The fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee injuries.
Anyone who has suffered from bursitis already knows how painful it can be, but most people have only a rudimentary understanding of this condition, why it happens, and—most of all—what you should do about it.
Bursitis is the inflammation or irritation of a bursa—a small, fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion and gliding surface between bones, tendons, and muscles. Usually caused by repetitive motion or injury, it causes localized pain, swelling, and stiffness near major joints like the shoulder, elbow, and hip.
This condition is common among athletes whose sports make them prone to overuse injuries, but you don’t have to be an athlete to experience it. Anyone doing repetitive motions—whether on the pickleball court, gardening, painting, or moving boxes—can develop bursitis. But what should people know about its treatments or warning signs?
Dr. Matthew Siow, a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at DISC Carlsbad, was recently interviewed by Prevention magazine about this topic. Start with conservative treatments, he advised.
“In general, first-line treatments for pain of the bursa include anti-inflammatories,” he said in the article. “If it's a more superficial bursa, you could try an over-the-counter topical anti-inflammatory such as diclofenac gel, whereas if it's something deeper, such as in the shoulder, an oral anti-inflammatory might be more effective.”
Other treatments involve rest, icing, heat therapy, sleep modifications, and gentle exercise and stretching once the acute pain subsides.
What should people watch out for and when should they see a doctor?
“It’s important to make sure that there's no infection,” Dr. Siow said. “Bursas can also get infected, and that can cause a septic bursitis, so if there's warmth, redness, or fever, those are signs that it could be infected and may need additional intervention.”
Dr. Siow also noted that you should see a doctor if you have recurrent episodes of bursitis pain that continue even when you try home treatments like compression, ice, and elevation.
“Of course, if there is pain at the joint, that could be related to something other than bursitis, which is another reason to be evaluated,” he said.
About the author
discmdgroup DISC Sports & Spine Center (DISC) is a national leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, orthopedic surgery, and sports medicine care. Our spine surgeons set the standard in artificial disc replacement, spine fusion, discectomy, microdiscectomy and the full spectrum of spine procedures. The group’s orthopedic surgeons advance the state of joint preservation surgery and total joint replacement, including total knee replacement as well as total hip replacement. Our flagship surgery centers based in Newport Beach, Marina del Rey, and Carlsbad serve patients local to Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, as well as the rest of the country. Read more articles by discmdgroup.
