Feeding of a bursa
The function of a bursa is to protect the adjacent tissue. This explains why they are located in all those places in the body where structures such as skin, muscles or ligaments would otherwise lie directly on a bone or rub bone directly against bone (for example, in the area of joints). By interposing itself between the two components involved, the bursa serves as a sliding layer and padding, so to speak.
When these tissues are subjected to either strong tension, pressure or friction, the bursa is able to reduce these at least up to a certain point. This is mainly due to the liquid inside the bursa, which helps to distribute the pressure evenly to the underlying tissue. It is therefore particularly important that they are also present in the large, heavily loaded joints such as the knee joint, shoulder or elbow.
Inflammation of the bursa
Precisely because the bursa sacs are designed to absorb pressure, they are naturally the first to react when the body is subjected to excessive strain. If a bursa is permanently irritated by excessive mechanical stress, this often leads to bursitis. This is a disease that can be extremely painful.
Other symptoms include swelling, overheating and redness over the affected area. If this is located in the area of a joint, patients usually also complain about limited mobility of the affected joint. Sometimes there is also an increased accumulation of fluid, which can be palpable under the skin in the case of superficial inflammation.
Only in exceptional cases does the inflammation spread further and can eventually lead to lymph node swelling or fever. With the help of short-term immobilization of the inflamed area, cooling and anti-inflammatory drugs, bursitis can usually be well controlled. In rare cases, however, an acute inflammation can become chronic.If there is no improvement or healing over a longer period of time, one should consider an operation in which the inflamed bursa is removed. There are also other causes of bursitis, but these are far less common. These include metabolic diseases such as gout, rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or infections such as tuberculosis or gonorrhea (gonorrhea).
