What does bursa removal treat?

A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac that reduces friction near a joint. Repeated pressure, injury, infection, inflammatory disease, or crystal deposits can make it swollen and painful. Bursa removal, also called bursectomy, removes the affected sac; it does not correct every cause of irritation by itself. In the knee, surgery may be considered for stubborn prepatellar or other knee bursitis. At the elbow, an enlarged olecranon bursa can interfere with leaning, clothing, or joint movement. The surgeon may send tissue or fluid for testing when infection or another cause is suspected.

Before surgery, the clinician may try pressure reduction, activity changes, medication, physiotherapy, aspiration, or treatment for infection or inflammatory disease. Discuss whether the bursa is infected, how the incision will be protected, and when elbow or knee movement can resume. Avoid kneeling or leaning on the area until your team gives specific guidance, and keep the dressing clean and dry as instructed.

After the procedure, contact the surgical team promptly for spreading redness, increasing warmth, pus, fever, wound separation, or rapidly increasing swelling. Seek urgent care for severe pain with a pale or cold limb, new loss of sensation, or inability to move the nearby joint. Recurrent swelling should be reviewed because infection, bleeding, or ongoing pressure may need treatment.

Ask what caused the bursitis, whether fluid or tissue will be tested, and what alternatives remain before surgery. Clarify wound care, movement restrictions, the risk of recurrence, and how your work, sport, kneeling, or leaning activities should be modified during healing.