bursitis

bursitis

bursitis (bərsīˈtəs), acute or chronic inflammation of a bursa, or fluid sac, located close to a joint. In response to irritation or injury the bursa may become inflamed, causing pain, restricting motion, and producing more fluid than can be absorbed readily. An attack of bursitis usually causes great pain and tenderness in the affected area. Common areas of involvement include the shoulder and big toe (see bunion). Depending on the cause and the degree of involvement, bursitis is treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, corticosteroids, and immobility until the pain subsides. Superficial bursas, not necessary to the function of a joint, or bursas that have become calcified, may be excised.

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Bursitis

 

inflammation of the mucous sacs, predominantly in the region of the joints. In man the causes of bursitis are traumas, frequent and repeated mechanical irritations, infections, and diathesis. In acute bursitis swelling, edema, and pain are noted at the site of the mucous sac; within the sac there is a serous or purulent exudate, and more rarely (in traumatic bursitis), blood. Chronic bursites are frequently associated with occupation (bursitis of the knee joint in floor polishers, of the elbow in miners, and so on); they are manifested by thickening of the walls of the sac, a large accumulation of fluid in it, and so forth. Treatment includes resting the joint, thermal procedures, ultra-high frequency current, and, in a number of cases, surgery. While doing work associated with constant traumatization of the joint, it is necessary to wear a protective binding.

Bursitis of animals. The animals predominantly affected by bursitis are horses and cattle. Causes of the disease include prolonged mechanical irritation (lying on a hard floor, a poorly adjusted harness, and so on), traumatic injuries, certain infections and infestations (brucellosis, onchocerciasis, and other specific bursites). A painful swelling forms in the region of inflammation; in purulent bursitis the body temperature is elevated; in bursitis of the extremities there is limping. In the first days of the disease (nonpurulent bursitis) treatment consists of icepacks and tight bindings, then hot compresses and resolvent ointments. Prophylaxis is directed toward observance of hygienic rules of housing and maintaining animals.

REFERENCES

Chastnaia khirurgiia domashnikh zhivotnykh, 3rd ed. Moscow-Leningrad, 1963.
Kanonov, G. A. “Bursity.” In Veterinarnaia Entsiklopediia, vol. 1. Moscow, 1968.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

bursitis

[‚bər′sīd·əs]

(medicine)

Inflammation of a bursa.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.