Bursitis Bursitis – What is bursitis?
What is a bursa? Every person has hundreds of bursa scattered throughout the body. The function of a bursa is to decrease friction between two surfaces that move in different directions. • The bursa can be thought of as a Ziplock bag with a small amount of oil and no air inside. Imagine rubbing this bag between your hands; movement of your hands would be smooth and effortless. That is what a bursa functions as–a smooth, slippery surface between two moving objects. You tend to find a bursa at points where muscles and tendons glide over bones. Without the bursa between these surfaces, movements would be painful. What is bursitis? Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. Normally, the bursa provides a slippery surface that has almost no friction. A problem arises when a bursa becomes inflamed. The bursa loses its gliding capabilities, and becomes more and more irritated when it is moved. When the condition called bursitis occurs, the normally slippery bursa becomes swollen and inflamed.
