Treating Your Hip Bursitis Yourself

What Is Hip Bursitis?

The word bursitis is derived from bursa. A bursa is a fluid filled sac which acts as an absorber of shock (cushion) between a bone and a tendon. While, a tendon is the tissue that connects the muscles with the bones. The bursa absorbs the shock by reducing friction and pressure by releasing the fluid which acts as a lubricant for the hip joint. The bursa, normally, has only a small amount of fluid, but in case of an injury the bursa is filled with a lot of liquid which causes pain.

Causes Of Hip Bursitis

The following are the most common causes of hip bursitis and any or all of these can be the cause.

• Continuous pressure or exertion of the hips. Usually through standing for long hours or sitting on hard surfaces.


• A hard and direct injury to your hip (through a fall)


• Other health conditions such as arthritis or gout


• Constant usage of hips i.e. in activities such as sports (running, climbing etc)
  Symptoms

Symptoms of hip bursitis simply include pain, soreness and/or stiffness over long periods of time.

Treatment For Hip Bursitis

• Rest- it is essential that you rest your hip, giving the bursa time to heal


• 
  Ice - cold helps constricts the blood vessels. When the blood flow is restricted, the inflammation of the bursa will reduce gradually


• 
  Medicine - antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs to fight infection and inflammation


• 
  Sleeping position - it is advisable to not sleep on the side of the hip which is suffering
  Exercises For Hip Bursitis

Before starting any exercise it is advisable to heat up the muscles of the affected area (hot bath). The following is a list of the exercises that you can administer to relieve your pain.

• Cross-leg pulls


• Outer thigh stretches