Possible hip Tendinitis Vs. Bursitis

Dear Ask The Doctor: I was teaching my Hatha yoga class yesterday evenging and I think I pulled my tensor fasciae latae. Sitting down for long periods of time hurts. Walking slowly seems to diminish the pain. Is there anything I can do to heal this? Avoid any stretching would be one!! Thank you

Dear Pauline: Overuse injuries or repetitive motion injuries make up over 50% of all athletic-related injuries seen by doctors. Simple everyday actions, such as throwing a ball, scrubbing a floor, running or jogging, or in your case repetitive stretching can lead to this condition. The most common types of repetitive motion injuries are tendonitis and bursitis. These 2 disorders are difficult to differentiate and many times may coexist. Bursae are small pouches or sacs that are found over areas where friction may develop and serve to cushion or lubricate the area between tendon and bone; common areas where bursitis can occur include the elbow, knee and hip.  Traumatic bursitis is the type involved with repetitive motion injuries. Traumatic bursitis is most common in people younger than 35 years. Ice in the affected area can be used for relief of pain and swelling. The conservative treatment either for tendinitis or bursitis is as follows: avoid activities that exacerbate the pain, apply ice during the early phase and moist heat during the long-term phase. Use of anti inflammatory medication NSAIDs (“aleve”, “motrin”) can help to ease pain and swelling. If your tendinitis or bursitis is not helped by NSAIDs, your doctor may choose to inject steroids into the surrounding area of inflammation. You should begin gradually range-of-motion exercise once your symptoms begin to improve. As a rule, you should not have more than 3 injections into the same area within a 12-month period. Alternative treatments include pain-killing creams, capsaicin cream (an over-the-counter pain relief cream made from an ingredient of cayenne pepper), and steroid medications if you are able to take them.Regarding prevention measures for bursitis or tendinitis: Do adequate warm-up and cool-down maneuvers (crucial to proper tendon and bursae health). Avoid activity that makes your injury flare up. This will speed healing of both tendinitis and bursitis. A great majority of bursitis cases heal well. Just have to be patient and consistent with the treatment.