Bursitis
- Bursitis Overview
- Bursitis Causes
- Bursitis Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
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- Viewer Comments: Bursitis - Describe Your Experience
Bursitis Overview
Bursae (one is a bursa) are fluid-filled sacs that cushion areas of friction between tendon and bone or skin. Like air-filled bubble wrap, these sacs reduce friction between moving parts of the body, such as in the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and heel.
The number varies, but most people have about 160 bursae throughout the body. Bursae are lined with special cells called synovial cells, which secrete a fluid rich in collagen and proteins. This synovial fluid acts as a lubricant when parts of the body move. When this fluid becomes infected by bacteria or irritated because of too much movement, the painful condition known as bursitis results.
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Bursitis - Describe Your Experience
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Bursitis
Shoulder and Neck Pain Overview
Your neck and shoulders contain muscles, bones, nerves, arteries, and veins, as well as many ligaments and other supporting structures. Many conditions can cause pain in the neck and shoulder area. Some are life-threatening (such as heart attack and major trauma), and others are not so dangerous (such as simple strains or contusions).
Shoulder and Neck Pain Causes
- The most common cause of shoulder pain and neck pain is injury to the soft tissues including the muscles, tendons, and ligaments within these structures. This can occur from whiplash or other injury to these areas. Degenerative arthritis of the spine in the neck (cervical spine) can pinch nerves that can cause both neck pain and shoulder pain. Degenerative disc disease in the neck (cervical spondylosis) can cause local neck pain. Abnormal conditions involving the spinal cord, heart, lungs, and some abdominal organs also can cause n...
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Bursitis »
Bursae are saclike structures between skin and bone or between tendons, ligaments, and bone.
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