Self Management Of Ischioglutal Bursitis
Self Management Of Ischioglutal Bursitis
Ischioglutal bursitis is a condition that has been around for hundreds of years, since the industrial revolution, when weavers often contracted the condition after they had been sitting at their looms all day and often part of the night.
The condition is caused by long periods of sitting usually on hard surfaces where the bones in the bottom or even the middle part of the buttocks is compressed against a hard surface.
People with bursitis usually feel pain when they are either sitting or lying flat on the buttocks. The pain then usually travels round to the back part of the thigh.
Self Management
If you suspect that you have ischioglutal bursitis, then it is important to seek a medical opinion, simply to ensure that it is indeed bursitis and nothing else. Some lumbar and spine conditions can also be exacerbated by sitting, so a medical opinion is vital.
It is likely that you will be referred to an expert physiotherapist to ensure that exercises can be prescribed to help strengthen the muscles in both the hips and the buttock area. These exercises are important to ensure not only that the condition improves, but also to avoid a repetition.
However, there are some things that you can do to help to self-manage your condition.
It is important to identify the activity that may have led to the bursitis in the first instance. This can be cycling or any other activity that involves sitting for long periods. However, it can also be caused by repeating an activity such as jumping or kicking, especially without a proper warm up or cool down routine.
This activity should be avoided until the condition is much improved and you should usually wait until your physiotherapist recommends that it is safe to initiate it again. Continuing the activity that is the cause of the condition will simply aggravate it and the rest gives the body a chance to heal and recuperate which it desperately needs.
A short-term measure to help is to use ice packs to help alleviate the pain in the affected area. This will bring some immediate relief.
Some patients find that using pillows in bed can help ease any discomfort. These should be placed near the hips or knees, according to where they prove more comfortable.
Whilst being overweight may not have directly caused this condition, it is important that you do not carry any excess weight, so try to lose weight if this is an issue. Obviously this is a long-term measure and will not happen overnight. It can also be much more difficult to lose weight if you are unable to exercise, but is should be a goal that is aspired to.
Carrying out the exercises recommended by your physiotherapist will also help, even if this takes some time. Although it can be hard to complete the exercises regularly, perseverance will pay in the longer term, so it is vital that a routine is established as per the physiotherapist’s instructions!
