Hip Bursitis

I was walking into one of my favorite restaurants in Steiner Ranch the other day when a woman approached me.  She saw the magnet on my car, Yoga by Dayna, and wanted more information.  As we walked up a flight of stairs to Vaquero’s,  I noticed she had difficulty navigating each step.  Grimacing, she mentioned that she has bursitis in her hip.  It has greatly slowed her down.  She is in the midst of physical therapy but doesn’t have a longer term for repairing the original cause.  That was about as far as we got, but she asked for my card.  The conversation stirred my interest and so it goes, this week we will be diving into the topic of bursitis and how it differs from arthritis.  How inflammation affects both disorders and what you should know before heading to see your medical doctor.  Thanks go to Dr. Amin Mery, Hill Country Allergy and Asthma, for writing a great little book called, Understanding Inflammation and What It Means For You”.  

Are you curious to know more?  Following this discussion, I’ll share this week’s Yoga by Dayna schedule and how you can register for classes or private lessons.  My business is boutique style and You are my topic of interest.  It’s not a one size fits all studio, because no two students of mine are alike.  We do share similar aches and pains related to aging.  The more you can learn about YOU, the more empowered you will be to maintain a good quality of life. 

Bursae is Medieval Latin for “purse”

Imagine a little purse that slips in between your hip and the ligaments surrounding it.  In the shoulder, the purse is sandwiched underneath a bone and a ligament, and on top of a muscle.  The little “purse” is filled with something like egg whites to cushion the sliding motion you make when you move your shoulder.  This little purse is assigned the job of lubricating the area where tendons move.  These Bursae contain a layer of viscous synovial fluid (similar in consistency to that of a raw egg white). Bursae are found around most major joints of the body.  

Repetitive stress 

Bursitis arises because of a mechanical problem.  There is an imbalance or abnormality (like scoliosis) in how the joint is being moved.  If this isn’t addressed,

alleviation measures will be short lived.  Consider the hip.  If you have lower back problems or knee problems, you might be using your hip joint incorrectly.  So, if you continue doing your exercises, the extra load on the hip will cause it to flare up.  Listening to your body while your bursa is healing and slowly building up strength again is key.  

Ziad Farah, MD, Rheumatologist and Internal Medicine, HCA Medical Center and Cromwell Hospital.  

When any surface of the body is subjected to repeated stress, a bursa develops under it.  Examples are student's elbows and bunions.  Inappropriate loading on these little sacks of fluid can cause inflammation and pain.

HIP BURSITIS

One bursa covers the bony point of the hip bone called the greater trochanter. Inflammation of this bursa is called trochanteric bursitis. Symptoms include stiffness or a “Catching” sensation and/or limited movement.  Another bursa — the iliopsoas bursa — is located on the inside (groin side) of the hip. When this bursa becomes inflamed, the condition is also sometimes referred to as hip bursitis, but the pain is located in the groin area. This condition is not as common as trochanteric bursitis but is often treated in a similar way.

Symptoms

The main symptom of trochanteric bursitis is pain at the point of the hip. The pain usually extends to the outside of the thigh area. In the early stages, the pain is usually described as sharp and intense. Later, the pain may become more of an ache and spread across a larger area of the hip.

Typically, the pain is worse at night, when lying on the affected hip, and when getting up from a chair after being seated for a while. It also may get worse with prolonged walking, stair climbing, or squatting.

Risk Factors

Hip bursitis can affect anyone, but it is more common in women and middle-aged or elderly people. It is less common in younger people and in men.

The following risk factors have been associated with the development of hip bursitis.

• Repetitive stress (overuse) injury. This can occur when running, stair climbing, bicycling, or standing for long periods of time.

• Hip injury. An injury to the point of your hip can occur when you fall onto your hip, bump your hip, or lie on one side of your body for an extended period of time.

Spine disease. This includes scoliosis, arthritis of the lumbar (lower) spine, and other spine problems that may affect the way you walk.

Prevention

How can I prevent trochanteric bursitis?

The best way to prevent trochanteric bursitis is to avoid overusing your hips:

• Learn the proper posture or technique for sports or work activities.

• Ease into new exercises or activities to avoid injuries.

• Avoid lying on one side for too long.

• Take breaks if you’re doing a repetitive task.

Is BURSITIS the same as ARTHRITIS? 

Good question!  Considering that bursa is an inflamed cushion of fluid BETWEEN tendons, whereas arthritis is inflammation of the JOINT itself, these two conditions are similar but occur in different locations.  

It makes me reconsider the idea that children should be raised to excel in one sport.  Repetitive actions are the reason we get into these diagnoses later on in life.  Would it not be easier on these younger bodies to expand their interests into multiple types of play?  Must they always compete so seriously instead of enjoying the art of play?  We place competitiveness so high on the list for all ages.  Our bodies only know they are being overused in a few areas, leaving those areas vulnerable to injury.  Meanwhile, the other, lesser used areas, may be weak and not able to support the whole body.  Balance is still the best approach in everything we do, young and old.