Does cortisone injection treat bursitis?

A bursa is a small fluid-filled cushion that helps tissues glide. Repeated kneeling, leaning, friction, an injury, or an inflammatory condition can irritate it. Cortisone may settle non-infectious inflammation when simpler measures have not provided enough relief. A swollen, hot, or very tender area may need examination and sometimes fluid testing before any injection is chosen.

Reduce the movement or pressure that provokes the area, use comfortable support, and follow a clinician’s plan for mobility and strengthening. Do not self-treat a new lump with leftover medication. Before an injection, mention diabetes, blood-thinning medicine, allergies, skin infection, or previous reactions. Ask how long to protect the area afterward and when normal loading can resume.

Get urgent medical advice if the bursa becomes rapidly more swollen, red, hot, or painful, or if you develop fever or feel unwell. These features can occur with infection, which needs a different treatment. After an injection, worsening pain with spreading redness or fever also warrants prompt review.

Is my bursitis infectious or non-infectious? What activity is irritating the bursa? Would drainage, physiotherapy, or another option be safer for me?