Senior Health: Bursitis is a joint problem that affects the range of motion and is extremely painful.

Your elderly family member may worry at first that she’s dislocated the affected joint or that something else has happened. The good news is that bursitis is a temporary condition, especially if your elderly family member takes care of her joint and allows the area to heal. Good senior health is something you should consider.

What Is Bursitis?

Bursitis is a condition involving the bursa. These are small sacs that are filled with fluid. They rest around joints, providing cushioning between bones, tendons, and muscles. Sometimes bursae become irritated, which means that they swell and become painful. Because they’re located right there at a joint, movement in that joint is affected as well. The most common locations for bursitis are in the hip, elbow, and shoulder.

Diagnosing Bursitis

Bursitis is usually caused when a joint is injured or overused, but it can also happen because of an infection or other health issues. To diagnose bursitis, your senior’s doctor may ask her to describe how the joint feels and show her range of motion. Bursae don’t show up on x-rays, but your senior’s doctor may take some just to rule out other possible health issues. Generally ruling out other potential causes brings your senior’s doctor back to bursitis as the problem.

Treating Bursitis

What your senior’s joint needs is for the pain and the inflammation to taper off, and that happens with resting that joint. Your elderly family member may need to limit some of her activity, especially if her bursitis is a result of overusing a joint. Compression, a brace, and gentle exercises may also be recommended. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications may also be helpful.

Preventing Bursitis Flares

Is there a way for your elderly family member to prevent bursitis episodes? She should take it easy on joints that have experienced bursitis flares in the past. Physical therapy can help but avoiding repetitive or difficult tasks is probably the best option. When you bring in-home care providers to take over some tasks for your elderly family member, she’s better able to rest when she needs it and that can help her to protect her bursae and achieve good senior health.

Some people are just more susceptible to injuring these tiny protective sacs, but that means your senior needs to be a little more proactive about preventing a flare. Now that she knows what’s happening and what will help, she may be better able to protect that area from injury.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring  Home Health Care in Rockridge, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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