Chronic Pain

What Is Bursitis?

What Is Bursitis?
Aria Armoko/Adobe Stock
By
Published on April 3, 2025
by
Bursitis is a painful swelling of the bursae, the fluid-filled sacs that support the joints and reduce friction between tendons, muscles, and bones near the joints. Bursitis occurs when these sacs become inflamed, usually because of repetitive movements that put stress on the joints.

Bursitis most commonly affects the shoulders, elbows, and hips. It can also occur in your knees, ankles, and big toes. With proper treatment, bursitis often goes away within a few weeks, but it can flare up from time to time.

Illustrative graphic titled How Bursitis Affects the Body shows Stiffness Achiness Increased pain when moving Red or discolored skin Warmth from affected joint Fever Chills. Everyday Health logo.
Bursitis can cause any or all of these symptoms in a person with the condition.Everyday Health

Types of Bursitis

Bursitis can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term with repeated flare-ups).

 There are over 150 bursae in your body. Bursitis can develop in any of them. As mentioned, it’s most common in joints that you put a lot of strain on, either from pressure or repetitive movements. The most common types of bursitis include:

  • Ischial bursitis: Occurs in your buttocks
  • Olecranon bursitis: Occurs in your elbows
  • Prepatellar bursitis: Occurs in your knees
  • Subacromial bursitis: Occurs in your shoulders
  • Trochanteric bursitis: Occurs in your hips
It’s also very common for bursitis to develop in the feet, especially near the big toes, balls of the feet, or heels.

 One example is anterior (front) or posterior (back) Achilles tendon bursitis, which develops near the Achilles tendon, which is located on the back of the lower leg, above the heel bone.

Bursitis is also classified by cause:

  • Septic bursitis: Caused by an infection. The most common cause of septic bursitis is Staphylococcus aureus (a staph infection).
  • Aseptic bursitis (also known as traumatic bursitis): Caused by trauma, such as repetitive motion or pressure

Symptoms of Bursitis

If you have bursitis, your affected joint may:

  • Feel stiff and achy
  • Have increased pain when you move it or press on it
  • Look red and swollen, especially if the inflamed bursae are close to the skin

If your bursitis is caused by an infection, you may also have:

  • Warmth or heat coming from the affected joint
  • Redness or discoloration of the skin
  • Fever
  • Chills
Any of these symptoms warrant a doctor’s visit, but this is especially true if you:

  • Have joint pain that feels disabling
  • Feel suddenly unable to move a joint
  • Have significant redness, swelling, or bruising in the affected area
  • Feel sharp, shooting pain in the joint, especially during exertion or exercise
  • Have a fever

Causes and Risk Factors of Bursitis

The most common causes of bursitis are repetitive movements or maintaining positions that put pressure on certain joints. Examples include:

  • Lifting heavy boxes or other objects over your head repeatedly
  • Leaning on your elbows for extended periods of time, such as resting them on a desk

  • Kneeling for long periods without adequate padding, such as when scrubbing floors or laying carpet

  • Playing sports like tennis, baseball, or golf
  • Gardening, raking, or shoveling
  • Playing an instrument
  • Painting or carpentry
  • Having an injury to the affected joint
  • Having certain types of arthritis that cause inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or gout
  • Having an infection, such as a staph infection

  • Having diabetes
  • Having thyroid disease
  • Having lupus

  • Having scleroderma (an autoimmune disease causing chronic hardening of the skin)

  • Having spondyloarthropathy (inflammatory diseases that mainly affect the spine and joints)

Risk Factors for Bursitis

Anyone can develop bursitis, but you are more likely to get bursitis if you:

  • Are an athlete
  • Have a job involving physical labor
  • Play an instrument
  • Have certain health conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, or thyroid disease

How Is Bursitis Diagnosed?

The first step in diagnosing bursitis is a physical exam performed by your healthcare provider. Your doctor will examine the affected joint and ask you questions about your symptoms. Be sure to tell them if your job or hobbies require repetitive movements like lifting boxes or pressure on your joints.

Based on the findings of your physical exam, your provider may order certain tests to help diagnose bursitis. These tests may include:

  • X-ray: An X-ray can help rule out other possible causes of your symptoms.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound: These tests can identify swollen bursae.
  • Blood test: These tests can identify an infection.
  • Aspiration: This involves obtaining a sample of the fluid if your doctor thinks your bursitis may be caused by an infection.

Treatment Options for Bursitis

Most cases of bursitis go away on their own after a few weeks with nothing more than a little rest for the area.

 Be sure to avoid the repetitive movements and pressure that likely caused your bursitis, and let your body heal. Your doctor will let you know how long you need to rest the joint.

Your provider may recommend at-home treatments during your healing period to help ease the pain and swelling you feel. These may include:

  • Elevation of the affected joint
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for a short time, as recommended by your provider
  • Ice on the bursae for 15 minutes at a time, a few times per day
  • Heat, such as a heating pad, on the area
  • A splint, sling, or brace to immobilize the area and allow for rest
In some cases, your doctor may also recommend other treatment options, such as:

  • Physical therapy: This intervention can help increase your range of motion (how far you can move your joint).
  • Occupational therapy: This intervention can teach you safe ways to move your joints to prevent further injury.
  • Assistive device: It could help to temporarily use an assistive device like a walking cane to relieve pressure in the affected area.
  • Antibiotics: Antibiotics may be necessary if you have septic bursitis.

  • Corticosteroid injections: Corticosteroid injections can decrease inflammation and pain in the bursae.
  • Repeated aspiration: If you have septic bursitis, repeated removal of infected fluid from the bursae with a needle may be necessary.

  • Surgery: Surgical drainage and removal of the bursae (known as a bursectomy) may be needed if they don’t heal with other therapies and if you’ve been experiencing symptoms for at least six months. This is most common with septic bursitis.

Prevention of Bursitis

The best way to prevent bursitis is to avoid overusing your joints. To prevent bursitis, it can help to:

  • Ensure you’re at a healthy weight.
  • Use proper posture and techniques when performing work or hobby activities.
  • Consider using a dolly or wheeled cart to move heavy loads rather than lifting them.
  • Take breaks.
  • Use cushions when you kneel or lean on your elbows.
  • Exercise regularly to strengthen your muscles and protect the affected joint, but be sure to ease into any new exercise or activity to avoid injury.
  • Stretch and warm up properly before exercise or other strenuous activities to reduce your risk of injury.
  • Avoid sitting or kneeling for long periods, as this puts a lot of pressure on your joints.
  • Take frequent breaks if you are performing a repetitive task.

How Long Does Bursitis Last?

Bursitis usually doesn’t last long. Most people recover within a few weeks. That said, it’s not uncommon for bursitis to flare up from time to time. Make sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations and don’t resume activities until your bursitis is completely healed to avoid complications or further injury.

Complications of Bursitis

Bursitis is usually short-lived, but complications can occur, especially if the area is not given enough time to heal.

If you return to activities that put pressure and strain on your injured bursae, you may develop complications such as chronic bursitis. Recurrent flare-ups can damage your bursae, leading to reduced mobility in the affected joint.

Research and Statistics: Who Has Bursitis

Bursitis is a common cause of chronic pain. In general, it happens equally among men and women. It can happen at any age, but it’s most common in older adults. That’s because older adults are more likely to be affected by conditions like osteoarthritis than younger adults. It’s also more common among people with obesity, who have manual labor jobs, or are athletes.

Septic bursitis in particular is more common in people who are immunocompromised, such as those with diabetes or rheumatic conditions.

Related Conditions of Bursitis

Because bursitis involves inflammation, pain, and swelling near the joints, it shares some similarities with other conditions, such as arthritis and tendinitis.

Arthritis

Because arthritis and bursitis both affect the joints, the symptoms can sometimes look similar. But bursitis usually does not cause long-term damage to the joint unless you continue to put stress on the area. Symptoms are typically short-lived and heal within a few weeks. Arthritis, on the other hand, is a lifelong condition caused by the slow breakdown of cartilage in a joint over time.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis and bursitis both occur when tissues in your body become irritated, swollen, and inflamed. They’re also both caused by repetitive use and pressure.

But there’s a difference in which tissues are affected. Bursitis is inflammation of the bursae, and symptoms occur near the affected joint. Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons, which are connective tissues between muscle and bone, and symptoms occur at the area of the affected tendon. Tendonitis can be either a short-term or long-term condition.

The Takeaway

  • Bursitis is inflammation of the bursae (fluid-filled sacs that support the muscles, tendons, and bones near your joints).
  • When these sacs become damaged, it can cause irritation, swelling, and pain near the joint.
  • Repetitive pressure or movements are the leading cause of bursitis.
  • Most cases of bursitis go away in a few weeks with rest and at-home treatments, unless your bursitis becomes chronic or is caused by an infection.

Resources We Trust

Common Questions & Answers

How do you make bursitis go away?
Treatment for bursitis depends on the cause. If it’s not caused by an infection, rest, ice, heat, or over-the-counter pain relievers are usually enough. If it’s caused by an infection, you’ll need antibiotics.
Most people recover from bursitis within a few weeks. In some cases, it can become chronic, especially with repeated strain or pressure on the area.
Arthritis and tendinitis both have similar symptoms to bursitis.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Bursitis. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  2. Bursitis: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. August 25, 2022.
  3. Williams CH et al. Bursitis. StatPearls. July 24, 2023.
  4. Bursitis. Cleveland Clinic. March 7, 2023.
  5. Bursitis: Diagnosis & treatment. Mayo Clinic. August 25, 2022.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
beth-biggee-bio

Beth Biggee, MD

Medical Reviewer

Beth Biggee, MD, is medical director and an integrative rheumatologist at Rheumission, a virtual integrative rheumatology practice for people residing in California and Pennsylvania. This first-of-its-kind company offers whole person autoimmune care by a team of integrative rheumatologists, lifestyle medicine practitioners, autoimmune dietitians, psychologists, and care coordinators.

Dr. Biggee also works as a healthcare wellness consultant for Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, Massachusetts. Teamed with Synergy, she provides in-person lifestyle medicine and holistic consults, and contributes to employee workplace wellness programs. She has over 20 years of experience in rheumatology and holds board certifications in rheumatology and integrative and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Biggee brings a human-centered approach to wellness rather than focusing solely on diseases.

Dr. Biggee graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Canisius College, and graduated magna cum laude and as valedictorian from SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, completed her fellowship in rheumatology at Tufts–New England Medical Center, and completed training in integrative rheumatology at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Following her training, she attained board certification in rheumatology and internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, attained board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties, and attained accreditation as a certified lifestyle medicine physician through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is certified in Helms auricular acupuncture and is currently completing coursework for the Aloha Ayurveda integrative medicine course for physicians.

In prior roles, Dr. Biggee taught as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (an affiliate of Columbia University). She was also clinical associate of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and instructed "introduction to clinical medicine" for medical students at Tufts. She was preceptor for the Lawrence General Hospital Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. Biggee has published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis in Rheumatism, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, Journal for Musculoskeletal Medicine, Medicine and Health Rhode Island, and Field Guide to Internal Medicine.

See full bio

Shelby House, RN, BSN

Author

Shelby House, RN, BSN, has been a registered nurse for almost 10 years. She currently serves as a nursing director for a program that provides healthcare services to underserved Missourians, specifically aiding those with mental health disorders in achieving their best state of physical health.

She received her bachelor's degree in nursing from Maryville University in Missouri. She has worked in the specialty areas of medical-surgical nursing, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation nursing, mental health nursing, and nursing leadership.

Outside of the office, Shelby enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, volunteering in her local community, and soaking up the countryside scenery of rural America where she lives.

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network