Bursitis, a dull ache that develops in the shoulder or knee, can strike anyone, from those who lead sedentary lives to highly trained athletes. But it's the older person that is most likely to feel the miseries of bursitis.
The bursae are small, closed, fluid-filled sacs that protect muscles and tendons from irritation produced by contact with bone. If friction gets too great, from overexercising, hard work or injury, the bursae themselves may get inflamed.Bursitis may hurt as much as arthritis, but it isn't a joint disease. Sometimes it recurs and becomes chronic, but with proper treatment, most bursitis attacks disappear in two or three days.
How can you avoid bursitis in the first place? One of the keys is to stay as fit as you can, without pushing yourself too hard or too long.
But if you do develop bursitis, try the following:
- Rest the part of your body that hurts.
- Take aspirin or ibuprofen.
- Apply ice packs the first two days to bring down swelling, then heat to ease the pain and stimulate blood flow.
If the pain of bursitis becomes disabling or doesn't ease after three or four days, seek a medical evaluation.
By the way, liniments are no help for bursitis. They simply don't penetrate deeply enough, but mainly warm the skin and make it tingle, thus distracting from the pain beneath.