What is Hip Bursitis?
A hip bursitis is caused when the bursae in the hip bone become irritated and inflamed. Hip bursitis can cause immense pain in the hip joint and may also lead to disability in using the hip joint to perform everyday activities such as standing and walking.
Bursa is a small sac filled with a soft jelly-like liquid. These are situated in every major joint in the body, such as heel, knee, hip, elbow and shoulder. These are located between the two bone of the joints in order to provide cushioning as well as to reduce the friction between bones of the joints and prevent premature bone wear and tear.
The bursitis condition causes these bursa sacs to become irritated and inflamed. The hip contains two major bursae – trochanter bursa and iliopsoas bursa.
What are the types of Hip Bursitis?
Hip bursitis is mainly of two types:
Trochanteric Bursitis – This form of bursitis affects the greater trochanter bursa in the hip joint. This is situated to cover the bony end of the hip bone.
Iliopsoas Bursitis – This bursitis affects the iliopsoas bursa which is located in the inner side (groin) of the hip bone. This causes a distinct pain in the groin area and is rare.
What are the signs and symptoms of Hip Bursitis?
The main sign of development of Trochanteric bursitis is the pain in the joint portion of the hip. The pain may also spread to cover the thighs as well. Initially, the pain is sharp and intense but eventually becomes a dull and constant ache that spread to more of the hip region.
Usually, the pain is felt to worsen at night, especially when lying on the side of the affected hip joint or while getting up from a seating position after a while.
What are the risk factors associated with Hip Bursitis?
Hip bursitis is a commonly seen hip disorder. It is more prevalent among middle-aged and elderly persons, especially women. It is less commonly seen in younger people and in men.
These are some risk factors that have been identified for increasing the risk of the development of hip bursitis:
- Overuse injury – Repetitive injuries can be caused due to running, climbing stairs. Bicycling and even after standing for a prolonged period of time.
- Hip injury – A fall or bump to the hip or even lying on one side of the hip for a very long time can also result in hip bursitis.
- Spinal diseases – Scoliosis, arthritis of lower spinal region and other spinal diseases and disorders may also cause hip bursitis.
- Limb-Length Discrepancy – In case the length of one leg is shorter than the other (due to lower limb discrepancy) the movement of the unnatural gait while walking may cause development of hip bursitis.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis – This is also known to cause inflammation in the bursa of the hip.
- Earlier surgical procedure – Previous hip surgery, or hip joint implant procedure, may irritate and inflame the hip bursae.
How is Hip Bursitis diagnosed?
A complete physical examination is initially performed to deduce any other cause of the symptoms.
Imaging tests such as x-ray, MRI and bone scanning may also be performed to know more about your condition.
How is Hip Bursitis treated?
There are several methods of treating hip bursitis, these are:
Non-Surgical Treatment
Initially, the doctor may advise non-surgical treatment methods for hip bursitis cases. Most people affected with hip bursitis are treated successfully through these methods:
- Altering activities – This is done to avoid the physical activities that may worsen the painful and disabling symptoms.
- NSAIDS – Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are useful in relieving painful symptoms and also to control the swelling (inflammation).
- Assisting Aids – Walking cane or crutches while walking also help to reduce the pressure from the inflamed bursae.
- Physiotherapy – Certain physical exercises may help to increase the hip strength as well as flexibility in the joint.
- Steroid Injections – Corticosteroid injections using local anesthesia is also helpful in relieving the symptoms.
Surgical Treatment
Surgical treatment is rarely required to treat hip bursitis. In case the bursa remains swollen (inflamed) and the pain is still felt after non-surgical treatment methods, the doctor may recommend a surgery to remove the affected bursa entirely. This does not in any way affect the function of the hip.
An ultra-modern surgical technique using arthroscope is used to perform the surgery. The surgeon will use this minimally invasive surgical technique to remove a bursa. This surgery requires using an arthroscope (small, thin tube attached with light-source and small high-definition video camera. The surgeon will make a few (2-4) very small (keyhole) incisions around the affected hip joint. The arthroscope is first inserted in one of the incisions and it gives the doctor a clear and magnified image of the affected bursa on a video monitor.
The surgeon will then use specialized miniature surgical instruments to perform the required surgical procedure and remove the inflamed bursa completely.
This is a minimally invasive surgery and has the advantage of being less invasive, less painful and with faster recovery time as compared to the traditional ‘open-type’ surgical method.
Why choose Travcure for Hip Bursitis treatment in India?
Travcure is the leader in providing efficient and affordable medical tourism in India. It is associated with a large network of global-class orthopedic specialty hospitals and clinics spread across India’s major cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, etc. Travcure offers every patient from abroad with the best and most affordable hip bursitis treatment package in India at the hands of the most experienced and well-trained orthopedic specialists and surgeons.
You can send your queries at: info@travcure.com & https://travcure.com/contact-us/
