Treatment of Ischioglutal Bursitis
Treatment of Ischioglutal Burstitis
Although not well known as a condition, ischioglutal burstitis is a condition that affects more people than is generally thought and it can be quite a painful condition.
The term refers to an inflamed bursa that is located between a hamstring muscle’s tendon and the ischial tuberosity. The purpose of the bursa is to reduce any friction that can occur between the bone and the tendon and when it becomes inflamed, pain occurs.
Ischiologlutal burstitis is felt at the bottom of the pelvic bone, where this crosses with one side of the buttocks, the gluteus maximus muscle. However the pain may also be felt in the thigh, because it can radiate down to the thigh.
What causes Ischioglutal Burstitis?
The bursa can actually become inflamed of its own volition, but the more general cause is inflammation of the hamstring tendon, so the two conditions may be present at the same time. So not only do you have the burstitis, you can also have hamstring tendonitis.
Often the condition is brought on by prolonged periods of cycling or sitting on a very hard surface for too long a period.
An injury to the bursa can also cause it to become inflamed and in some cases there may also be calcium deposits that have formed in the bursa, which has resulted in inflammation.
How do you know that you have ischioglutal burstitis and not hamstring tendonitis?
This will be diagnosed by your specialist, who will be able to ascertain which condition you have, or whether you have both. As a rule of thumb if you have ischioglutal burstitis then the condition will not respond well to being massaged intensively and may even become worse, so this is a good indicator as to which condition you have; hamstring tendonitis generally responds well to massage.
Treatment options
Although traditional treatment options for ischioglutal burstitis recommend rest and treatment with painkillers etc, physiotherapy also has a vital role to play in ensuring that the hamstrings are strengthened to alleviate pain.
Rest should mean that you do not undertake the sport or activity that may have caused the burstitis in the first place. You should certainly undertake any exercises that your physio has recommended.
Your doctor or specialist will probably wish to have an x-ray of the area, simply to ascertain that the condition is burstitis and that there is no other cause for the pain, sometimes an MRI scan may be recommended as a way of double checking that everything is ok.
The combination of resting from sports or activities combined with physiotherapy is usually sufficient to eradicate the problem. If not then the bursa can be treated using a corticosteroid in conjunction with a local anaesthetic.
If you suspect that you have ischioglutal burstitis it is important to get a proper medical diagnosis simply to ensure that you do not have any other condition, you should also avoid using massage, since this may not help and may even cause further inflammation, so expert medical advice should be sought.
