What's the Cause of Bursitis?

What is the cause of bursitis?

Bursitis, by definition, refers to the inflammation of bursae, which are closed pouch-like, fluid-containing structures in the body that are located at joints, between tendons and bones, between skin and bones, etc.

In this regard, there are three main causes or types of bursitis, namely bursitis which arises out of trauma or injury, bursitis which arises because of an infection, or bursitis which occurs in relation to some other health condition.

Traumatic Bursitis

The first cause of bursitis is trauma or injury.

Bursitis which is caused by an injury to the bursa is referred to as traumatic bursitis. Traumatic bursitis can be further broken down into two types, namely acute traumatic bursitis and chronic traumatic bursitis.

The names of the two types of traumatic bursitis are quite self-explanatory. Acute traumatic bursitis is caused by a sudden or once-off injury to bursae. For example, it is possible that inflammation of the bursa near the Achilles tendon could occur due to sudden extensive exercise.

On the other hand, chronic traumatic bursitis takes some time to develop. It is an injury caused by constant and frequent straining of one particular joint or area. Carpet-layer’s knee is one example of chronic traumatic bursitis – this is a condition whereby the bursa in the knee suffers inflammation due to repeated strain that is placed on the knee.

Infective Bursitis

Another cause of bursitis is infection.

Bursitis which is caused by infections is called infective bursitis. Once more, this type of bursitis can be further classified into acute infective bursitis and chronic infective bursitis.

On one hand, acute infective bursitis is caused by certain strains of bacteria which are present in skin injuries as well as abrasions. One example of acute infective bursitis is olecranon bursitis. Olecranon is the small projection present at the tip of the elbow, and bacterial infection of this bursa is thus termed as olecranon bursitis.

On the other hand, chronic infective bursitis is caused by chronic infection. This type of bursitis is very uncommon. One example is trochanteric bursitis, which is caused by tuberculosis. Trochanter is the area near the side of the hip. Now, when a person suffers tuberculosis of the bursa present between the trochanter and the tendon, the condition is then termed trochanteric bursitis.

Non-infective Bursitis

Another cause of bursitis is the presence and influence of other health conditions.

This type of bursitis is called non-infective bursitis, and it can occur in relation to certain other health ailments like arthritis and gout.

Broadly speaking, bursitis mostly occurs in the joints, due to the additional strain and stress which is placed on these areas. Typically, the elbows, shoulders, hips, ankles and knees are affected.

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