What is bursitis?
Bursae are the small gel-filled cushions separating your bone from your soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Your bursae allow your bones to glide smoothly and painlessly, but if a bursa grows badly inflamed, it swells significantly. This leads to a painful condition called bursitis.
Bursitis usually affects the hip, shoulder, and knee. Joint overuse, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic injury, and gout are some of the common causes of bursitis.
What is a bursa injection?
A bursa injection relieves pain within a bursa or several bursae. The injections include a combination of local anesthetic and corticosteroid medication. The anesthetic numbs the area, and the corticosteroid reduces swelling in the bursa. That, in turn, relieves bursitis pain.
During a bursa injection, your physician at The Rehab Doctors injects the local anesthetic and corticosteroid directly into a bursa. Your doctor may use fluoroscopy, a specialized X-ray, to ensure optimal needle positioning. The team monitors you for around 30 minutes after your injection, and you must arrange for someone to drive you home afterward.
How long does relief from bursa injections last?
Each patient is different, but usually, the medicine starts working within a few days to a week. After that, the pain relief can last for several months. But, the longevity can vary based on bursitis severity, underlying conditions, and co-occurring injuries.
You may need one or more follow-up injections for maximum bursitis pain relief. You keep a pain log after your bursa injections to help you monitor the results.
Is a bursa injection the right treatment for me?
If you have chronic bursitis pain, the first step is a full evaluation with a physical medicine and rehab physician at The Rehab Doctors. Insurance providers typically require at least six physical therapy sessions before you can have injections as treatment, so your physician refers you to a physical therapist who specializes in your specific kind of pain.
If physical therapy and prescribed exercises don’t relieve at least half of your bursitis pain, a bursa injection is often the best next step. If you’re planning bursitis surgery but would prefer a nonoperative approach, if possible, a bursa injection may be a good way to see if non-surgical solutions can help you.
If chronic bursitis pain is dragging you down, find out how The Rehab Doctors can help. Book your appointment by phone or through the online appointment scheduler around the clock.
