Mosby’s Medical Dictionary defines bursitis as an inflammation of the bursa, the connective tissue structure surrounding a joint. It can appear in shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, buttocks, hips and/or thighs.
Bursitis is also known as Housemaid’s Knee, Miner’s Elbow, Weaver’s Bottom, and more commonly Rheumatism.
Causes and Risk Factors
Bursitis may be precipitated by arthritis, infection, injury, or excessive traumatic exercise or effort.
Repetitive motion is a significant contributor to the development of bursitis. Some examples of repetitive motion are:
- Excessive kneeling
- Leaning on elbows for long periods of time
- Prolonged sitting on hard surfaces
- Lifting something over your head repeatedly
Risk factors are:
- Age
- Pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, gout and rheumatoid arthritis
- Occupations such as musicians, carpet layers, tile setting, etc.
- Hobbies such as playing a musical instrument, playing sports with repetitive motion (e.g., tennis, golf, baseball, swimming)
Symptoms
Bursitis, like every other disease, denotes the whole body is out of sync. Bursitis may simply be the epicenter (central point) of distress, but the whole body is in distress due to being acidic and having low mineral and oxygen levels.
Symptoms of bursitis include:
- Pain
- Achiness or stiffness
- Swelling
- Loss of joint movement
- Tenderness in the joint, even without movement
- Redness in the skin surrounding the joint
Healing Options
Like all other degenerative diseases, bursitis can be healed naturally. Taking prescribed medication or prescription drugs for bursitis will only complicate the disease as drugs don’t heal any disease nor do they help the body. Drugs only mask symptoms which are sensors stemming from the root cause of a disease.
Physical therapy and strength-building exercises can be very helpful, too, especially around the affected joint.
Individual herbs good for assisting in the healing of Bursitis include anti-inflammatory herbs, i.e. Meadowsweet, Willow Bark, Balm of Gilead, and Woodruff. Other good herbs include Sassafras, Devil’s Claw, Burdock Root, Yucca, Manjistha, Comfrey Root, Safflower (Safrron), and Guaiac.
Topical healing salves can help in healing from Bursitis. Christopher’s Cayenne salve and ‘Sore No More’ are good choices.
There are also several good essential oils that offer therapeutic value in healing from Bursitis: Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Spearmint, and Wintergreen. First, rub on some botanical oil as a carrier (olive oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, etc.). Next, rub in a few drops of an essential oil and massage the area where the bursitis is present.
Dietary Intervention
Diets rich in meat, dairy, refined grains, refined starch, processed food, soft drinks, sugar, and salt can contribute to the development of bursitis. These foods can be highly acidic, which irritates the bursae.
An alkaline-based diet can offer relief. It is rich in:
- green, leafy cruciferous vegetables
- fruits
- seeds and nuts
- whole grains
An all raw-food diet for approximately 3 weeks can kick-start your system. After the initial 3 weeks, consider switching to a vegan-based diet as a permanent diet. However, this vegan-based diet should be 75% raw and 25% processed (vegan).
Daily consumption of vegetable juice will really help your body to heal. Vegetable juice greatly helps the tissues to throw off stored toxins.
The best beverage you could drink to heal from Bursitis (or any other disease) would be water, preferably alkaline water. Water is a natural lubricant and solvent. It greatly helps to dissolve mucus in the body.
Great herbal teas that can assist in the healing process of Bursitis include Devil’s Claw, Burdock Root, and Sassafras.
Black Cherry Juice Concentrate is something I recommend for the healing of all joint problems, including gout. This juice should be diluted with water however as it is very concentrated. Black Cherry Juice once daily should suffice in the healing regimen.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
