Apply dry or moist heat, such as a heating pad or taking a warm bath. Take an over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others), to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Some are available in a form you apply to the skin.
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion your tendons, ligaments, and muscles. When they work normally, bursae help the tendons, ligaments, and muscles glide smoothly over bone. But when the bursae are swollen, the area around them becomes very tender and painful.
Doctors may recommend over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, to reduce inflammation in the bursa and tendon and relieve pain. These medications are typically recommended for a few weeks while the body heals.
Home treatment is often enough to reduce pain and let the bursa heal. Your doctor may suggest physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around your joints. Rest the affected area. Avoid any activity or direct pressure that may cause pain.
Since prepatellar bursitis is quite superficial, topical NSAIDs such as diclofenac topical gel (Voltaren Gel) can be very effective, with minimal systemic side effects.
Why can't I use Voltaren Arthritis Pain Gel for shoulders, hips, etc.? Voltaren has not been studied for the relief of arthritis pain in the shoulders, hips, and back.
Is Walking Good for Bursitis? Exercise is often prescribed to improve joint pain, so walking could be a vital part of managing your bursitis symptoms.
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.
Walking, running, cycling, and many cardio exercise machines, as well as, deep squats, and lateral hip exercises can all aggravate hip bursitis pain because of the compression caused. For similar reasons sitting with crossed legs, standing with a dropped hip, or lying on your side can also be very painful.
Pain from bursitis in your hip tends to get worse after you've been sitting or lying down. The pain may also increase when you do a repetitive activity, like climbing stairs.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.
Anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and cox-2 inhibitors (Celebrex) can reduce swelling and inflammation and relieve any pain associated with hip bursitis.
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.
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.
If you have hip pain only at night, odds are the culprit is your sleep position or mattress. Side sleepers are particularly prone to hip pain due to pressure on the hip joint. The opposite hip – the one you're not lying on – might hurt, too, if it strains forward.
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.
Symptoms are aggravated by sitting which places direct pressure onto the sitting bones and also with activities involving stretching or contraction of the hamstring muscles such as climbing stairs, squatting or sports involving rapid accelerations and kicking movements.
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.
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.
Resting the affected area and using bandages and anti-inflammatory medications usually helps to make the inflammation go away. Antibiotics are used if bacteria are involved. If the symptoms don't improve, surgery to remove the inflamed bursa is considered.
If the outside of your hip becomes tender and swollen, it may be affected with bursitis. Bursitis can be very painful, and tends to be more severe during joint use, or while resting at night. Hip bursitis can become so painful that it may limit your mobility.
Do not massage right over the bursa. This will make it worse. However, massage can be done to other areas of the body to address imbalances: I recommend John F Barnes myofascial release. In conclusion, you should work with a physical therapist to progress these exercises slowly and correctly.