Bursitis and Your Elderly Loved One
Elderly Care in Comstock Park MI
Usually when your loved one is having joint issues, it’s easy to think of arthritis first. In some cases, though, the culprit could actually be a condition called bursitis.
What Is Bursitis?
Bursitis is something that is likely to affect your loved one’s joints, even if the problem isn’t within the joint itself. Small pockets of fluid, called bursae, live around the tendons and muscles of your loved one’s joints. The bursae help to protect and cushion the parts that make up the joint, but if they’re inflamed or irritated, they can become extremely painful. Your loved one might experience bursitis in the hip, elbow, knee, or shoulder. Some people experience it in smaller joints, too, such as the big toe. Joints that experience a lot of repetitive motion are likeliest to experience bursitis.
Symptoms of Bursitis
With milder forms of bursitis, your loved one’s joint might be a little bit achy or even stiff when he tries to move it. In more advanced cases, the joint may swell or turn red due to inflammation. Movement can be extremely painful and your loved one may not have the same range of motion that he usually has. For some people the pain may last only a few days while other people experience a week or two of pain.
Diagnosing Bursitis
Any time that your loved one is experiencing new symptoms or pain, it’s a good idea to mention it to his doctor so that you can work together to figure out the cause. In the case of bursitis, your loved one’s doctor is likely to start with information about his family history, the symptoms that your loved one is experiencing, and observation. Your loved one’s doctor may request X-rays to rule out other problems and he may also take a sample of the fluid from the affected bursae to send to the lab.
Treating Bursitis
Your loved one’s doctor is likely to recommend rest for the affected joint along with ice and an over-the-counter pain reliever. If you or your loved one’s elderly care providers are able to take over some tasks for your loved one, that can definitely help to speed healing. In some cases, your loved one’s doctor may recommend physical therapy to help with the problem. Corticosteroid injections can help with extreme cases.
If you think that your loved one has bursitis, make an appointment with his doctor today.
If you or someone you know needs help with elderly care in Comstock Park, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
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