Therapy for Bursitis of the Hip

Hip bursitis is a potentially painful irritation and inflammation of the small, delicate hip bursa sacs located on the sides of the hip joints. Hip bursitis can affect both hips of the body, either simultaneously or one at a time. There are numerous treatment options available to treat hip bursitis. What follows is a list of the most common therapies used to treat hip bursitis.

Rest

• Rest is a very effective treatment for hip bursitis that helps to reduce swelling and irritation of the inflamed hip bursa, which in turn helps to reduce pain. Many cases of hip bursitis result from excessive and/or strenuous forms of exercise, especially exercise types that overly tax and/or stress the hip joint muscles and soft tissues, such as running, long-distance cycling and quick stop-and-go activities. Avoiding these types of activities during a hip bursitis flare-up and simply protecting the affected hip from excessive physical activity can help to reduce hip bursitis pain and irritation and help speed up the healing of the affected tissues.

Ice Treatment

• Applying ice to painful cases of hip bursitis can help to reduce both swelling and pain. The application of ice helps to reduce blood flow to the inflamed bursa sacs, which helps to reduce swelling and irritation and speed the rate of healing. Ice treatment is best used in acute cases of hip bursitis, where the pain and inflammation come on quickly and extensively; applying ice to acute hip bursitis cases helps to prevent extensive and/or prolonged hip bursitis inflammation and irritation

Heat Therapy

• Heat therapy is generally used to treat hip bursitis after the affected bursa have been first treated with ice treatment. Initial treatment with ice helps to reduce the swelling and irritation of the inflamed bursa; adding heat once the swelling and irritation have subsided helps to prevent muscle cramping and promote flexibility and pliability of the affected bursa and the surrounding soft tissues and muscles, all of which help to speed overall healing of the acute hip bursitis episode. Heat therapy is best applied using a heating pad and/or microwavable heating disc.

Injection Therapy

• Injection therapy is often used to treat chronic and/or severe cases of hip bursitis that produce significant pain and irritation. Injection therapy normally consists of injecting a small amount of corticosteroid (usually cortisone) directly into the inflamed hip bursa sacs. Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that can significantly reduce pain and swelling in bodily tissues, including that of the hip bursa. Many times a single hip bursitis injection is all that is needed to treat a hip bursitis flare-up; in more severe cases, repeat injections may be needed to treat the affected area.