Hip Bursitis Remedies

Hip bursitis is a potentially painful condition in which the bursa--the fluid-filled sacs on the lateral edges of the hip joints--become swollen and painful. While not a serious condition, hip bursitis can significantly impede normal physical functioning and cause significant hip pain. There are a number of treatment options, however, designed to treat the pain and irritation caused by hip bursitis.

Rest

• Hip bursitis, especially acute cases of it, generally responds well to brief periods of rest in which activities and movements that aggravate or inflame the affected hip bursa are avoided or greatly reduced. Resting the hip joint and protecting it from excessive physical activity allows the inflamed and irritated hip bursa to reduce both in inflammation and irritation, which helps to reduce hip bursitis pain. Also, the soft tissues and muscles in close proximity to the affected hip bursa benefit from brief periods of rest as well, as hip bursitis has a tendency to irritate and inflame these surrounding soft tissue areas.

Injection Therapy

• In severe and chronic cases of hip bursitis, injection therapy is often the preferred mode of treatment. Injection therapy for hip bursitis normally consists of injecting small amounts of a corticosteroid, usually cortisone--a powerful anti-inflammatory agent--directly into the painful hip bursa. Cortisone injections often provide dramatic hip bursitis pain relief and help prevent recurring hip bursitis flare-ups. In some instances, one cortisone injection is all that is required; in more stubborn or severe cases, multiple cortisone injections, spaced several weeks apart, are often needed to produce the desired therapeutic effect.

Physical Therapy

• Physical therapy also can help alleviate hip bursitis. The treatment normally includes range of motion exercises, stretching and the application of heat or cold to the affected area. It can help stretch and lengthen the muscles and soft tissues overlapping and close to the affected hip bursa. The more flexible and pliable these muscles and soft tissues are, the less likely they are to constrict against or irritate the delicate hip bursa sacs. Physical therapy can lessen a hip bursitis flare-up as well as help prevent a recurrence.