Chiropractor for Bursitis in Anchorage, AK
Better Health Alaska Chiropractors: Expert Bursitis Relief for Anchorage
If you’ve had bursitis, you’re surely aware of how difficult it can be. You may start out just feeling achy or stiff, or there may be swollen tissue around the joint. It can really degrade your lifestyle. But you don’t have to just put up with it with no way of fighting back.
Chiropractors, as experts in the musculoskeletal system, can treat many joint issues, including bursitis. We have the knowledge, skill, and experience to help deliver you from the pain or swelling, or what other symptoms you may be feeling.
At Better Health Alaska, our office has treated bursitis for over twenty years. Call us at 907-346-5255 for a same-day chiropractic adjustment near you.
Better Health Alaska: What to Expect
One of the most effective means of dealing with bursitis is through chiropractic care and related conservative techniques.
Your First Visit
Typical symptoms include painful, achy, and stiff joints. The time and nature of onset can vary from person to person. For some, it may come on suddenly, for others it may build over time. Sometimes, the range of motion in the respective joint is impacted – other times it’s just extremely painful.
The goal of your first visit is to get a proper diagnosis and a treatment plan. To that end, the chiropractor will discuss whatever symptoms you currently have as well as your general medical history. He/she will use that information to render a professional diagnosis. With that in hand, a treatment plan can be developed and implemented.
Benefits of Regular Chiropractic Treatment for Bursitis Pain
Bursitis often gets better on its own. However, sometimes it does not. In such cases, treatment is required. It is commonly understood that conservative, non-invasive treatments should be exhausted before implementing more invasive measures like surgery or heavy-hitting pain meds like opioids.
In light of that, the more common conservative approaches include:
- Chiropractic medicine
- Physical therapy
- And physical rehabilitation
Used together, these powerful tools can resolve many cases of bursitis.
Of course, some people want to prevent it from developing all together. In that case, one might want to make changes in your exercise regimen. And if that’s the case, it might be a good idea to consult a chiropractor, physical therapist, or other medical professional for guidance.
What Are the Different Types of Bursitis?
Because bursae are located throughout the body, the condition can pop up pretty much anywhere. That being said, there are a number of different types that focus on certain areas. Here, in brief, are five:
- Trochanteric Bursitis: the inflammation of outside hip (greater trochanter) bursae.
- Olecranon Bursitis: the inflammation of elbow bursae, usually caused by an injury.
- Pes Anserine Bursitis: the inflammation of the bursae on the inside of the knees.
- Prepatellar Bursitis: the inflammation of bursae in the patella, or front of the kneecap.
Subacromial Bursitis: inflammation of bursae between rotator cuff tendons and bone.
What Parts of the Body Does Bursitis Affect?
As mentioned above, Bursitis can occur anywhere there are bursae fluid sacs. And, in case you’re wondering there are 150+ within the human body. Remember, they act as a kind of lubricant in joint capsules to protect joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. The four most common areas for bursitis are listed below.
- Hip Bursitis
- Knee Bursitis
- Shoulder Bursitis
- Elbow Bursitis
What Are the Symptoms?
Painful, achy, and stiff joints. For some, it grows over time, while others experience the pain suddenly. In some cases, it can be severe if calcium deposits are present. People can experience a loss of range of motion, immobility, and often inflamed and swollen joint areas were impacted.
What Are the Major Bursitis Risk Factors?
Typically, risk factors are lifestyle related. Work and athleticism often involve repetitive motions (mechanical stress) and the joints used to complete these motions are often where injuries occur. Other risk factors include arthritic conditions (rheumatoid & osteoporosis), gout, improper posture over prolonged periods, infections near joint capsules, certain misalignment of bones, age, being overweight, and more.
When to See a Chiropractic Doctor?
This is a tough question to answer. When you have pain or wish to prevent pain you should consider chiropractic care. Avoiding chronic pain from a mild injury becomes something to consider as well. Generally, you should consider seeing a chiropractic physician if you have pain for more than 7 days or redness and swelling appear in the affected area.
How to Diagnose Bursitis?
Because of how common bursitis is, most often all it takes is visiting any Better Health Chiropractic clinic. By talking about your symptoms and medical history with the doctor and going through a simple examination, diagnosis is pretty straightforward. Sometimes lab tests will be required, and taking a simple x-ray only of the affected joint area (vs. of your entire torso or chest).
How to Treat Bursitis?
In a general sense, often bursitis gets better on its own as the bursae become less inflamed, swollen and irritated. When pain persists, treatments can range from surgery to noninvasive physical therapy or chiropractic medicine. When additional pain relief is needed, often corticosteroid injections and antibiotics are considered.
How to Prevent Bursitis?
First, take a hard sobering look at your lifestyle, especially your fitness/exercise regimen and work. Obviously avoid injuries and joint trauma, but don’t forget to stretch beforehand. Identify the repetitive movements you make then focus stretching and conditioning (and rest!) on the areas you use the most.