Bursitis

[inferno]

I have had trochanteric (hip) bursitis for 5 months now and in the last three months seem to have developed bursitis in both shoulders. Walking is painful and I can't exercise in the gym (I used to go three times a week). I have seen my GP, had physio, acupuncture (painful and useless!), neurofen, and am now on prescribed anti-inflamatories (celebrex). Nothing seems to work. My next step seems to be a cortizone injection, which I really, really don't want to have. My questions are a) any advice from anyone who has been in the same position b) experience of cortizone injections (I assume it wouldn't be into the joint as the bursa lies between the skin and the joint ) c) any alternative therapies that have proven sucessful. All advice appreciated - this is getting to be depressing!

[woofgang]

inferno, with no disrespect to your GP, has he/she referred you to a specialist? I personally would want to know why you have bursitis in unrelated sites before deciding on a treatment

[smudge]

Two years ago, I had been suffering severe pain, due to a trapped nerve in my spine/neck & anti-inflammatory pills just didn't help, so I reluctantly agreed to have a cortisone injection. I was sedated for this procedure & only felt a slight twinge as it was being administered. Within a day or two the pain had completely disappeared & what a relief I can tell you! ALSO, last year after preparing & painting the lounge ceiling, I started getting unbearable pain in my elbow. Again, anti/inflam's wouldn't shift it, so this time I had a cortisone injection by my GP at the surgery. It hurt like hell for 24 hours, but after that the pain subsided & so far so good. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to have further cortisone injections, if necessary. Why suffer!

[Janetex]

My doctor suggests surgery when necessary, maybe it's time?

[Kit]

Cortisone injections into bursa: you won't need sedating, it's simple enough, but if really up tight about it ask them about giving you a local skin anaesthetic beforehand. The steroid they inject is a suspension of tiny crystals which often irritate the inflamed bit for 24 hours or so until they dissolve, after which things should get a lot better, as smudge says. You can have repeat injections if they're effective, or it may be worth repeating if it doesn't work the first time, but they don't like doing them too often - for a start, they can weaken the soft tissues if done to excess, and also if the inflammation keeps coming back, sorting out the symptoms temporarily may be masking an underlying inflammatory condition. I would ask your GP to consider referring you to a rheumatologist if it carries on. Ooh, Janetex, I wouldn't want surgery just yet! In any case, a bursa is there for a reason, which is to reduce friction, and removing it can cause more problems.

[IggyB]

When i was very much into gym going i developed a bursitis problem in my hip too, this developed due to an injury i sustained that i didn't rest properly before exercising again - as kit says these bursa develop at points of friction, friction that was probably a result of my muscle and ligament injury. Did you have any injuries prior to the bursitis prob? also do you do a lot of weight lifting in the gym (prob free weights) - as this issue of them devloping in your shoulder to might suggest that you need to tweet your technique a bit to reduce the friction on your joints? actually for these shoulder injuries the lat pulldown is generally the culprit (especially if you pull the weight behind your head). Right as for the recovery - nothing helped as much as embarking on a serious stretching program... unfortunately it still bothers me now (4 years on) unless i keep up with my stretching. I feel this reduces the friction enough to allow me to exercise normally... good luck and sorry for the rambling nature of this answer.