Home Treatment

• Treating bursitis is usually simple. Your focus is to rest the shoulder that has bursitis. If there is swelling, apply ice to keep the swelling down. You can also take over-the-counter medications with ibuprofen to relieve any pain you may feel. Bursitis usually goes away within a few weeks if you treat it this way.
  
  

Physical Therapy

• Sometimes your shoulder muscles are weakened as a result of you not being able to use the shoulder as much while you are suffering from bursitis. In these situations, your doctor may recommend you see a physical therapist. The therapist will recommend exercises that help rebuild the muscles in your shoulder. The exercises he recommends will depend on factors such as your age, strength and ability.
  
  

Injection

• If you are feeling significant pain in your shoulder due to inflammation of a bursa, your doctor may decide it is best to inject a corticosteroid. The corticosteroid is often able to provide immediate relief. It is not common that more than one injection will be needed.
  
  

Antibiotics

• In some cases, bursitis is caused by an infection, but this kind of bursitis is not common in shoulders. If this is the case, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Antibiotics fight to make sure that no bacterial infections spread in the body.
  
  

Draining

• In some cases, a doctor will decide to drain the bursa fluid from the shoulder. To do this, the doctor uses a sterile needle and syringe to extract the fluid. This procedure can be performed in the doctor's office. The fluid sometimes will be sent to a lab for further examination.