Bursitis is a painful condition resulting from a rotator cuff injury.

To understand about bursitis, it helps to know a little bit about shoulder anatomy. The rotator cuff is a set of four muscles that help to strengthen and stabilize the shoulder during movement. These muscles work together to support the shoulder, keeping your shoulder in its socket, and also work to counterbalance the other heavy lifter shoulder muscles.

In between the shoulder muscles and between the tendons and the bones are several spongy fluid filled sacks called bursae. Each bursa acts as a kind of cushion or padding, helping the muscles glide over each other and prevents the muscles from rubbing directly against bone.

Sometimes, due to trauma, repetitive motion, squeezing, and other forces, these bursae can become irritated and inflamed. When irritated, a bursa will swell with excess fluid, leading to a lot of swelling and pain. When this happens, it is called bursitis.

An “itus” is any inflammation of the muscles, tendons, or bursa. In this case, Bursitis is when a bursa becomes inflamed.

Click here for more information on bursitis and other rotator cuff injuries.

So how do you treat bursitis pain?

The first step is to treat the pain and swelling. Rest the affected and apply ice or a cold compress. This will help numb the pain and reduce swelling. You can also take pain relief/anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen.

The second step is to follow a targeted program of physical therapy that stretches and exercises the rotator cuff area. This will begin a gradual healing process that will also help you reduce the pain and regain flexibility in the affected area.

If you follow a targeted program of exercise, bursitis pain and discomfort can be eliminated and you get back to normal life.

Filed under: Shoulder Pain Recovery

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