Seeking Natural Treatment For Bursitis? These Simple Remedies Could Help

The pain felt near one’s joints, for example the shoulders, knees or heels, is often a condition called bursitis.

Bursa is a fluid-filled sac in the body that surrounds the joint and helps to protect it, and bursitis is the inflammation of this sac. There are around 150 bursae in our bodies and so bursitis can appear in several places.

Bursitis is often caused by repetitious or prolonged movement, for example typing on the computer for a long time. Bursitis can also be caused by a single trauma, for example due to a sports injury. The following symptoms, listed on the How Stuff Works website, are common if you have bursitis:

* Local and specialised pain, mainly in the joint area.
* Pain is dull ache or general stiffness.
* Movement causes pain to worsen.
* Area of pain often swollen and slightly warm when touched.

Because bursitis is often caused by continued movement of certain types, identifying the cause is one step to help treat the condition. There are several good natural treatments for bursitis available.

Rest

The first thing to do is to rest the affected area. Further irritation of the fluid sac is only going to make the pain and condition worse, so it is important to give your bursitis affected joint some rest.

Cold and heat treatment

In the 2007 book “1000 Cures for 200 ailments“, Christine Gustafson suggests cold and heat compressions for the affected area. She recommends initially using just cold to treat the pain and help with inflammation, but later on you can alternate between cold and warm compresses three times a day.

Doctor David Williams recommends in his website article about bursitis to use alternating cold and heat compressions in cases of reoccurring or chronic bursitis. He recommends using an ice pack for 15 minutes and then changing it to a heat pack for 15 minutes. Doing this natural treatment for bursitis for an hour twice a day should improve the condition and reduce pain.

Stretching and physical activity

After the pain and inflammation has reduced, it is important to introduce some basic physical activity and stretching to the joint as part of natural treatment for bursitis. Natural News reported in 2006 that a healthy and strong body has less chance of getting bursitis and prevents it from occurring. Stretching your body after and before physical activity is very important in preventing inflammation. If you are sitting for long periods at the computer, for example, take small breaks in between and do some light stretching to your body.

Healthy diet

It is also a good idea to add healthy foods to your natural treatment for bursitis. Doctor David Williams writes that calcium depositing in certain areas in your body can cause the bursitis pain to worsen and lead to inflammation. Thus, he recommends foods that form acid in your body to remove the excess calcium. This would be, for example, having a spoon of apple cider vinegar a few times a day.

Doctor Geovanni Espinosa recommends in the book “1000 Cures for 200 Ailments” that eating an omega-3 diet will help treat bursitis. Omega-3 fatty acids will help reduce inflammation and increase joint lubrication. Good things to add to your diet are fish and nuts, such as walnuts.

There are great natural treatments for bursitis. Taking adequate rest and introducing some minor exercise will help you prevent and heal the condition. As with most things in life, it is also important to enjoy a healthy diet that has enough vitamins and nutrients to keep your body strong.