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Factors Affecting Bursitis Severity
You now know the cause of bursitis, but
there are five primary factors that determine the severity of the
condition.
The first is simply the degree of
misalignment in the joint. Obviously, the worse the misalignment the greater
the stress on the bursa and the more inflammation and pain normally
created.
The second factor is time. Usually, the
longer a misalignment is present the more stress and increased scar tissue the
muscle and tendon accumulates. This is why bursitis will often get
progressively worse. As people live, work and play they accumulate muscle
damage leading to joint misalignments. As time passes, more damage accumulates.
Since many of these imbalances are minor the person doesn't notice a problem
until they are 40 or 50 years old. At that time, they begin to have stiffness
and pain in whatever joints have been misaligned. Most just assume that it's a
natural part of aging and are unaware that a successful treatment exists, so
they just live with the pain or use drugs or other treatments that just cover
up their symptoms. Unfortunately, as the condition progressively worsens,
stronger drugs and more radical treatments are required to deal with the
pain.
A third factor influencing the severity
of bursitis is the amount of use the affected joint receives. If someone is
physically active in their job, sports, exercising or other activities, more
inflammation and pain will be created than if they are physically inactive.
The fourth factor is weight. It should be
easy to see that weight-bearing joints such as feet, ankles, knees, hips and
spine are going to receive more stress in a 250 pound person than in a 125
pound person. Reducing and maintaining a more normal body weight will usually
reduce the pain of many bursitis conditions.
The fifth factor comes from the bodies
power of adaptation. When a joint is imbalanced the body actually creates other
joint imbalances to compensate and reduce stress to the original imbalanced
joint. This can often result in pain relief in the original injured area and
explains why a lot of therapies appear to have resolved a problem when they
really haven't. Unfortunately, the compensating area will usually develop a
problem of its own after a period of time because of the excessive stress it
then receives.
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