Chronic Bursitis

I am a 28 yeat old woman and I have had chronic hip bursitis for 21 months. It started when I was six months pregnant. I cannot lay on either hip without a lot of pain. I went to a chiropractor for about a month a llittle over a year ago and learned that my pelvis is always out of alignment. It is continually high and forward on the right side which is where my bursitis is the worst. After a monthe of adjustments I did not feel any better. Since then I manage the pain by taking anti-inflamatory medication. I went to a pain specialist to get lidacane patches and the doctor said that I have SI joint problems on my right side that could be the cause of the bursitis and back pain. I have been doing physical therapy with a manual therapist and taking naproxin for two weeks straight. My hip pain is better during the day since then, but my lower back pain is worse. I do not know whey my pelvis will not stay aligned, but I feel that if I cannot find a way, that I will always have dailey pain. My elder sister also has had hip bursitis since she had a child six years ago and I am wondering if the problem is genetic.

[Cindy40]

Sounds alot like my question.  I have a lumbar sacarlization.  My L-5 is fused to my sacram.  I do not have much back pain, but my hip pain is severe.  I am going to a orthapedic when I can get an appointment, but my regular Dr. seems to think it is connected to my back condition.  I suspect I have bursitis because I have fluid on my hip joint.  I hope you can find some relief.  I know how badly my hip hurts and  was hoping that the orthapedic could help.

[westyfrau]

Wow, your case sounds a lot like mine.  I am a 31 year-old woman with chronic hip bursitis (12 months now).  I, too, found some relief with a manual therapist as well as these shoes called "MBT."  You can Google it.  Basically, they move your center of gravity forward, and it feels as though you are walking on sand, so that you must use different muscles, and it decreases stress at joints.  Also, I have a leg-length discrepancy, so my longer leg is the one that has the bursitis because it stretches the IT band and puts friction on the greater trochanter, or the bony part of the hip (although I got bursitis on the other side, too, from over-compensating!).  So that would be something to check out.  I have been wearing my MBTs constantly for three months now, with a heel lift under the sole of the shorter leg.  I did work up to a point at which I could get a good exercise in on my recumbent exercise bike (it has a very soft seat, and I reclined the seat as far as it would go) but this was 10 months into my saga.  I was also losing some weight, which did help me tremendously.  However, over Christmas, I went to some parties where I wanted to wear normal shoes, was down on the floor wrapping gifts, and compromised my "guarded movements" qutie a bit, so I had a major flare-up today and will be back into the manual therapist's tomorrow.  Oh, and I did notice my pelvis was out of alignment again in mid-December...should have gone to the therapist then I guess!  I have very lax ligaments (hypomobile) and my SI joint is all over the place.  I also have two little girls to drive about and play with and care for, so it is frustrating, huh???  I know your posting was old and hope that you have found some relief since then, but I would be very interested in getting in touch with you if possible.  How would one go about this???  Thanks!  Sara

[Mark272]

I know that I got mine bodysurfing and mountain biking. I also know that I am 20 lbs overweight. Laying down...getting up from a chair. What sweet pain when you can get up  eh?

Neither of you have mentioned cold packs. I tried cold packs and it seemed to work...I used gel paks at my desk chair and in bed. It seems after a whilem you can't feel how cold they are.

I went through 41/2 months from this past November of non-stop clinical pain ranging from a maximum of 7-9. Ten means you are about to pass out and the nurse is ready to shoot you up with something. I am not kidding....you know what I'm talking about
(yeah...a pizza might help....anything, right?)

The pain is now down to that tingling on both sides whereas before I had to crawl to the toilet on my stomach at 3 in the morning (thank goodness I made it, and pulled myself up).

I too will only use NSAIDS and Excedrin. Some people think that this is some kind of joke...but it is serious.

Mark

[mommyof4_93]

we have simular issues with chronic bursitis.  I have it in my left hip.  I'm 38 yrs old and mine started back in 1996 after I gave birth to my 2nd child.  He weighed 9lbs 7oz but it was the 36cm head and 37cm chest that made it difficult to deliver him.  My left hip ended up being dislocated during childbirth and I have had problems ever since.  And with the addition of 2 more large babies after my son, it has become worse and worse every year.  I have gotten to the point where I limp almost everyday,  I walk in constant pain and the pain does not go away or ease with laying down.  I can't be comfortable standing, sitting or laying.  My hips have become so numb from this condition that I can now put needles in them and not feel anything.  I have been living with this chronic condition for over 13yrs now and I'm so tired of it.  It stops me from enjoying a life with my family and playing with my children.  I have had shots in it which helped only for a week.  I am on anti inflamitories and strong pain killers but it still doesn't ease my pain.  I have searched the internet only to find that my only resort to comfort maybe surgery.  I wonder if there is anyone else here that has had the surgery for bursitis and if it has made a difference in movement and pain.  Thanks Carolyn

[missdelta]

hmmm. I thought i was the only one. I ahve hip pain constantly. I can barely walk from my car into my house after working an 8 hour shift. I don't even really work that hard. It is not like my muscles are sore it is the pain that shoots down from hip and the stifness in my lower body. after I sit for few minutes or stop moving it the pain/weakness really sets in  It is almost like I feel brittle, I don't bend? Does this make sense? I have been living with this on and off for years. I don't even really kow when it started. I am otherwise healthy and energetic and most people would not even really notice that I am suffering. I ahve xrays & bollodwork and have heard nothng back from DR. I can't understand how I could be in so much pain and nothing comes up medically???

[rose57]

I am so frustrated with doctors and chronic pain.  I have had 3 back surgeries at l5 s1 the latest to take out the hardware at my insistance, something felt wrong inside.  turns out i had a bursa on top of each rod.  I now still suffer with the horrible hip pain, outer leg pain that i have had along with the back pain for 2 years.  I told the spine doc he says if its bursitits it will get better, i can't buy that, i happen to work for orthpaedic surgeons but prefer to keep my health problems as much as possible to myself, not easy in the community, but anyway I called his office 2 weeks ago insisting he look at this possible being hip bursitis, the physicatrist treating me earlier  mentioned it but then said no i think its nerve pain, well no meds help.  i don't sleep, i cann't walk even short distances and sitting is so painful i sit on ice bags.  I have a post op appt today, last thursday i get a call and am told this  doctor doesn't do these injections i have to see one of his partners whose next opening isn't  for 2 weeks.  He only gives me Darvocet which does nothing, I don't want pain pills but I don't want pain either.  I feel like a ping pong ball and each doctor is looking what he wants to see and not looking at "me".  I am tired of melt downs I am depressed and sometimes wish I just wouldn't wake up.  Maybe I am crazy I feel so helpless.  I asked my husband to come today he is pretty pissed at me being blown off to another doctor I hope he can come he sees what my life has turned into.  we have only been married 5 years and i have been sick so much of it.  i get sick to the stomach "stress"  and am losing my appetite and weight.

[jarboeak]

I have had hip bursitis since March of this year. It started after a nasty fall on our outdoor lenai. I am 25 years old and this has been pain unlike any I have ever felt before. I first got a primary doctor to see what the problem was with my hip. I had pain in my hip joint and down the outer part of my leg into my knee and across my knee. It hurt especially at night, when I would try to sleep. It got to the point one night where I had tried to slip off of my bed in a standing position, backwards to go to the bathroom and ended up on the floor until my grandmother found me. The pain was so unbearable that I couldn't put any of my weight on that leg. I am overweight, and I am aware that this contributes to it. My primary doctor advised me to go to a orthopedic doctor. I did, all he did was tell me I had bursitis and stick me with a cortisone injection. This gave me cortisone flare which doubled my pain for almost a week. I did some stretches and took some anti-inflammatory drugs as well as iced/heated the leg which seemed to ease some of the pain. For awhile there I felt like it was going away but recently it has started to flare up again. I'm not sure if a chiropractor is my best option? The oprthopedic has done absolutely nothing for me. The pain is bearable on some days but horribly painful on others. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[glentay]

All of you are describing what I've been dealing with for the past 2 1/2 yrs.  I had fusion of my si joints Jan. in 2009 after falling on ice in '07.  Three months after surgery I fell at an amusement park backwards over a construction cone. Since then I've had major hip pain and pain in my si joints, which was part of the fusion.  Just found out that the fusion of the si joints didn't take on either side.  This after several injections in my hips, pt and lots of Celebrex.  Will have a procedure called I Fuse.  Check it out at SI-bone.com.  I am so glad to find the answer of months of thinking it was all in my head.  I pray it will take care of the problem and I can get over this hip bursitis and back pain and back to the land of the living.  The surgeon seems to think this fusion failure of the si joints, is what is causing my pain and I agree.  I can't even turn over in bed, set on the commode or walk at this point, without incredible pain.  I hope you all can get relief soon.  I want this surgery asap!!  My advice is don't give up.  The si joints are notorious for causing chronic pain, particularly if you've ever had a fall or given birth.  

[squirt63]

I understand completely.. I have had chronic hip birsitis for 2 yearsnow.. bounced around from doctor to specialist... i work full-time as a pharmacy technician on my fet all day.. after my 5th day i am in so much pain i sometimes cry myself to sleep , if i can sleep at all.. anti-inflammatories dont work... and ice onky works partial of the time... the other night i was up most of the night, so i got up and took two advil.. two hrs later i took two extra strenght tylenol and it worked temporarily... I am sick of the apin and refuse to go on any narcotic/addicting meds so i often just put up with the pain... i want to see a good specialist out of my area... i live p north and they all suck... I had a cortisone inj and that lasted 3 weeks and i was back to crying myself to sleep and putting up with the pain, i am at my wits end and need help to contrlol this pain... fixing it would be ideal and the specialist up north here tell me other than cortisone inj there is nothing they can do with chroic biristis.. i dont believe it there has got to be something theycan do... stay strong your not alone!!!

[Alaskaswangirl]

I have had bursitis in both hips for months following a car accident and diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis. My SI joints are fusing together and I guess that could be causing the bursitis but doctors, chiropractor and PTs all brush it off.

I have been trying everything that might help, and I have found a few things that really do. For a quick way to get swelling down in fluid filled bursas, try OSMO patches. They are a bit expensive but you can get a discount if you like them on Facebook. You put one on when you go to bed and it works overnight. They have no medications and no side effects but really work! Read the story on website of Australian doctor who invented them for his Dad who had bursitis.

Another great discovery is Arnica gel. You can find brands such as Arnicare in grocery stores next to BenGay and other muscle rubs. I put it on two or three times a day. It starts to help with pain in a few minutes.

Finally, I discovered Arthritin supplements from VAXA. Just google VAXA. These capsules contain dozens of natural anti-inflammatories so you don't have to buy each one individually. You need to take quite a few of them when you have a flare up, but hey, whatever works!

Other things that help are Serrapeptase enzyme and prickly pear (nopal) cactus juice. Costco sells one that is much cheaper than the Nopalea sold on TV. It is called Body Choice Hoodia with Nopal Cactus. It comes in a large bottle in the weight control supplement section.

Nothing the doctor gave me helped. I tried Prednasone, Flector patches (almost made me pass out) and she wants me to take Humira but I refuse. I also tried giving up gluten which didn't help. I might need to give up all grains or dairy to see improvement.

I hope some of these supplements will help you. Good luck!

[4rwhls]

you put alot of information about chronic hip bursitis their, some things i'll try you suggested as they seem to be things not suggested too myself, i've seen pain relif specialist and haven't found any medication that works, hence i'll try the amica gel and osmo patches