Hip Bursitis – What is Hip Bursitis?

By admin - July 30, 2010

Hip bursitis is a condition where the bursae around the hip is inflamed.

A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that is acts as cushions between bones and overlying soft tissues. Bursae is the plural form of bursa. Bursae are located throughout the body especially around elbow, hip, shoulders and knees. Hip has two major bursae namely, the ischial bursa and trochanteric bursa.

Bursitis are of 2 types: Aseptic and Septic bursitis.
Aseptic bursitis is a condition where the inflammation is due to local soft tissue trauma. This is a common type of bursitis in the hip. This also explains the cause of hip bursitis as injuries during sports and post surgical wounds.

When bursitis is caused due to bacterial infection, then it is called septic bursitis, In rare cases, hip bursa can be inflamed by crystals deposits in conditions of gout and pseudogout.

Hip Bursitis: How one feels
When bursal sac is inflamed, each time the tendon moves over the bone, there is friction and pain. Therefore, pain is the first symptom of hip bursitis. In fact, bursitis of the hip is the most common cause of hip pain.

In case of trochanteric bursitis, there is tenderness of the outer hip. This makes it difficult for the patient to lie on the affected site or sleep by that side. Trochanteric bursitis is made worse with stair climbing or excessive walking.

Ischial bursitis causes dull pain in the affected area. This becomes noticeable when the patient is climbing uphill. The pain may also occur by prolonged sitting on hard surfaces.

Note: The symptoms of hip bursitis are clear and can be easily distinguished from other conditions. However, there are some cases of hip bursitis which are confused with other medical conditions such as:

You can get more information about diagnosis and treatment of hip bursitis in a related article in the site.

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