Quite often, people who see a doctor with joint pain are diagnosed with bursitis. Treatment for bursitis can be conservative, but in the later stages it is hardly possible to do without surgical intervention. That is why many are interested in questions about what this disease is and what its symptoms are. Indeed, the sooner the patient seeks medical attention, the more chances he has for a quick recovery.
Bursitis - what is it?
Bursitis is called inflammation of the tissues of the
synovial bag. Such a bag is a small cavity between the articular surfaces of the bones, which contains a small amount of synovial fluid.
As a rule, with inflammation in the cavity of the bag exudate begins to accumulate, and in the absence of treatment, purulent masses. This accumulation of fluid leads to stretching of the tissues of the synovial bag, which is accompanied by discomfort and pain.
Bursitis Classification
There are several classification systems that are used in modern surgery and traumatology. These schemes help the doctor understand which joints are affected by the disease and how exactly bursitis occurs. After all, the treatment of bursitis directly depends on its form.
- The inflammatory process is classified depending on where it is localized. For example, there are knee and elbow bursitis.
- In addition, the type of infection is taken into account. There are specific forms of the disease, which are characterized by the activity of a specific pathogen, which is observed with syphilis, gonorrhea, etc. Non-specific bursitis occurs against the background of the activity of staphylococci or streptococci.
- Depending on the clinical picture, it is customary to distinguish an acute, subacute and chronic form of the disease.
- Pay attention to the nature of the exudate. With serous bursitis, plasma accumulates inside the bag with a small amount of blood cells. With purulent inflammation, an accumulation of destroyed cells, dead white blood cells and pathogenic microorganisms is observed. Hemorrhagic bursitis is accompanied by an accumulation of blood, and with a fibrinous form of the disease, a fluid with a high fibrin content accumulates inside the synovial cavity.
The main causes of the disease
In the development of the disease, infectious activity is of great importance. It is
pathogenic microorganisms that most often cause a disease called bursitis (treatment of bursitis for this reason includes taking antibacterial agents).
However, bacteria can enter the synovial fissure in different ways. For example, purulent inflammations, the foci of which are located next to the joints, can be attributed to risk factors. Bursitis often develops against the background of erysipelas, the formation of pressure sores, furunculosis, carbunculosis, osteomyelitis, since pathogenic microorganisms enter the synovial gap with lymph or blood.
On the other hand, the infection can directly enter the synovial bag in case of trauma, in particular, strong blows, cuts, etc. The state of the immune system matters. Some kidney diseases, as well as diabetes mellitus, alcoholism affect the work of the body's defenses, which increases the chance of infection activation. Risk factors include some other diseases, in particular rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma gout (with gout, salt crystals accumulate in the joint cavity, which can cause inflammation).
As for the chronic forms of the disease, they are usually associated with constant mechanical irritation of the joints. Most often, such bursitis is associated with the characteristics of professions. For example, miners are often diagnosed with inflammation of the synovial bags of the elbow joint, but in athletes they find knee bursitis.
Which joints are most susceptible to disease?
In fact, the inflammatory process can develop in almost any joint in the human body. However, the most common forms of the disease can be distinguished. For example, most often inflammation affects those joints that are most exposed to intense exertion or injury.
As already mentioned, quite often bursitis is a kind of “side effect” of some professions. So, some athletes (in particular, baseball players), as well as miners, are often diagnosed with inflammation of the bags of the shoulder joint. The disease often affects the knee and hip joints. And if you like to wear beautiful, but very uncomfortable high-heeled shoes with a narrow toe, then you are not surprised if the doctor diagnoses you “foot bursitis” (treatment of this form of the disease, by the way, includes rejection of uncomfortable shoes).
In any case, the inflammatory process brings the patient a lot of inconvenience and discomfort. And the lack of treatment is fraught with deformation of the joint and damage to the periarticular tissues.
Bursitis disease and its main symptoms
The signs of the disease directly depend on its form. As a rule, it begins with pain in the affected joint. Further in the synovial bag
exudate begins to accumulate, which leads to the formation of a small swelling and swelling.
If untreated, the swelling increases, and the skin over the affected joint turns red and becomes hot to the touch. Acute bursitis is also accompanied by an increase in body temperature and the appearance of symptoms of general malaise - patients complain of weakness, drowsiness, constant fatigue and chills. Joint mobility persists, but each movement is accompanied by severe pain.
If the patient was not provided with timely help, then the acute form of the disease can turn into subacute, and then into chronic. With this bursitis, swelling and swelling may be absent, the pain is less intense, but it is present almost constantly. These types of inflammation can lead to serious consequences.
Diagnostic Methods
As a rule, the doctor can make the initial diagnosis already during the examination. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to pass a few more tests. For example, a laboratory study of blood samples will help determine the presence of infection and the inflammatory process. In the future, as a rule, a puncture of the affected synovial bag is performed. The collected samples are then examined in the laboratory. Such a procedure, although not very pleasant, but makes it possible to determine the nature of the pathogen, as well as its sensitivity to certain types of antibiotics.
In addition, it is sometimes necessary to exclude some specific infections, for example, gonorrhea or syphilis - in such cases, additional studies are needed.
If superficial bursitis can be detected during a medical examination, then some auxiliary methods are used to diagnose deep lesions, in particular MRI and X-ray studies.
Is bursitis dangerous? Conservative treatment of bursitis
The methods of therapy primarily depend on the nature and characteristics of the disease. For example, the treatment of brachial bursitis caused by trauma comes down to taking painkillers. In addition, the patient is recommended to apply ice compresses to the affected joint. What other drugs are used to combat a disease called bursitis? Treatment is an ointment with anti-inflammatory properties that eliminates soreness, swelling and redness.
In more severe cases, a joint is punctured, pumping excess fluid out of it. With severe inflammation, steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are needed. Sometimes corticosteroids are injected directly into the synovial cleft to achieve quick and maximum effect.
If the tests confirmed the presence of infection, then antibiotic therapy is needed. Quite often, the synovial cavity is drained, purulent contents are pumped out of it, then washed with antiseptic solutions and antibiotics are administered.
When is surgery necessary?
In some cases, surgery is indispensable. For example, in medical practice, severe, purulent bursitis of the hip joint is often found. The treatment in this case consists in removing the bursa and a full course of taking antibiotics.
Another indication for surgery is a chronic form of inflammation. In such cases, the affected synovial bag is excised. As a rule, recovery after such an operation lasts 10-14 days.
Traditional treatment
It is immediately worth noting that alternative treatment of bursitis is possible only after prior consultation with a specialist. Useful are baths with a decoction of pine needles and cones.
In addition, some folk healers recommend that patients prepare a special ointment for the joints. Mix one part aloe juice, two parts honey and three parts vodka. Apply to the skin near the affected joint, wrap with a handkerchief or towel and hold for 1-2 hours. Hay hay is also considered useful - for starters it should be brewed, after which, in a still warm (even hot) broth, moisten gauze dressings and apply to sore joints.
In any case, do not forget that such procedures can only be used as an auxiliary method along with more traditional treatment. And, of course, for the duration of therapy it is worth limiting physical activity and stress on the joints.
Possible complications
Of course, bursitis is a disease that requires appropriate treatment. In the absence of medical care, the disease quickly becomes chronic, which is much more difficult to get rid of. In addition, with acute infectious inflammation, damage to neighboring soft tissues with the formation of phlegmon is possible.
In turn, chronic bursitis leads to the formation of adhesions, which limit the mobility of the joints. Damage to the joint tissue on the foot often leads to the formation of heel spurs.