Bursitis Remedies

How to treat bursitis? Try these bursitis remedies for bursitis pain relief. The home treatment for bursitis on this page includes herbal remedies for bursitis and recommended bursitis exercises.

What is bursitis? What are the symptoms of bursitis? What causes bursitis?

Bursitis is a painful inflammation or swelling of a bursa. A bursa is a sac which is filled with fluid and is found around the joint in the body. One of the main functions of a bursa is to act as a cushion to prevent or reduce friction between the bones and tendons.

One of the main causes of bursitis is overuse, repeated motions or strenuous activity of a certain part of the body. The pressure exerted on the bursa will cause the inflammation. Olecranon bursitis or elbow bursitis can happen when the elbow hit on a hard object or if it has been resting too long on a hard surface. Some of the possible causes of a trochanteric bursitis or hip bursitis is sports injury, a fall or post surgery. Knee bursitis or prepatellar bursitis is common among carpet layers and people who kneel too long. Shoulder bursitis can happen when too much pressure is exerted on the shoulder such as overhead lifting of a heavy load and forceful motion such as an increase in swimming laps.

Other bursitis causes include a bacterial infection, arthritis and also aging. The common bursitis symptoms are pain, stiffness at the joints, swollen tissue and redness.

Bursitis remedies No. 1 - Herbal remedies

Boswellia or Indian frankincense has anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and analgesic properties. It helps reduce inflammation and because it is also a natural pain killer, it will provide bursitis pain relief. One of the ways to use it is to take it internally. Taking 150mg of boswellia extract 3 times per day may help treat the symptoms.

The other method is to buy boswellia cream and apply it on the knee, hip, shoulder or elbow bursitis. Another way to reduce the inflammation is to make a boswellia poultice and use it to compress the bursitis. If you have boswellia powder, add water to it and make a paste. Apply the paste on the bursitis and cover it with gauze. Bandage it to hold the compress in place and secure the bandage with a safety pin or a tape.

Other anti-inflammatory herbs that you can use instead of boswellia internally and topically are cat's claw, devil's claw, mullein and turmeric herbal extracts.

Some natural herbal pain relievers or pain killers that have analgesic activities are boswellia, black cohosh root, evening primrose oil, feverfew and white willow bark.

Bursitis remedies No. 2 - Dietary supplements

1. Bromelain which is found in the stem of pineapples produces powerful anti-inflammatory activities. It releases chemicals that prevent inflammation and pain. It is often used to provide pain relief and as a remedy for carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic arthritis and gout.
   
   
   
2. Vitamin C is recommended because of its ability to repair tissues and cartilage. It is a powerful antioxidant and helps strengthen the immune system.
   
   
   
3. Glucosamine sulfate is used as one of bursitis remedies because some studies have shown that it helps reduce inflammation and in the healing of joints. It also slows down the deterioration of cartilage. It is one of the recommended supplements for people who suffer from arthritis.
   
   
   
4. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods such as flaxseed oil and fish oil. Omega-3 supplement is used as one of bursitis remedies because of its ability to reduce inflammation. Its secondary benefits include supporting blood pressure levels and a healthy heart.

Bursitis remedies No. 3 - Bursitis exercises

Your bursitis hurts but you must keep your joints in motion and stimulate your muscles. One of the exercises to keep your arm in motion is to use the door pulley exercise. Yoga stretching which includes hip side stretch and hip rotation is recommended for hip bursitis. A pendulum swing exercise is good for shoulder bursitis.

Bursitis remedies No. 4 - Use ice and heat

One of the symptoms of bursitis is swelling. To reduce the swell, wrap a clean thin towel around an ice pack and place it on the swollen area for 20 minutes or more. The ice helps slow blood from flowing to the swollen area.

Once the swelling has subsided, use a heating pad or hot water bottle and place it on the affected joint. The heat will help increase circulation and remove excess fluid. Applying castor oil before placing heat is also effective as a treatment for bursitis.

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