Bursitis of the shoulder

The bursa of the shoulder sits in front of the shoulder joint. In most cases, the inflammation heals with rest.

What is the bursa in the shoulder?

A bursa is a kind of cushion that protects your joint, in this case the shoulder joint. With shoulder complaints, you have pain around the shoulder joint when you move your upper arm and sometimes also when you keep it still. Sometimes the pain radiates to the shoulder blades, neck, elbow or fingers.

How does an inflamed bursa in the shoulder arise?

A bursitis in the shoulder can develop suddenly or gradually. Sometimes the complaints are caused by overload. Shoulder complaints can also be related to tension. Shoulder complaints often occur in combination with neck complaints.

What if you suffer from an inflamed bursa in the shoulder?

For recovery it is very important that you continue with your daily activities. Avoid heavy loads and movements that make the pain worse. If small movements are also painful, it can help to give your shoulder a temporary rest. In that case, try to move your arm in multiple directions a few times a day. Return to your daily activities as soon as possible. Don’t wait for the pain to go away completely. If you wait too long, your shoulder will stiffen and it will become increasingly difficult to use your arm.

Drug treatment

Medications can reduce the pain. Use a pain reliever for about one to two weeks. As a result, you have less pain and you can move your arm better and probably sleep better too. Start with paracetamol, a painkiller with few side effects.

If paracetamol does not help enough, you can consider taking an NSAID (naproxen, ibuprofen or diclofenac). The disadvantage of this is that they often have unpleasant side effects. If you are older than 60 years or if you have stomach, intestinal, cardiovascular or kidney problems, always consult your doctor or pharmacist first if you want to use NSAIDs.

NSAIDs often cause stomach upset as a side effect. That is why they are often prescribed in combination with omeprazole, a gastric protective agent.

In some cases, the shoulder complaints do not diminish. An injection of corticosteroids in the shoulder can sometimes help. That’s an anti-inflammatory. If necessary, this can be done again after a few weeks.

exercise therapy

Not only medicines can remove the complaints. Exercise therapy can also help. It is very important to keep moving. A remedial therapist can give exercises to keep moving and tips to build it up slowly.

If the shoulder complaints come from the neck, manual therapy can also reduce the complaints. Discuss with your doctor which treatment is best for you.