Inflammation of a bursa is called bursitis. A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac, and the suffix -itis indicates inflammation. A bursa acts as a cushion between moving tissues, such as muscles and tendons. With bursitis of the shoulder, this small cushion has become inflamed. This prevents the muscles/tendons from moving freely, so that in addition to pain, restricted movement can also develop.
If you have bursitis in your shoulder, you will notice that your shoulder is warm and swollen – typical signs of inflammation. The shoulder may also hurt when you press on it. With shoulder bursitis, some movements are very painful, such as overhead movements (reaching for something on a high shelf, a high five), but turning your arm or pulling a door open can also be uncomfortable.
Shoulder bursitis can develop after a fall, overuse (e.g. after repetitive overhead movements, such as when painting), poor posture, a bacterial infection or an autoimmune disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis). Sometimes it is not clear what has caused the complaints.
No, that is not necessary. You can make an appointment directly with the osteopath, who will look both locally and throughout the body to find where the complaint may originate. With both acute and chronic shoulder complaints, it is always worthwhile seeing an osteopath.
Shoulder bursitis can last a few weeks and then clear up on its own, but it can also become chronic and even persist for years. If you have complaints, it is advisable to see an osteopath. Treatment can reduce the complaints and help prevent them from coming back.
For shoulder complaints such as bursitis, patients are often given an injection with an anti-inflammatory drug. This can reduce the inflammation and ease the pain. That is of course very welcome, but it does not remove the cause of the complaint. There is a risk that the patient goes back to doing everything as before and that the complaints return in full force after a while. In osteopathy, we look at the cause of the complaint and focus on removing the restrictions in the body that are causing it.
Treatment of shoulder complaints always starts with an intake, in which the osteopath asks about the nature of the complaints, the patient’s medical history, lifestyle and previous treatments. Often the patient has already been treated by a GP and physiotherapist, but the complaints have not gone away. Most shoulder complaints are characterised by difficulty moving the upper arm and shoulder. The osteopath specialises in finding the cause of the restricted movement and restoring suppleness and mobility.
After the intake, the osteopath will examine the shoulder, neck and upper arm, but also the rest of the body. This makes it clear how the mobility of muscles, tendons, joints and organs is affecting the complaints. Sometimes the cause of shoulder complaints lies not in the shoulder itself, but elsewhere in the body. The osteopath will certainly pay attention to the mobility of the spine, the chest and the abdomen to find out whether the reduced mobility and blood supply originate there. Once the osteopath has identified the cause of the reduced mobility, treatment will focus on restoring that mobility. The body will then heal itself and the pain will usually ease.
The osteopath will also advise you on any changes to your lifestyle, (working) posture or the way you deal with stress.