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.