Bursitis of the shoulder joint is an inflammatory pathology of the supporting apparatus, which is characterized by damage to the synovial bursa. It contains a lubricating fluid that nourishes the cartilage tissue, ensures a normal metabolism in it.
Causes for the development of pathology
Shoulder bursitis is caused by both internal and external negative factors. The following causes of the development of the disease can be distinguished:
- Excessive exercise of the joint.
- Bruise, blow, dislocation, fracture or other injury to the shoulder.
- Chronic arthritis.
- Infection of the synovial bursa.
- Serious intoxication of the body with poisons or alcohol.
- Problems with metabolic processes.
- Allergic reactions.
- Autoimmune reactions of the body: rheumatism, lupus erythematosus and other connective tissue lesions.
Shoulder bursitis occurs more frequently in men over 50.
Disease classification
Treatment of bursitis of the shoulder joint should be started only after its cause has been established, and the type of lesion of the joint has been clarified. You can classify pathology according to the type of flow as follows:
- Spicy. It develops very quickly, and the symptoms manifest themselves vividly. The joint becomes swollen as excess fluid accumulates inside it. It is this indicator that determines how much the affected area will increase.
- Subacute. Here there is discomfort, an inflammatory process develops. However, the symptoms are not severe.
- Chronic. The pathological process proceeds quietly, inconspicuously. Signs of the disease are not very pronounced. Periodically, the disease worsens.
Bursitis of the shoulder joint can also be divided by the composition of the synovial fluid:
- Hemorrhagic. The fluid is filled with red blood cells.
- Fibrous. There are too many fibrin fibers inside the joint.
- Serous. A small amount of blood is found in the fluid.
- Purulent. Here, pus forms in the synovial membrane. This type of pathology is the most dangerous. With untimely treatment, the purulent mixture begins to dissolve the bone tissue, the inflammatory process becomes more intense.
There is another classification of the disease - by reason of occurrence:
- Subdeltoid shoulder bursitis. It arises due to monotonous mechanical work orstrong physical activity. Another factor that provokes pathology is trauma to the back of the joint. The disease is characterized by swelling, pain, inability to raise the arm up.
- Calmy shoulder bursitis. Its complication is the deposition of s alts in the joint. The symptoms of this pathology are pronounced, with movement they are even more intensified. The patient can feel the affected synovial bag himself. The liquid inside it begins to be produced very quickly, as a result of which s alt deposits occur.
- Subacromial bursitis of the shoulder joint. The main reason for the development of this type of pathology is injury to the specified area. It is more typical for people involved in sports or working in production. In this case, the deformation of the subacromial bag occurs.
Only after an accurate diagnosis is determined, treatment for shoulder bursitis can begin.
Symptomatics
At the initial stages, it is quite difficult to determine the disease. You can see only a slight swelling, a slightly rounded contour of the articulation. There is an increase in muscles, there is a pain syndrome. In addition, there are other symptoms of shoulder bursitis:
- Difficulty moving the arm.
- Changing the shape of the articulation.
- Desensitization of the hand, as well as numbness of the forearm.
Additionally, a person shows malaise and weakness, a change in skin color in the affectedareas (redness). The patient may change the general or local body temperature.
The disease is characterized by the fact that the patient may show only a part of the symptoms. The complete set is rarely seen.
Diagnosis of disease
Bursitis of the shoulder joint (a photo of people who have encountered this problem can be seen in the article) should be treated only after the patient has undergone differential diagnosis. It includes the following procedures:
- Physical examination. The surgeon or traumatologist examines and feels the affected area, fixes the patient's complaints and symptoms.
- X-ray. It must be done in several projections. The picture shows the deformity of the bone.
- Puncture of synovial fluid. This is a minimally invasive procedure with which you can clarify the diagnosis, determine the contents of the bag.
- CT or MRI. With the help of these techniques, it is possible to examine in layers not only hard, but also soft tissues, determine the cause of the development of the pathology, the thickness of the compacted parts. With the help of MRI, you can find out the percentage of excess synovial fluid.
- Ultrasound.
Additionally, the patient will need to consult a venereologist, a rheumatologist, an orthopedist, a surgeon, and a phthisiatrician. It may also be necessary to examine other specialists, which will help a person accurately determine the cause of the development of the pathology.
Complications
If the symptoms of shoulder bursitis are not identified in time and treatment is not started in the early stages of its development, the patient may experience the following complications:
- Osteomyelitis.
- Arthritis of the joint.
- Abscess or phlegmon. These pathologies require surgical intervention. If the purulent contents are not removed, then the melting of hard tissues will soon begin.
- Spread of infection to other parts of the skeleton, generalization of the pathological process.
These complications are harder to treat than the underlying disease.
Drug therapy
Before you treat shoulder bursitis, you need to learn the basic principles of therapy. It should be comprehensive, it is important to eliminate the very cause of the development of the disease, as well as to prevent its further progression. It is also important to eliminate excess exudate, to expand the range of motion of the shoulder joint. One of the stages of treatment is taking medications. The patient is prescribed the following medications:
- NSAIDs: Ibuprofen, Diclofenac. Both tablets and ointments are used. Such a complex application will allow you to quickly get rid of the inflammatory process.
- Antibiotics: Amoxiclav, Azithromycin, Doxycycline. The presented type of drugs is used only if a bacterial infection joins the inflammation.
- Hormonal drugs: Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone. The presented drugs are used in the most difficult cases, when it is not possible to eliminate the pain syndrome and reduce the intensity of inflammation. Corticosteroids are usually used as an intra-articularinjections. It is often not worth resorting to this method of therapy.
- Warming ointments: "Finalgon", "Fitobene". Additionally, a fixing bandage is put on the shoulder joint.
- Anesthetic: Novocaine, Lidocaine. Special solutions are also used to flush the articulation cavity.
All drugs are prescribed by the attending physician. The scheme of their application may vary.
Physiotherapy treatments
After the elimination of acute symptoms, physiotherapy procedures are carried out to improve the condition of the joint. With bursitis, electrophoresis with dimexide, ultrasonic heating, magnetic therapy will be useful (it improves tissue nutrition, activates metabolic processes).
Also, the patient is often prescribed UHF, amplipulse, phonophoresis. Acupuncture will help to relax the muscles, as well as eliminate the inflammatory process, strengthen soft tissues, and remove swelling.
Massage and exercise therapy
Special massage procedures are carried out after the exacerbation is eliminated. To develop the articulation, the following techniques are used: smooth stroking, kneading the upper limbs, chest and shoulders. Massage should be performed by an experienced specialist.
As for physiotherapy exercises, such treatment of shoulder joint bursitis at home is carried out without problems. The complex of movements is made individually for each patient. First, the exercises are performed in the presence of an instructor.
It is necessary to start the complex with a minimum load. Further, it increases, and the range of motion expands. Thanks to physical activity, it is possible to prevent the further development of pathology and destruction of the joint.
Folk treatment
At home, shoulder bursitis is treated using traditional medicine. Each patient needs to find the right prescription. Also, cooked recipes can be changed, combined with others. The following tools will be useful:
- Infusion of burdock root. For cooking, 20 g of the plant is required and steam it with a glass of boiling water. It will take 20 minutes to infuse. After the liquid has cooled, it must be filtered. Apply infusion in the form of compresses. A cloth moistened with liquid is applied to the joint and covered with a warm cloth. It is necessary to withstand the compress for 1-2 hours.
- Fresh cabbage leaf. It needs to be crushed first. Further, it is applied to the affected area and fixed. Such a compress can be done all night. Thanks to him, the pain goes away faster, and the intensity of inflammation decreases.
- Flax seeds. They need to be warmed up, wrapped in cloth and applied to the joint. The compress is fixed and covered with a blanket.
- Kalanchoe leaves. They need to be crushed, applied to the joint and wrapped.
- Heated camphor oil compress helps well.
Folk recipes cannot be used separately from the traditional scheme. They are an adjunct therapy.
Surgery
If traditional treatment does not help, then a person is prescribed surgery. It varies:
- Removal of excess fluid, as well as washing the bursa with an antiseptic solution.
- Elimination of purulent contents.
- Opening the synovial sac with fluid replacement.
- Complete resection of the synovium.
The operation is performed under general anesthesia. After the procedure, the person needs rehabilitation. It begins the very next day after the operation with passive gymnastics and massage.
Diet
It is especially necessary to adjust the diet if the pathology is of an ossifying nature, that is, calcareous bursitis. The menu should include products enriched with calcium: cottage cheese, cheese, kefir and yogurt. It is important to limit your s alt intake. It is necessary to add s alt only after cooking. Any person should not consume more than 1 tsp. s alt per day.
The diet should include a sufficient amount of fiber and gelatin. In order not to destroy the cartilage tissue, the patient needs to consume jelly, jelly, as well as jellied dishes.
Prevention
In order to prevent the development of this problem, it is necessary to follow the following recommendations of experts:
- Try as much as possible to avoid injury to the shoulder joint.
- Protective bandages are required during sports training or hard work.
- If there are small wounds or scratches, they must be treated immediatelyantiseptic to prevent the development of the inflammatory process.
- Treat infectious diseases in time.
- Limit strong mechanical stress on the joint.
- Exercise in the morning and evening, follow a balanced diet, and give up bad habits.
Bursitis is a complex inflammatory lesion of the synovial bursa, which, without medical intervention, can lead to a serious complication, up to disability. It is important to seek help from specialists at the first symptoms. Self-medication is not recommended.
