There are a few basic ways to know if you have hip bursitis or arthritis. If the pain you feel is sharp and severe before spreading out into an ache in the affected area, you may have hip bursitis. On the other hand, if your pain develops slower and is more painful in the morning, it may be hip arthritis.
Type and severity of pain: A person with bursitis can feel tenderness and pain resembling a dull ache around a joint, making it difficult to move it as usual. Symptoms for arthritis vary depending on the type a person has. However, it usually causes pain and stiffness in the joint.
Arthritis and bursitis both cause painful inflammation that can be perceived as coming from a joint, like your hip or shoulder. The key difference comes down to the specific structure within your body that has become inflamed, and you need to sort it out to get the right treatment.
Diagnosing hip bursitis
Your doctor might also ask you to do simple tasks like standing on the affected leg to see how your legs are functioning. Sometimes, your doctor will order an X-ray or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan, too, to verify that the pain is due to bursitis and not a fracture or other problem.
Bursitis most commonly occurs in the shoulder, hip, or elbow—joints that are frequently involved in repetitive motions. The most common symptoms of bursitis include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and tenderness; because these symptoms are also common to arthritis, bursitis is often mistaken for arthritis.
Whereas, bursitis is most common in the shoulders, hips, elbows, and knees. Bursitis can occur suddenly, last for a few days or longer, and usually resolves with rest or treatment. In comparison, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are progressive and degenerative conditions which generally become worse over time.
Activities or positions that put pressure on the hip bursa, such as lying down, sitting in one position for a long time, or walking distances can irritate the bursa and cause more pain.
The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later. You may notice it more when getting out of a chair or bed. You may also notice it when sitting for a long time and when sleeping on the affected side.
Rest and don't overuse the affected area. Apply ice to reduce swelling for the first 48 hours after symptoms occur. Apply dry or moist heat, such as a heating pad or taking a warm bath.
For this test, you will stand on one leg for about 30 seconds and then alternate legs. In normal conditions, the position of the iliac crest remains unaltered regardless of the leg lifted. However, if the iliac crest inclines to one side when the leg is lifted, it suggests an abnormality or weak hip abduction.
Symptoms of hip arthritis can be constant or flare up. Common hip arthritis symptoms include: Pain in or near the hip that can worsen due to certain movements and exercises. Cartilage wears down unevenly, and if a particular movement places stress on an area with more damage, pain increases.
Osteoarthritis in your hips often causes difficulty moving your hip joints. For example, you may find it difficult to put your shoes and socks on or to get in and out of a car. You'll also usually have pain in the groin or outside the hip.
The main symptom of trochanteric bursitis is pain at the point of the hip. The pain usually extends to the outside of the thigh area. In the early stages, the pain is usually described as sharp and intense. Later, the pain may become more of an ache and spread across a larger area of the hip.
Chronic pain: Untreated bursitis can lead to a permanent thickening or enlargement of the bursa, which can cause chronic inflammation and pain. Muscle atrophy: Long term reduced use of joint can lead to decreased physical activity and loss of surrounding muscle.
Pain that doesn't go away
Hip bursitis (trochanteric bursitis) may be a sign of a more serious issue. If you continue to have bursitis pain at the hip that has not improved despite extensive treatment, you may have a tear of a muscle located next to the bursa called the gluteus medius.
Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joints and reduce friction between bones. Inflammation of these sacs, known as bursitis, can cause pain and swelling in the hip, which radiates down the leg.
Over time, the bursae may become thick, which makes the swelling worse. This can lead to limited movement and weakened muscles (atrophy) in the area.
Try sleeping on your back or, if you're a side sleeper, sleep on the side that doesn't hurt and put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned. Around your hip bone and other joints are small sacs filled with fluid that cushion the joint when it moves. These sacs are called bursae.
Management: Bursitis can be managed without surgery. A referral to a physiotherapist will help to settle your irritated bursa. Initially the physiotherapist will use techniques like electrotherapy, dry needling, taping and soft tissue massage to settle the pain and inflammation.
It's also really important when suffering this type of pain, to avoid sitting with you legs crossed. At least until your symptoms settle down. It's also important that you sit with your hips a little bit higher than your knees to prevent compression of the hips tendons and bursa.
Tendons and bursae are located near joints. Inflamed soft tissues will often be felt by patients as joint pain. This will be mistaken for arthritis. Symptoms of bursitis and tendonitis are similar.
Foods that can trigger inflammation may make your pain worse so these are ones to avoid if you can. This includes processed foods (ready meals, sliced meat), caffeine, fizzy juice, sugars (cakes, biscuits etc.), and alcohol.
The most common causes of bursitis are injury or overuse, but it can also be caused by infection. Pain, swelling, and tenderness near a joint are the most common signs of bursitis. Bursitis can be treated with rest and medicines to help with the inflammation.