Bursitis of foot
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Bursitis of the foot is an inflammatory process that occurs in the joint bag of the foot.
In order to understand what is being said, it is necessary to know what a joint bag is. The name of the articular bag is assigned to the surrounding foot of the connective tissue capsule, the main function by which to protect the joint and ensure its functioning. Due to the fluid in the joint capsule, the friction of the joint is facilitated and its protection against erasure is provided.
Bursitis of the foot is an extremely unpleasant disease caused by the inflammatory process that affects the synovial articular joints of the joints on the soles of the feet. Bursitis of the feet, as a rule, is divided into several subspecies depending on the lesion of one or another joint. So among bursitis one can distinguish bursitis of the Achilles tendon, bursitis of the little finger, bunion of the thumb, and also there is a very severe form - subcutaneous bursitis of the heel bag. In the latter case, the movement of the patient during an exacerbation is often extremely difficult.
Bursitis Achilles tendon or as it is also called Achillesbussis, which appears due to inflammation of the articular bag in the region of the posterior Achilles tendon and is characterized by swelling and reddening of the skin of the back of the Achilles tendon, as well as aching pain and condensation under the skin. A variety of this disease is a disease called "Albert's Disease", which in turn manifests an inflammatory process, with time growing into rheumatoid arthritis.
Bursitis of the heel of the heel is also a kind of Achilles bursitis with the only difference being that the anterior Achilles tendon does not inflame. Bursitis of the heel of the hand is characterized by pain, swelling and redness on the skin in the area of the heel. There is also a problematic movement.
Bursitis of the thumb of the foot and little finger is manifested by deformation and curvature of the thumb or little finger, which results in bulging of the joint of the thumb or little finger and, as a result of friction against the inner surface of the shoe, inflammation of the joint bag arises.
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Causes of bursitis of the foot
The causes of bursitis of the foot can be divided into several groups according to the nature of their origin.
Infectious: Bursitis occurs in the event of any kind of injury, abrasion or bruising, and also in case of cuts. In this regard, through the damaged skin, the infection gets into the synovial bag - it can be staphylococcus, streptococcus or other pathogenic bacteria that cause purulent inflammation. The causes of bursitis of the foot are also infections, spread by the lymphatic system, for example such as osteomyelitis, furunculosis or erysipelas.
Mechanical: It provokes the appearance of bursitis due to the wearing of uncomfortable shoes for a long time, bursitis of the heel bag often occurs in women wearing uncomfortable shoes with very high heels. Because of the unnatural position of the foot, there is a deformation of the synovial sac, and then bursitis. Also often bursitis of the heel bag, is an occupational disease of athletes.
Endocrine: Bursitis appears due to disruption of the endocrine system, which is accompanied by the presence of excess weight in the patient. Also, all sorts of hormonal disorders and metabolic disorders can cause inflammation of synovial sacs and joints.
Congenital: The occurrence of bursitis due to congenital weakness of the tendons, or in case of congenital anomalies of the foot and joints.
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Symptoms of bursitis of the foot
Symptoms of bursitis of the foot are not particularly diverse, but are sufficiently unpleasant for the patient. Bursitis manifests itself very painfully and acutely passing swelling, unpleasant sensations of sharp pain during palpation, reddening of the skin at the site of edema and limiting or stopping the normal functioning of the bursitis affected joint.
Symptoms of bursitis of the foot can also acquire a general character and can be manifested by an increase in body temperature and a malaise that spreads throughout the body. It should be noted that bursitis today is a fairly frequent joint disease in men under the age of 35 years.
Symptoms of bursitis can sometimes be attributed to other foot problems. Often the symptoms of bursitis are very similar to those that occur with a disease such as a calcaneal spur, but for a good specialist it is not a problem to correctly diagnose and identify bursitis. It is necessary to remember and share the dependence of symptoms on the complexity and form of bursitis.
Serous or purulent bursitis is accompanied by high fever, general malaise and sharp acute pain during movement.
Chronic bursitis is characterized by densification or scarring of tissues in the joint lesions with bursitis.
Acute bursitis is marked by sharp pain during movement, which does not go away, even in case of immobilization of the affected joint. Pain is accompanied by swelling and high body temperature. The sensitivity also increases in the area of the edema.
Patients suffering from any form of foot bursitis tend to feel uncomfortable when wearing shoes, experience some difficulty walking, and suffer unpleasant pain when wearing shoes.
Bunion of the toe
Bursitis of the toe is often observed in patients suffering from flat feet, wearing very narrow shoes, shoes with a pointed toe or high heels. In connection with the flat feet, muscular balance is disturbed, which in turn leads to bursitis of the big toe. This pathology can be accompanied by the formation of deformity of the joint, which leads to the curvature of the big toe. The bunion of the big toe strengthens the friction of the inner wall of the shoe against the affected joint, which leads to inflammation accompanied by unpleasant painful sensations when wearing shoes.
This disease is accompanied by a small edema of the joint of the big toe, and during the examination the patient may experience severe pain during palpation of the swelling. Bursitis is often accompanied by a tightening in the area of the synovial bag of the joint of the thumb, when palpation of which the symptom of fluctuation is clearly traced.
Bursitis of the toe is divided into two subspecies deformation. At an early stage of bursitis at the first degree of deformation of the articular bag, you can easily get rid of this ailment. Since the first degree of deformation is not a serious enough problem and with timely rendered professional help it can be easily cured. The first degree of deformation in bursitis is treated by wearing orthopedic footwear and a special bandage that can relieve the burden from the bursitis affected joint and relieve the pain.
In the case of bursitis of the big toe with a second degree of deformity or as it is also called valgus, more radical and complex treatment is required. In order to remove the inflammation of the articular bag, anti-inflammatory and non-steroid preparations are prescribed, and corticosteroids are administered in the acute form to the area of the inflamed joint during the course of the disease. This method of treatment can cope only with inflammation and pain, but can not eliminate joint deformation, and in this regard, further treatment goes in parallel with the wearing of special orthopedic shoes and physiotherapy.
Bursitis of little toe
Bursitis of the little finger of the foot arises due to insufficiently correct gait with flat feet or wearing uncomfortable, very narrow shoes. All these causes lead to the flexing and deformation of the little finger of the foot. Bursitis of the little toe of the foot, like the rest of the bursitis of the foot, is accompanied by swelling, inflammation and sharp pain in the area of the little finger.
As mentioned above, bursitis of the little toe of the foot does not always occur in the case of any physiological features of the body. Often the occurrence of this disease is caused by the wearing of shoes with a narrow toe, in which the toes are very strongly pressed and squeezed by uncomfortable shoes, which leads to inflammation of the synovial bag of the little toe of the foot.
In the case of development of an acute form of bursitis of the little finger, the medical specialist resorts to conservative methods of treatment used in the dispensary. During the treatment of this type of foot bursitis, anti-inflammatory medication is often used, and treatment involves the imposition of a cast bandage to securely fix the patient joint. In severe cases, injection of hormonal and anti-inflammatory drugs into the joint is also used.
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Where does it hurt?
Diagnosis of foot bursitis
Diagnosis of foot bursitis, as a rule, is based on the clinical symptoms of this disease. Often, that would clarify the characteristics of inflammation, determine the causative agent of the disease and establish the sensitivity of a particular pathogen to antibiotics, the doctor for diagnosis takes a puncture exudate from the synovial bag for serological reactions. Also, the medical expert can use instrumental methods to diagnose the presence of bursitis in the patient, as well as exclude other diseases with similar symptoms.
Diagnosis of the bursitis of the foot is also based on the patient's complaints and in the presence of clinical manifestations. In the case of the diagnosis of bursitis of the knee joint, the following diagnostic methods can be used by a medical expert, such as: radiography, microscopy, general blood analysis and sometimes MRI.
The medical specialist can diagnose only after a careful study of all the tests and the necessary methods of diagnosis. In order to make the diagnosis as accurate as possible, excluding any other pathologies, it is recommended to conduct CT and ultrasound, in addition, a clinical biochemical blood test may also be prescribed.
In order to put the right diagnosis to a medical specialist, it is necessary to exclude such diseases as: rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthropathy, Sharot's disease and multiple sclerosis.
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What do need to examine?
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Treatment of foot bursitis
Treatment of bursitis of the foot is a huge complex of procedures, not limited to just wearing orthopedic shoes. Wearing gentle footwear can only reduce pain in the foot, but not relieve the patient of the disease. Most often, the treatment of bursitis of the foot goes on an outpatient basis, but sometimes in severe cases it can be replaced by a stationary one.
Often, the procedures assigned by a specialist are fairly simple and do not require serious monetary costs. One of the first appointed plaster bandage - this is necessary for a strong fixation of the joint, which will help remove some of the inflammation. After that, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, which will help to remove inflammation from the joint and remove the edema. Sufficiently effective in the treatment of bursitis, is rest, it is also necessary to exclude any physical stress on the leg. And after the acute inflammation from the joint is removed, the doctor can prescribe UHF therapy, warming compresses and UV irradiation.
In the case of an advanced form of bursitis, surgical procedures may sometimes be performed by osteotomy and bursectomy. In the case of bursectomy, a deep cut is made by a specialist and the bone growth is removed. Osteotomy is a complex surgical operation involving the displacement of the foot bones and their reliable fixation with the help of metal staples.
Unfortunately, many patients do not consider bursitis a serious enough disease that requires a doctor. And this is a very dangerous delusion, since walking for months or years with a deformed joint on the leg and the removal of pain by alternative means can lead to all sorts of complications, for the elimination of which, surgical intervention may subsequently be required.
Treatment of bursitis of foot by alternative means
Treating bursitis with alternative means means all sorts of recipes tested by generations. One of these remedies is a compress made from cabbage leaves. For the compress should take a few sheets of white cabbage, cut them all dense veins, and then beat off with a kitchen hammer, preferably wooden. After this, cabbage leaves beaten with a hammer must be wrapped around the affected joint and secured with a bandage bandage.
Dry heat is also a good tool in treating bursitis. To do this, the affected areas should be warmed with socks or mittens of their natural wool, if bursitis on the hands, feet or with a bandage of woolen scarf, headscarf, if bursitis hit other joints.
Treatment of bursitis with alternative means becomes effective also with the help of various curative decoctions. With chronic forms of bursitis, the decoction from the root of burdock ideally helps. In order to prepare the broth you need to take 2 tablespoons of crushed dry burdock root, pour 1 liter of boiling water and boil on low heat for 5 minutes. Then you should give the resulting broth to infuse for 15 minutes, then from the resulting broth you can make a compress on the affected joint. Repeat the procedure is necessary every day for three weeks.
Prevention of foot bursitis
Prevention of foot bursitis often primarily involves the timely treatment of infectious diseases. If you are doing sports to avoid bursitis of the foot, you need to dose the load while playing sports, relying on your athletic training and physical parameters. Do not load yourself beyond measure, sooner or later it will have a negative impact not only on your joints, but also on the vessels, heart and other organs. In the case of any deformities of the joints, it is timely to contact a specialist with the purpose of correction, especially pay attention to the joints of the feet.
Prevention of bursitis of the foot requires strict adherence to the following ways to prevent this ailment:
- It is necessary to avoid frequent injuries of joints as much as possible.
- When doing sports, be sure to use special bandages to protect the joints from excessive stress.
- In the case of any, even a minor cut or other open injuries, it is necessary to immediately treat each wound or even a scratch with an antiseptic and apply a bactericidal bandage.
- It is compulsory and timely to get rid of any infectious diseases.
And in conclusion I would like to remind you that you should not get involved in self-medication and be deceived by the hope that the ailment will pass by itself. It should always be remembered that the key to the successful treatment of any disease is timely access to a doctor and treatment of the disease at an early early stage of its development.
Forecast of bursitis of foot
The prognosis of foot bursitis, as a rule, depends on the specific stage of pathological changes in the affected tissues, the speed of infection, and the individual ability of the patient's body to resist this disease remains important. Negative outcome can be predicted in cases of acute course of the disease and such concomitant complications as arthritis, osteomyelitis, ulcers and sepsis. Often in the chronic form of bursitis, relapse occurs in up to 2.5% of operated patients.
In case of acute course of the disease, the forecast of bursitis of the foot may depend on the pathologies that arise in the tissues of the synovial bag, the degree of their spread and the individual resistance of the patient's body. A favorable prognosis for the acute form of bursitis can occur only in the case of a timely appeal to a medical specialist, who usually prescribes physiotherapy and fixing an orthopedic bandage that can provide complete fixation of the affected joint.
In order to avoid the acute, chronic or purulent forms of bursitis is worth remembering and always follow several simple rules:
- Moderate physical activity
- Not frequent wearing of rubber shoes
- Avoid hypothermia.
- It is not necessary to ignore even minor bruises of the joints (always rub with anti-inflammatory ointment or gel).
- Disinfecting seemingly minor cuts and scratches.