joint:

• Subacromial (subdeltoid) appearance. The peculiarity of this form is the appearance of severe pain at the moment the arm is moved to the side; movement back and forth is not difficult.
• Subcoracoidal (calcified) bursitis manifests itself as severe pain when moving the shoulder back. In addition, there is a throbbing pain radiating to the neck and arm.
• Calcareous (stone) appearance. Pain, swelling and hyperemia are observed in the area of ​​the affected joint.
• Subdeltoid. Features of this variety are swelling, hyperemia and severe pain in the shoulder and arm. Due to the nonspecificity of symptoms, it is difficult to make a primary diagnosis.
• Calculous bursitis is similar in manifestation to subdeltoid bursitis, differing in that the shoulder hurts much more than the arm.
• Subacromial. With this type, the patient has difficulty raising his arm above his head.
• Subcoracoid. Symptoms include swelling, a sharp and significant increase in body temperature, and pain that intensifies when you raise your arm or press on your shoulder.

Bursitis of the hip joint.

Middle-aged and older women most often come for diagnosis with suspected bursitis, the reason for this is the structural features of the female body. Other age groups, including men, may be at risk by leading a lifestyle that puts constant pressure on the femur.

The disease can be classified based on the location of the synovial bursa (bursa), in which inflammation occurs.

Trochanteric or acetabular bursitis is the most common form of the disease. Painful pulling or throbbing sensations in this form should occur on the outside of the thigh. The pain may radiate to the groin area, and this complicates the diagnosis.

With the iliopectineal form, pain is recorded in the groin area and on the inside of the thigh.

The sciatic variety is characterized by pain in the gluteal region.

Consequences

Complications of elbow bursitis are much more difficult to treat than the disease itself. They arise due to failure to provide timely medical care and the disease progressing to severe forms. A peculiar melting of the walls in the synovial cavity occurs and the pathogenic mass spreads to adjacent areas.

As a result, the following are formed:

Limitations for bursitis

Is it possible to go to the bathhouse if you have bursitis?

The possibility of visiting a bathhouse or sauna with this disease is determined by a number of factors. On the one hand, under the influence of steam and hot water, the patient’s condition can improve. The bath increases the tone of the body, activates metabolism, improves blood circulation in the area of ​​the synovial bursa, and improves the patient’s mood.

However, all this is true only if a person has no contraindications to visiting the bathhouse. The main contraindication is related to the disease of the joint itself: when the chronic disease is in acute form, visiting the bathhouse is strictly prohibited. You cannot steam the joint in the postoperative period, until complete recovery. In addition, the patient may have concomitant diseases that can cause complications: tuberculosis, oncology, cirrhosis, hypertension, etc.

Is it possible to drink coffee if you have calcific bursitis?

Experts recommend stopping drinking coffee while treating bursitis. Nutrition should be balanced and rational. Alcohol, sweet soda, fast food and processed foods are also prohibited.

Is it possible to play sports with bursitis?

In the acute form of the disease, sports are prohibited. Even a small load can aggravate the course of the disease. And after recovery, the patient must pay attention to his joints: do not exhaust the body with loads, use protective equipment and promptly treat wounds and injuries.

Is it possible to use infrared rays for bursitis?

Physiotherapy has proven itself in the complex treatment of acute and chronic disease. Infrared rays can help relieve joint pain and swelling, improve blood circulation and aid in quick recovery.

However, in this disease there are courses in which physiotherapy is contraindicated, for example, purulent-hemorrhagic effusion in the synovial bursa (bursa) and tissue necrosis.

If you wish to seek treatment with infrared rays, you must consult your doctor.

General therapeutic measures

When the first symptoms of bursitis appear, consultation with a specialist is necessary. The latent course of the disease leads to a chronic type of disease, which significantly complicates the diagnosis and treatment of the elbow joint. The final diagnosis is established after a complete examination of the patient.

The diagnostic examination includes the following activities:

• Examination by a traumatologist;
• X-ray examinations;
• Ultrasound;
• Laboratory types of research;
• Puncture;
• In severe cases, surgery.

For a successful treatment process, you should first of all limit movement and stress on the elbow joint. It is recommended to use special fixing bandages or an elastic bandage.

The use of medications is prescribed according to the degree of neglect of bursitis. Anti-inflammatory drugs for the osteoarticular system are used for all degrees of the disease.

Antibacterial therapy is used for complicated suppurative processes with the parallel use of drugs or dietary supplements to preserve intestinal flora.

Chronic bursitis should be treated with medications to improve blood and lymph circulation. Symptoms of edema are reduced with the use of diuretics.

In the complex treatment of elbow bursitis, physiological therapeutic measures are prescribed:

• Massage.
• UHF.
• Mud baths.
• Electrophoresis.
• Physiotherapy.

Drug therapy, physiotherapeutic procedures and treatment with folk remedies have a beneficial effect on the condition of the elbow joint. During the acute period of the disease and in the remission stage, a special menu is recommended.

It is necessary to limit the consumption of salt and foods that accumulate water in the body. You should increase your consumption of vegetables and fruits containing increased amounts of vitamins and microelements. Popular recommendations are herbal teas and dried fruit compote.

Folk remedies for treatment at home

Before using any home treatment, consult a doctor. It is important to exclude allergic reactions to the products used.

Compresses with fresh potatoes relieve inflammation well. Symptoms go away after several treatments. Grate the potatoes on a coarse grater or cut into thin slices, place on a cotton cloth and apply to the sore joint. Cover the top with cling film and a warm scarf. Can be left overnight.

A compress made from fresh potatoes has proven itself very well as an anti-inflammatory agent in folk medicine.

At home, wrapping cabbage leaves effectively relieves swelling and dulls pain. Fresh leaves are slightly crumpled and applied to the sore joint. On top there is compress paper and thick fabric or a woolen scarf. The compress is applied for several hours or overnight.

You can treat a sore elbow with a compress with dimexide yourself at home. It is necessary to dilute one part of dimexide and five parts of boiled water or saline solution. Apply to the elbow for two hours, in severe cases for three, it is not recommended to hold longer to avoid skin burns.

Lotions with propolis are an effective remedy for bursitis. Take 100 ml of vodka and 10 grams of propolis, leave at room temperature for a week. Moisten a linen or cotton cloth with the prepared solution and apply it to the inflamed elbow. Also, you should not keep the compress on the joint for more than three hours.

Be careful not to take propolis infusion orally.

Warm compresses made from flax seeds give good results at home. Heat 100 grams of seeds, place them in a fabric or gauze bag and apply to the inflamed area until the seeds cool. This method can be treated for two weeks.

Kalanchoe leaves can be applied as a pain reliever. The sheet is cut lengthwise and placed in the freezer. When the sheet freezes, it is wrapped in gauze and applied to the painful area.

Another folk recipe. Burdock root, dried or fresh (it is better to take burdock that is at least 2 years old). Pour half a liter of boiling water over 10 grams of root and leave for 30 minutes. Then take linen cloth or gauze in six layers, moisten it and apply it to the elbow. Cover the top with cling film and a warm scarf. The procedure should be carried out for at least two weeks.

Brewed burdock root relieves inflammation and pain well.

Traditional healers have noted that it is useful to drink grapefruit juice three times a day, 100 ml after meals. Metabolism is actively activated and diseased cells are removed from the body.

This folk method has long been known. Fresh pine or spruce needles are taken, filled with water and boiled for half an hour. Leave for 10-12 hours. Elbow baths are done daily for a month.

Treatment with traditional methods, together with medications and physical therapy, gives excellent results if you consult a doctor in a timely manner.

Dear readers, that’s all for today, what folk remedies do you use to treat elbow bursitis? Feel free to leave comments.

Which doctor should I contact for bursitis?

Bursitis can be treated by different specialists: a traumatologist, an orthopedist, a surgeon... The choice depends on the course, form and stage of the disease. In order to be referred to the right doctor, you can contact a therapist. After the examination, he will make recommendations.

You can immediately try to get to a specialized doctor, based on the available data about the disease and the cause of its occurrence. If the symptoms of inflammation in the synovial bursa begin to bother the patient after an injury, then it is necessary to visit a traumatologist. The earliest stages of the disease are treated by an orthopedic surgeon. And neglected ones are corrected by a surgeon.

Classification

Bursitis, like any inflammatory disease, can be acute, subacute or chronic. In addition, the specific type of bursitis depends on which of the bursae is damaged. The quality of the fluid contained in the bursa in this disease is also taken into account.

In this regard, bursitis is distinguished:

• serous;
• hemorrhagic;
• purulent;
• fibrous;
• mixed.

If the disease is based on the introduction of coccal flora, then the process is considered nonspecific. And in cases of disorders associated with tuberculosis, gonorrhea or syphilis, we are talking about specific bursitis.

Alternative treatment for elbow bursitis

Traditional methods of treatment are acceptable for non-acute and non-infectious disease, after consultation with a specialist.

One of the means to combat this disease is table salt. 1 tbsp salt must be diluted in 0.5 liters of hot water. The resulting solution is moistened with gauze, which is applied to the affected joint and fixed with cling film. The procedure must be repeated daily for 2 weeks.

Another way is a warm compress. The sugar is heated in a frying pan, avoiding melting. The heated sugar is wrapped in cloth and applied to the joint in which the inflammatory process occurs for 2-3 hours. Wrap the top with cling film and a warm cloth.

White cabbage is one of the universal ways to reduce swelling and relieve inflammation. The cabbage leaf must be lightly beaten until the juice is released. The inflamed joint is covered with a small amount of honey, then a cabbage leaf is applied, and the limb is wrapped in cling film and a warm cloth. The compress is kept for about 2 hours.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis is usually easy to make based on an examination by an orthopedic traumatologist. But to clarify the prevalence of the process and exclude complications, there are a number of instrumental diagnostic methods:

• X-ray of the joint: allows you to determine the presence of an inflammatory process in the joint.
• Ultrasound of the joint: helps to clarify the size and location of the inflamed bursa, the amount of exudate in it
• MRI of the joint: allows you to diagnose bursitis of the deep joint capsules.

This disease must be diagnosed as early as possible in order to begin adequate treatment in a timely manner.

Bursitis in children

At a younger age, the disease practically does not occur. Usually the disease is encountered in adolescence. The main causes of bursitis in children: excessive physical activity, injuries and diseases that provoke the development of inflammation in the joint.

Symptoms are similar to those in adults: swelling, pain, general malaise.

An important point in the treatment of joint disease in a child is timely diagnosis. Children tend to hide the fact of injury and endure pain. Neglected treatment and lack of rest during the acute period of the disease can lead to the need for surgical intervention and more serious consequences.