Bursitis of the foot

Bursitis of the foot is an inflammatory process that occurs in the joint capsule of the foot.

In order to understand what we are talking about, it is necessary to know what a joint capsule is. The name joint capsule is given to the connective tissue capsule surrounding the foot, the main functions of which are to protect the joint and ensure its functioning. Thanks to the fluid in the joint capsule, friction of the joint is facilitated and its protection from abrasion is ensured.

Foot bursitis is an extremely unpleasant disease caused by an inflammatory process affecting the synovial joint bags of the joints on the feet. Foot bursitis is usually divided into several subtypes depending on the damage to a particular joint. So, among bursitis, we can distinguish bursitis of the Achilles tendon, bursitis of the little finger, bursitis of the big toe, and there is also a very severe form - subcutaneous bursitis of the heel bag. In the latter case, the patient's movement during an exacerbation is often extremely difficult.

Achilles tendon bursitis, or as it is also called, Achilles bursitis, which appears as a result of inflammation of the joint capsule in the area of the posterior Achilles tendon and is characterized by swelling and redness of the skin of the back of the Achilles tendon, as well as aching pain and compaction under the skin. A variety of this disease is a disease called "Albert's disease", which in turn is manifested by an inflammatory process, over time, developing into rheumatoid arthritis.

Heel bursitis is also a type of Achilles bursitis with the only difference being that it is not the back of the Achilles tendon that is inflamed, but the front. Heel bursitis is characterized by pain, swelling, and redness of the skin in the heel area. Difficulty moving is also noted.

Bunion of the big toe and little toe is manifested by deformation and curvature of the big toe or little toe, which results in the protrusion of the joint of the big toe or little toe and, due to friction against the inner surface of the shoe, inflammation of the joint capsule occurs.

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Causes of foot bursitis

The causes of foot bursitis can be divided into several groups according to the nature of their origin.

Infectious: Bursitis occurs in case of any kind of trauma, abrasions or bruises, as well as in case of cuts. In this regard, through the damaged layer of skin, infection gets into the synovial bag - it can be staphylococcus, streptococcus or other pathogenic bacteria that cause purulent inflammation. Causes of foot bursitis are also infections carried by the lymphatic system, such as osteomyelitis, furunculosis or erysipelas.

Mechanical: Causes bursitis due to wearing uncomfortable shoes for a long time, bursitis of the heel bag often occurs in women wearing uncomfortable shoes with very high heels. Due to the unnatural position of the foot, deformation of the synovial sac occurs, and then bursitis. Also, bursitis of the heel bag is often an occupational disease of athletes.

Endocrine: Bursitis occurs as a result of a malfunction of the endocrine system, which is accompanied by the patient being overweight. Also, all sorts of hormonal and metabolic disorders can cause inflammation of the synovial sacs and joints.

Congenital: Bursitis occurs due to congenital weakness of the tendons, or in the case of congenital anomalies of the foot and joints.

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Symptoms of bunions

The symptoms of foot bursitis are not very diverse, but are quite unpleasant for the patient. Bursitis manifests itself very painfully and acutely with swelling, unpleasant sensations of sharp pain during palpation, reddening of the skin at the site of swelling and limitation or cessation of normal functioning of the joint affected by bursitis.

Symptoms of foot bursitis can also be general and manifest as fever and malaise that spreads throughout the body. It should be noted that bursitis is currently a fairly common joint disease in men under 35 years of age.

Symptoms of bursitis can sometimes be attributed to other foot diseases. Often, symptoms of bursitis are very similar to symptoms that appear with such a disease as heel spurs, but for a good specialist it is not a problem to correctly diagnose and identify bursitis. It is necessary to remember and separate the dependence of symptoms on the complexity and form of bursitis.

Serous or purulent bursitis is accompanied by high temperature, general malaise and sharp, acute pain during movement.

Chronic bursitis is characterized by hardening or scarring of tissues at the sites of joint damage by bursitis.

Acute bursitis is characterized by sharp pain when moving, which does not go away, even if the affected joint is immobilized. The pain is accompanied by swelling and high body temperature. Also, sensitivity increases in the area of swelling.

Patients suffering from any form of bunion typically experience discomfort when wearing shoes, have some difficulty walking, and also suffer from unpleasant pain when wearing shoes.

Bunion of the big toe

Bursitis of the big toe is often observed in patients suffering from flat feet, wearing very narrow shoes, shoes with a pointed toe or high heels. Due to flat feet, muscle balance is disturbed, which in turn leads to bursitis of the big toe. This pathology can be accompanied by the formation of joint deformation, which leads to curvature of the big toe. Bursitis of the big toe intensifies during friction of the inner wall of the shoe against the affected joint, which leads to inflammation accompanied by unpleasant pain when wearing shoes.

This disease is accompanied by a slight swelling of the joint of the big toe, and during the examination the patient may also experience sharp pain when palpating the swelling. Bursitis is often accompanied by a compaction in the area of the synovial bag of the joint of the big toe, when palpating which a sign of fluctuation is clearly traced.

Bursitis of the big toe is divided into two subtypes of deformation. At the early stage of bursitis with the first degree of deformation of the joint capsule, you can easily get rid of this disease. Since the first degree of deformation is not a serious enough problem and with timely professional help, you can easily cure it. The first degree of deformation with bursitis is treated by wearing orthopedic shoes and a special bandage that can relieve the load from the joint affected by bursitis and relieve pain.

In the case of bursitis of the big toe with the second degree of deformation or as it is also called valgus, more radical and complex treatment is required. In order to remove the inflammation of the joint capsule, anti-inflammatory and non-steroidal drugs are prescribed, and during the course of the disease in an acute form, corticosteroids are injected into the area of the inflamed joint. This method of treatment can only cope with inflammation and pain, but cannot eliminate the deformation of the joint, and in this regard, further treatment is carried out in parallel with wearing special orthopedic shoes and physiotherapy.

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Little toe bursitis

Bursitis of the little toe occurs due to an insufficiently correct gait with flat feet or wearing uncomfortable, very narrow shoes. All these reasons lead to bending to the side and deformation of the little toe. Bursitis of the little toe, like other types of bursitis of the foot, is accompanied by swelling, inflammation and sharp pain in the area of the little toe.

As mentioned above, bursitis of the little toe does not always occur in the case of any physiological features of the body. Often, the occurrence of this disease is caused by wearing shoes with a narrow toe, in which the toes are pressed and squeezed very strongly by uncomfortable shoes, which leads to inflammation of the synovial bag of the joint of the little toe.

In the case of acute development of the little finger bursitis, the medical specialist resorts to conservative treatment methods used in the outpatient clinic. During the treatment of this type of foot bursitis, anti-inflammatory drug treatment is often used, and the treatment also involves applying a plaster cast to securely fix the diseased joint. Also, in severe cases of the disease, injections of hormonal and anti-inflammatory drugs into the joint are used.

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Diagnosis of foot bursitis

Diagnosis of foot bursitis is usually based on the clinical symptoms of the disease. Often, in order to determine the characteristics of the inflammation, identify the pathogen and establish the sensitivity of a specific pathogen to antibiotics, the doctor takes a puncture of the exudate from the synovial bag for serological reactions. Also, a medical specialist can use instrumental methods during diagnosis in order to confirm the presence of bursitis in the patient, as well as to exclude other diseases with similar symptoms.

Diagnosis of foot bursitis is also based on the patient's complaints and the presence of clinical manifestations. In case of diagnosis of knee bursitis, a medical specialist may use the following diagnostic methods, such as: radiography, microscopy, general blood analysis and sometimes MRI.

A medical specialist can make a diagnosis only after carefully studying all the tests and necessary diagnostic methods. In order to make the most accurate diagnosis, excluding any other pathologies, it is recommended to conduct CT and ultrasound, and a clinical biochemical blood test may also be additionally prescribed.

In order to make a correct diagnosis, a medical specialist will need to exclude diseases such as: rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthropathy, Charot's disease and multiple sclerosis.

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Treatment of foot bursitis

Treatment of foot bursitis is a huge complex of procedures, not limited to just wearing orthopedic shoes. Wearing gentle shoes can only reduce pain in the foot, but not rid the patient of the disease. Most often, treatment of foot bursitis is carried out on an outpatient basis, but sometimes in severe cases it can be replaced by inpatient treatment.

Often, the procedures prescribed by a specialist are quite simple and do not require serious financial costs. One of the first is a plaster cast - this is necessary for strong fixation of the joint, which will help relieve some of the inflammation. After this, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed that will help relieve inflammation from the joint and remove swelling. Quite effective in the treatment of bursitis is rest, it is also necessary to exclude any physical activity on the leg. And after the acute inflammation of the joint is relieved, the doctor can prescribe UHF therapy, warming compresses and UV irradiation.

In advanced cases of bursitis, surgical procedures such as osteotomy and burseectomy may sometimes be performed. In the case of burseectomy, a specialist makes a deep incision and removes the bone growth. Osteotomy is a complex surgical procedure that involves moving the bones of the foot and fixing them securely with metal staples.

Unfortunately, many patients do not consider bursitis to be a serious enough disease to require medical attention. And this is a very dangerous misconception, because walking for months or years with a deformed joint on the leg and relieving pain with folk remedies can lead to all sorts of complications, which may subsequently require surgical intervention to eliminate.

Treatment of foot bursitis with folk remedies

Treatment of bursitis with folk remedies involves all sorts of recipes tested by generations. One of such remedies is a compress of cabbage leaves. For the compress, you should take several leaves of white cabbage, cut out all the dense veins, and then beat them with a kitchen hammer, preferably a wooden one. After this, the cabbage leaves beaten with a hammer should be wrapped around the affected joint and the compress should be secured with a bandage.

Dry heat is also considered a good remedy for treating bursitis. To do this, the affected areas should be warmed with socks or mittens made of natural wool, if the bursitis is on the arms, legs, or with a bandage made of a woolen scarf, kerchief, if the bursitis has affected other joints.

Treatment of bursitis with folk remedies also becomes effective with the help of various healing decoctions. For chronic forms of bursitis, a decoction of burdock root is ideal. To prepare the decoction, take 2 tablespoons of crushed dry burdock root, pour 1 liter of boiling water and boil over low heat for 5 minutes. Then let the resulting decoction brew for 15 minutes, after which you can make a compress on the affected joint from the resulting decoction. The procedure must be repeated every day for three weeks.

Prevention of foot bursitis

Prevention of foot bursitis often primarily involves timely treatment of infectious diseases. If you play sports, to avoid foot bursitis, you need to dose the load when playing sports based on your athletic training and physical parameters. Do not overload yourself, sooner or later this will negatively affect not only your joints, but also your blood vessels, heart and other organs. In the case of any joint deformations, promptly contact a specialist for correction, especially pay attention to the joints of the feet.

Prevention of foot bursitis requires strictly adhering to the following methods of preventing this disease:

• It is necessary to avoid frequent joint injuries as much as possible.
• When playing sports, it is essential to use special bandages to protect joints from excessive stress.
• In case of any, even minor, cut or other open injuries, it is necessary to immediately treat each wound or even scratch with an antiseptic and apply a bactericidal bandage.
• It is essential to promptly get rid of any infectious diseases.

And in conclusion, I would like to remind you that you should not get carried away with self-medication and be deceived by the hope that the disease will go away on its own. You should always remember that the key to successful treatment of any disease is timely visit to a doctor and treatment of the disease at an early stage of its development.

Bunion Prognosis

The prognosis of foot bursitis usually depends on the specific stage of pathological changes in the affected tissues, the speed of infection spread, and the individual ability of the patient's body to resist this disease remains important. A negative outcome can be predicted in cases of acute progression of the disease and such concomitant complications as arthritis, osteomyelitis, abscesses and sepsis. Often, with the chronic form of bursitis, relapse occurs in up to 2.5% of operated patients.

In the case of an acute course of the disease, the prognosis of foot bursitis may depend on the pathologies that arise in the tissues of the synovial bursa, the degree of their prevalence and the individual resistance of the patient's body. A favorable prognosis for acute bursitis can only occur in the case of timely referral to a medical specialist, who usually prescribes physiotherapy and a fixing orthopedic bandage that can ensure complete fixation of the diseased joint.

In order to avoid acute, chronic or purulent forms of bursitis, it is worth remembering and always following a few simple rules:

• Moderate physical activity
• Infrequent wearing of rubber shoes
• Avoid hypothermia.
• Even minor joint bruises should not be ignored (be sure to rub with anti-inflammatory ointment or gel).
• Disinfect seemingly minor cuts and scratches.