Bursa Injections

When do I need a bursa injection?

Your provider may recommend a bursa injection to relieve the pain caused by bursitis. Bursitis occurs when tiny, fluid-filled sacs called bursa become inflamed. Each bursa reduces friction between your bones and soft tissues like your skin, ligaments, and tendons. 

Though any of the more than 150 bursae throughout your body can develop bursitis, the condition most often affects the knees, hips, shoulders, or elbows.

The top causes of bursitis include:

• Repetitive use injury
• Prolonged pressure on the joint
• Bone spurs in the joint
• Direct trauma to the joint
• Infections

Your risk of bursitis increases if you have a chronic inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis.

What symptoms indicate I may need a bursa injection?

Bursitis primarily causes joint pain, especially when moving the joint. As a result, you may have limited mobility. 

Most people have noticeable swelling at the joint; however, you may not see it when the inflamed bursa lies deep in the joint. Symptoms such as redness, warmth, and fever occur if you develop an infection.

Will I have treatment before a bursa injection?

Bursitis treatment begins with rest, avoiding activities that irritate the bursa, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and immobilizing the joint if needed. If you still have pain and inflammation despite conservative treatments, your provider recommends a bursa injection. 

Bursa injections contain steroids and a local anesthetic. The local anesthetic quickly eases your pain but doesn’t last long. As powerful anti-inflammatory agents, steroids significantly reduce inflammation and give you longer-lasting pain relief.

What should I expect during a bursa injection?

After positioning you on the exam table so your provider can reach the painful joint, they clean the injection site and apply numbing medicine.

Depending on the joint and the depth of the bursa, your provider may use real-time imaging such as ultrasound to guide the injection. After inserting the needle and placing it at the inflamed bursa, your provider injects the medications.

The anesthetic relieves your pain for a few hours; then, it’s normal for the pain to return for a short time because it takes steroids 5-7 days to take effect.

To learn if a bursa injection can help your joint pain, call Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine or book an appointment online today.