Shoulder bursitis in adults

What is bursitis

Bursitis of the shoulder joint is an inflammatory process in the synovial bag (bursa) located in the shoulder area. It is much more common than, for example, hip bursitis, explains kinesiologist, expert in getting rid of pain in the spine and joints Anastasia Shagarova.

Bursa is a bag with synovial fluid, located near the muscles, tendons, joints – where there is friction. The purpose of the bursa is precisely to reduce this friction.

What you need to know about shoulder bursitis

Causes of shoulder bursitis in adults

The following causes of shoulder bursitis in adults can be distinguished.

Spinal twist. According to the kinesiologist Anastasia Shagarova, in the vast majority of cases, bursitis develops in patients with the so-called spinal twist.

– A twist is a position of the spine in which one side of the body moves forward due to the fact that the spine is twisted in a spiral. It is she who is subject to greater load and compression, – the specialist explains.

There can be several reasons for the appearance of twists:

• falls and injuries of the coccyx;
• professional load on the spine;
• sports activities in which the main load falls on one side of the body (for example, tennis, freestyle wrestling);
• sleep position in which a person lies all the time on the same side.

Twisting occurs in 70% of the adult population. You can check whether you are in this percentage using a simple test: you need to put your feet together, relax as much as possible and put your hands on your shoulder joints. After that, it is enough to see which shoulder goes more forward and which back.

– It is very revealing to photograph a person from all sides (front, back and both sides). The pictures will clearly show which side of the body is moving forward, which of the shoulder blades stands out more and which of the shoulders is more stooped, explains Anastasia Shagarova. – Another sign of twisting is a more developed chest on one side. Usually it is even visually larger in size than the second one.

Active and constant physical activity. Professional athletes, people whose work is associated with heavy lifting and high load on the shoulders (for example, loaders, miners, etc.) are prone to bursitis for this very reason. Loads cause tissue microtraumas that provoke inflammation of the synovial bag.

Bruise or injury. Bursitis of the shoulder joint can be aseptic, that is, inflammation is not accompanied by the development of infection, but can be septic. The latter, for example, develops if the skin was damaged during an injury and the infection got into an open wound.

Chronic and inflammatory processes in the body. With certain diseases, the risk of developing bursitis increases.

Symptoms of shoulder bursitis in adults

The acute form of bursitis of the shoulder joint in adults is characterized, first of all, by sharp pain and difficulty in motor activity: a person can hardly move his shoulder and hardly raises his arm.

– The place of inflammation swells and “burns”. Sometimes there is redness of the skin. As with any inflammation, an increase in body temperature is possible. These are characteristics of the acute form of the disease. They arise suddenly and, if not treated, they pass into the chronic stage, – clarifies kinesiologist Anastasia Shagarova.

In the chronic form, the symptoms of bursitis are less pronounced: the pain is no longer so acute, it is constant, aching. The movement of the affected hand is still limited and difficult, the hand may even become numb.

Treatment of shoulder bursitis in adults

Methods of treatment of bursitis of the shoulder joint are determined by the doctor based on several parameters. First, the amount of fluid accumulated near the joint plays a role. Secondly, its composition and the presence or absence of infection in it are important. All this can be determined during the diagnostics.

Diagnostics

The disease is diagnosed mainly on the basis of the collected history and analysis of symptoms, and to clarify and confirm the diagnosis, the following are prescribed:

• MRI or CT diagnostics, which allow you to see the state of the joint fluid, the severity of inflammation and the condition of the bones that can be affected during inflammatory processes;
• joint puncture to see if there is an infection in the bursa;
• Ultrasound of the shoulder helps to see the condition of the ligaments, muscles and tissues located in close proximity to the inflammation, as well as to determine the extent of the spread of the inflammation itself.

– X-ray diagnostics is much less informative, because it allows you to see only the condition of the bone. Soft tissues, in which inflammation occurs, are not visible in the picture, the doctor notes.

Modern treatments

In the acute form of bursitis of the shoulder joint, the first thing to do is to ensure complete rest of the affected limb. To relieve acute pain and swelling, according to the expert, you can use saline compresses with sea or even ordinary iodized salt, lotions and compresses with propolis, St. John’s wort, cabbage leaves.

When the acute stage has passed, the doctor may recommend therapeutic physiotherapy, select a set of therapeutic exercises for the patient.

– It is necessary to deal not only with the joint, but also with the causes that provoked the appearance of inflammation. It is necessary to correct the twisting of the spine, work with the ligaments in the coccyx area, – explains the kinesiologist.

Prevention of shoulder bursitis in adults at home

The essence of the prevention of shoulder bursitis in adults is to minimize the factors provoking it. The doctor recommends following a few rules:

• reduce physical stress on the joints, take breaks and rest the joints in the process of work;
• before exercise, be sure to warm up the joints by doing a warm-up and stretching;
• change your sleeping position, for example, if you are used to sleeping only on your right side, try to fall asleep on your left;
• adjust the diet.

– Bursitis is often accompanied by calcification, that is, the deposition of salts on the bones and joints, so it is necessary to follow a diet, reducing the consumption of salty, smoked, spicy foods, alcohol, strong tea and coffee, – the doctor notes.

• monitor weight, as extra pounds put a serious strain on the joints, even in the shoulder area;
• give muscles and joints regular adequate physical activity, do exercises, perform complexes of therapeutic and preventive exercises selected by a specialist. This helps to strengthen the muscular corset, provides motor activity of the joint. Stretching exercises are helpful to relieve tension in the joints.

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