Acute bursitis usually flares over hours or days. Chronic bursitis can last from a few days to several weeks. Chronic bursitis can go away and come back again.
Hip bursitis will often get better on its own as long as it is not caused by an infection. To heal your hip bursitis, you will need to rest the affected joint and protect it from any further harm. Most patients feel better within a few weeks with proper treatment.
Pain that doesn't go away
Hip bursitis (trochanteric bursitis) may be a sign of a more serious issue. If you continue to have bursitis pain at the hip that has not improved despite extensive treatment, you may have a tear of a muscle located next to the bursa called the gluteus medius.
Injections. A corticosteroid drug injected into the bursa can relieve pain and inflammation in your shoulder or hip. This treatment generally works quickly and, in many cases, one injection is all you need.
Recovery. With proper care, most people begin to feel better quickly, with symptoms resolving in six to 10 weeks. Physical activities should be resumed gradually, so the problem doesn't recur.
Exercise is often prescribed to improve joint pain, so walking could be a vital part of managing your bursitis symptoms.
Activities or positions that put pressure on the hip bursa, such as lying down, sitting in one position for a long time, or walking distances can irritate the bursa and cause more pain.
Pain from bursitis in your hip tends to get worse after you've been sitting or lying down. The pain may also increase when you do a repetitive activity, like climbing stairs.
Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed due to repetitive movements and excessive strain on the joints. Other causes include trauma in the joint due to an injury and infection.
Symptoms of bursitis of the hip
Symptoms include joint pain and tenderness. You may also see swelling and feel warmth around the affected area. The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later.
Bursitis usually lasts for only days or weeks, but it can last months or years, especially if the cause, such as overuse, is not identified or changed.
Avoid any activity or direct pressure that may cause pain. Apply ice or cold packs as soon as you notice pain in your muscles or near a joint. Apply ice 10 to 15 minutes at a time, as often as twice an hour, for 3 days (72 hours). You can try heat, or alternating heat and ice, after the first 72 hours.
Initially, the pain may be located primarily at the outside of the lower hip. Over time the pain may radiate down the outside of the thigh or to other points in the body, such as the lower back, buttock, or groin, and may extend down the outside of the thigh towards the knee.
Do not massage right over the bursa. This will make it worse. However, massage can be done to other areas of the body to address imbalances: I recommend John F Barnes myofascial release. In conclusion, you should work with a physical therapist to progress these exercises slowly and correctly.
Try sleeping on your back or, if you're a side sleeper, sleep on the side that doesn't hurt and put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned. Around your hip bone and other joints are small sacs filled with fluid that cushion the joint when it moves.
You get bursitis when you have inflammation inside a bursa. This increases the amount of fluid in the bursa and makes it expand. The area around the bursa then becomes painful, swollen and hot, which can stop you being able to use that joint or limb properly.
Traumatic bursitis is most common before age 35. Bursitis is associated with occupations that require repetitive movements and/or prolonged pressure on the joints.
Hip bursitis or trochanteric bursitis is a tricky condition. It's sometimes called “the great mimicker” because its symptoms are easily mistaken for other conditions like back pain or gluteal muscle injuries.
Diagnosis of Hip Bursitis
To check for any bone spurs that could be causing irritation of the bursa your doctor may order an X-ray. If the reason for the pain is not very clear, your doctor may order an MRI to view the soft tissues and structures not visible on an X-ray.
Doctors may recommend over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, to reduce inflammation in the bursa and tendon and relieve pain. These medications are typically recommended for a few weeks while the body heals.
Rest: The most important part of treating bursitis is resting your hip while the bursa heals. Rest your hip as much as possible to decrease pain and swelling. Resting will also prevent the bursitis from getting worse.
It's also really important when suffering this type of pain, to avoid sitting with you legs crossed. At least until your symptoms settle down. It's also important that you sit with your hips a little bit higher than your knees to prevent compression of the hips tendons and bursa.
Chronic pain: Untreated bursitis can lead to a permanent thickening or enlargement of the bursa, which can cause chronic inflammation and pain. Muscle atrophy: Long term reduced use of joint can lead to decreased physical activity and loss of surrounding muscle.