Bursitis is a painful inflammation experienced in the small fluid-filled sac known as the bursa. Bursa usually acts as a cushion in places where bones would otherwise rub on skin, tendons, and muscles, and by padding these areas, it helps to decrease friction, inflammation, and the painful effects that may be felt when these body parts rub against each other.
Though these sacs are found in multiple places around the body, they are mostly felt around the joints, especially the knee and elbow regions.
There are different treatment options for bursitis, but perhaps the best way to deal with the condition is to prevent it from occurring instead of waiting for it to happen, and then considering treatment. Below is a brief look at some of the things that you can do to help you prevent developing bursitis-:
Consider taking regular breaks
If you are experiencing pain as a result of repetitive motion on your knees, elbows, or any other part of the body, then taking regular breaks from the activity causing the pain is a great step towards preventing bursitis. You can take as many breaks as you want so that you don’t end up with this painful condition.
Adopt the right posture
There are certain postures that can irritate certain bursas. For example, improper positioning of the knees or elbow during sports or exercise has the potential of irritating the relevant bursas and making you feel a lot of pain. The best, and perhaps the easiest way to avoid this is to simply ensure proper posture when exercising or playing sports.
Use knee or elbow pads
If much of the pain stems from the elbows or the knee region and you are not able to take regular breaks to ease the pain, then getting appropriate knee or elbow pads would be highly recommended. The pads are designed to help the bursa by providing extra support when the joints are in motion, hence, acting as extra support and reducing the pain.
Regular workouts
You can use exercise to stretch and strengthen tissues around joints likely to be affected by bursitis. This is highly recommended before you develop the condition or when the condition is just beginning to develop. If you are already in pain, then you may want to go slow on exercise, especially if it is worsening the condition.
Treat underlying condition
Bursitis may also be caused by certain underlying medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. If you happen to suffer from such a condition, then it may be a good idea for you to first treat the underlying condition as a way of preventing bursitis and further inflammation.
