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February 9, 2012

Shoulder Bursitis

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What is shoulder bursitis?

A bursa is a tiny fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. The plural of bursa is bursae. There are 160 bursae in the body. The major bursae are located adjacent to the tendons near the large joints, such as the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.

Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa. When injury or inflammation of a bursa around the shoulder joint occurs, shoulder bursitis is present.



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Shoulder Bursitis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) facts

  • Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body.
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  • In rheumatoid arthritis, multiple joints are usually, but not always, affected in a symmetrical pattern.
  • Chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis can cause permanent joint destruction and deformity.
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  • The "rheumatoid factor" is an antibody that can be found in the blood of 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
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