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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Bursitis differential diagnosis

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Bursitis symptoms and signs are relatively non-specific. Even after collecting a detailed history and performing a physical examination, imaging studies are often necessary to rule out other musculoskeletal conditions. Bursitis must be differentiated from tendonitis, cellulitis, osteoarthritis, ligamentous injuries, and septic arthritis.[1][2][3]

Differentiating Bursitis from other Diseases

Differentiating Bursitis from other Diseases

Bursitis must be differentiated from:[1][2][3]

Anatomic location

Based on anatomic location, bursitis must be differentiated from:

Type of Bursitis Differential diagnosis
Subacromial bursitis[2]
Olecranon bursitis[4][5]
Trochanteric bursitis[6][7]
Prepatellar bursitis[3][8][9]
Retrocalcaneal bursitis[1][10]
References

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fauci, Anthony S., and Carol Langford. Harrison’s rheumatology. McGraw Hill Professional, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Walker‐Bone, Karen, et al. “Prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb in the general population.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Aaron, Daniel L., et al. “Four common types of bursitis: diagnosis and management.” Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 19.6 (2011): 359-367.
  4. ↑ Stell IM (1996). “Septic and non-septic olecranon bursitis in the accident and emergency department–an approach to management”. J Accid Emerg Med. 13 (5): 351–3. PMC 1342774. PMID 8894865.
  5. ↑ Lockman L (2010). “Treating nonseptic olecranon bursitis: a 3-step technique”. Can Fam Physician. 56 (11): 1157. PMC 2980436. PMID 21075998.
  6. ↑ Brinks A, van Rijn RM, Bohnen AM, Slee GL, Verhaar JA, Koes BW; et al. (2007). “Effect of corticosteroid injection for trochanter pain syndrome: design of a randomised clinical trial in general practice”. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 8: 95. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-8-95. PMC 2045096. PMID 17880718.
  7. ↑ Karpinski MR, Piggott H (1985). “Greater trochanteric pain syndrome. A report of 15 cases”. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 67 (5): 762–3. PMID 4055877.
  8. ↑ Huang, Yu-Chih, and Wen-Lin Yeh. “Endoscopic treatment of prepatellar bursitis.” International orthopaedics 35.3 (2011): 355-358.
  9. ↑ Meyerding, Henry W., and ROBERT E. VanDEMARK. “POSTERIOR HERNIA OF THE KNEE:(BAKER’S CYST, POPLITEAL CYST, SEMIMEMBRANOSUS BURSITIS, MEDIAL GASTROCNEMIUS BURSITIS AND POPLITEAL BURSITIS).” Journal of the American Medical Association 122.13 (1943): 858-861.
  10. ↑ Lyman, Jeffrey, Paul S. Weinhold, and Louis C. Almekinders. “Strain behavior of the distal Achilles tendon implications for insertional Achilles tendinopathy.” The American Journal of Sports Medicine 32.2 (2004): 457-461.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sara Mehrsefat, M.D. [2]