Bursitis from Repetitive Strain

The central cause of most cases of bursitis is mechanical. The job of bursa is to protect other tissues from friction  and rubbing. Most of the time this works really well, but when there is way too much rubbing the repetitive strain leads to inflammation in the bursa. Overuse syndromes and mechanical insufficiencies in the body are very significant cause of bursitis because the bursae bear the brunt of many of our mechanical issues.

Bursitis from Physical Trauma or Injury

Like any other tissue bursae can be injured. In the same way, you can tear a tendon or bruise a muscle, bursae are prone to impact injuries. If you fall hard on your elbow for example this can compress the bursae. When they are injured bursa have aunique ability to blow up like balloons, due to the fact that they are fluid sacks that have the ability to blow up like an airbag that has been deployed in a care crash.

Bursitis from Infection

Infectious bursitis, or septic bursitis, occurs when bacteria invade superficial bursae directly or spread to deeper ones from elsewhere. It can be acute, subacute, or chronic and is more common in men, typically around age 50. While linked to conditions like diabetes, it’s often tied to repetitive trauma from jobs like plumbing, carpentry, or athletics. Ironically, steroid injections for non-infectious bursitis occasionally trigger septic bursitis.

Bursitis from Arthritis

When joints develop arthritis the bones around the joint tend to swell up, developing what physiotherapists and doctors call ‘osteophytes’. These osteophytes cause increased friction on the tendons that work around the joint. These changes often lead to tendon pain and bursitis. In this instance, bursitis is often misdiagnosed as true arthritic pain, when in reality it’s ‘arthritis related’. An important distinction. Inflammatory arthropathies like rheumatoid arthritis can also cause bursitis, which is driven by autoimmune activity.

Bursitis from Calcium Deposits

Calcific bursitis emerges when calcium builds up in tissues around the bursa, causing pain and stiffness. The bursa cushions joints, but chronic inflammation can deposit calcium, which lingers post-inflammation, sustaining discomfort. Often hitting shoulders or hips, it’s linked to repetitive strain or conditions like ankylosing spondylitis, though its exact trigger isn’t always straightforward.

Bursitis from Poor Gait and Footwear

Foot bursitis can stem from trauma like falls or sports impacts, but it’s often repetitive strain—think long hours standing or running. Tight shoes pressing on bursae or foot issues like flat feet, bunions, or overpronation add stress, pinching tissues and enlarging bursae over time. Ill-fitting footwear during high-impact activities like jogging amplifies shock, worsening bursitis.

Bursitis from Poor Posture

Bursitis in the shoulder can occur as a downstream affect of poor posture, especially in people who have sedentary jobs. When the shoulders roll forward it causes compression of the tendons and soft tissues surrounding the shoulder joint. Overtime this can cause the bursa in the shoulder to swell in an attempt to protect the tendons.

Bursitis from Obesity

Obesity ramps bursitis by overloading weight-bearing joints—knees, hips, ankles—during daily movement. This excess pressure irritates bursae, sparking inflammation. Poor posture and gait shifts tied to obesity add joint stress, while metabolic issues like diabetes and inflammation-boosting cytokines from fat tissue intensify bursitis symptoms.