Bursitis

What is Bursitis?

Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa (a fluid filled sac that acts as a cushion between bones and soft tissue). This is often a result of repetitive strain. Bursitis usually occurs near joints that have repetitive motions like shoulders, hips, and heels. There are various bursae all over your body. Some of the more common in the lower body include:

Greater Trochanteric Bursitis

Affects one of three bursae surrounding the hip.

Infrapatellar Bursitis

Affects one of two portions of the knee.

Retrocalcaneal Bursitis

Affects the bursa behind the Achilles’ tendon.

What are the Symptoms of Bursitis?

In general, people experience warmth and swelling in the afflicted area. Symptoms can vary depending on the source of the bursitis. Some of these symptoms can include:

Greater Trochanteric Bursitis

Lateral (outer) hip pain
Deep pain
“Snapping” sound at the outside of the hip
Worse when on feet and engaged in activity

Infrapatellar Bursitis

Anterior knee pain
Increased pain with knee movement
Difficulty on stairs
Increased pain at night

Retrocalcaneal Bursitis

Pain at the back of the heel, just above the Achilles’ tendon insertion
Pain after periods of rest
Pain with pointing toes
History of activity on inclines

Symptoms can vary in intensity between individuals, and there may be periods of time where symptoms are more intense than others.

Risk Factors of Bursitis

Discomfort caused by bursitis can occur during:

Repetitive activities (jumping, running)
Work involving a kneeling position
Activities on inclines (hiking, hill training, etc.)
Tight calf muscles (gastroc, soleus)

What can you do to feel better today?

Various options are available in the treatment of bursitis. Treatment is largely focused on reducing inflammation of the bursa, thus reducing pain, and treating any infections as needed. Conservative treatments include exercises, massage, footwear, footwear modifications, insoles or heel cups for bursitis, and custom foot orthoses. These can be discussed with physiotherapists, kinesiologists, massage therapists, pedorthists, and other healthcare professionals. Medications and more invasive treatments, such as injections and surgery, can be discussed with your family doctor.

Staying Active with Bursitis

Staying active with bursitis means modifying activity to reduce the stress on the affected area. Higher impact activities should be avoided to reduce the direct impact pressure, as well. Choosing appropriate footwear can assist in adjusting biomechanics from the level of the foot. With retrocalcaneal bursitis, choosing a higher heel height in shoes can reduce the strain from the calf musculature. Orthotics for bursitis, either custom or OTS, may be added to footwear to increase the amount of control of biomechanics to reduce strain as much as possible.

Don’t let Bursitis Get you down. Get back on your feet, today.

To feel better, read on!

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How can SoleScience help you feel better?

A visit with a SoleScience pedorthist will involve a full assessment. This may include:

Static alignment
Dynamic movement testing
2D gait analysis
3D gait analysis
Pedograph scans (Harris Mat)
Footwear analysis and education
3D foot casting

The pedorthists at SoleScience are eager to work with you to begin improving your symptoms right away. While waiting for your custom foot orthoses to be manufactured (3 to 5 business days), your pedorthist will discuss possible changes to footwear and activity to help you feel better as soon as possible. They can recommend the best orthotics to heal bursitis and to alleviate your pain.

It is important to remember that each person is different in the amount of correction they can tolerate. Adjustments are completely normal and your pedorthist will always be more than happy to see you in the office until you are happy and comfortable in your new custom foot orthoses.

Our take on the need for custom foot orthoses

The use of custom foot orthotics for bursitis depends greatly on the cause of the injury and the biomechanics of the individual. Often, an overuse injury such as bursitis is a result of poor mechanics over a long period of time. In this case, custom foot orthoses can help control poor mechanics, such as too much “pronation” (your foot rolling in), thus reducing internal rotation of the lower limbs and assisting in alignment. This works to offload injured areas through proper mechanics, reducing strain on tissues and improving pain symptoms.

OTS, or off the shelf foot orthoses, are prefabricated devices that are fit to your foot and shoe in the store and are often somewhat customizable. Custom foot orthoses are manufactured specifically to a mold of your foot and designed to suit your specific needs. The use of either OTS or custom foot orthoses depends greatly on the length and severity of the condition as well as individual mechanics. OTS foot orthoses may be enough to control poor biomechanics in order to offload the affected bursa. In cases where OTS has not worked, or poor mechanics are excessive, custom devices will be able to provide that extra bit of support, specific to your foot.

Having a properly fitted shoe is important for any kind of bursitis. This is because footwear can help control any excessive biomechanics, aiding the reduction of strain on different types of bursa. With regard to retrocalcaneal bursitis, it’s important to ensure that the heel counter does not add too much pressure to the area but allows enough control, so the shoe is not sloppy.

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Bursitis

What is Bursitis?

Greater Trochanteric Bursitis

Infrapatellar Bursitis

Retrocalcaneal Bursitis

What are the Symptoms of Bursitis?

Greater Trochanteric Bursitis

Infrapatellar Bursitis

Retrocalcaneal Bursitis

Risk Factors of Bursitis

What can you do to feel better today?

Staying Active with Bursitis

Don’t let Bursitis Get you down. Get back on your feet, today.

How can SoleScience help you feel better?

Our take on the need for custom foot orthoses

Book a Call with Dr. Dombroski