There are 160 bursae in the body. A bursa is a tiny fluid-filled sac that functions as a cushion and a smooth gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. The major bursae are located adjacent to the tendons near the large joints, such as the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.

Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa. The shoulder’s subacromial bursa is the largest bursa in the body and is susceptible to bursitis. It is located below a part of the shoulder blade called the acromion (hence the name subacromial). If this bursa becomes inflamed it is called shoulder bursitis or subacromial bursitis.

The shoulder’s soft tissue structures (non-bone structures), such as muscles, ligaments, tendons and bursae, are packed closely together, so their health is interdependent. If one becomes damaged others are likely to follow. Therefore, shoulder bursitis can be the result of other shoulder problems as well as the cause of new problems. See rotator cuff, shoulder impingement and frozen shoulder.

Falling or banging the shoulder on a hard surface could cause the bursa to fill with blood and its lining to become inflamed. Even though the body reabsorbs the blood, the bursa lining may stay inflamed, causing bursitis symptoms. This is called traumatic bursitis.

Most often shoulder bursitis is caused by frequent “mini-traumas,” which can cause the same problems as a single, more serious trauma. People who must lift their arms overhead for work or sports are more prone to developing shoulder bursitis over time. People at a higher risk of developing shoulder bursitis include painters, wallpaper hangers, tennis players, swimmers and golfers.

A number of health conditions can sometimes cause a bursa to become inflamed. These include:

As bursitis can be result of over use the initial treatment will involve rest and an analysis of the kinds of activities you usually do to see in any of them are aggregating the condition.

It may be necessary to avoid activities that will aggravate and inflame the shoulder bursa, such as throwing, lifting, pushing, and pulling.

In some cases taping the shoulder to support it during movement can help.

Hand therapy. 

At Hand Kinetics you can expect an analysis of your working posture to see if it can be improved to prevent recurrence of bursitis. Making slight modifications to how you perform repeated activities can help to treat the current condition and also prevent future problems.

You may have been prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and cream from your GP which will also help to alleviate pain.