Hip Pain

Have you got pain on the outside of the hip? Perhaps you have been diagnosed with bursitis?

Pain on the outside of the hips is an extremely common complaint coming into the clinic. The vast majority of people with lateral hip pain are women in their 40’s 50’s and 60’s. In the past this has often been called hip bursitis and treated with cortisone injections. Unfortunately this has mixed success due to the fact that tendons are often involved and cortisone injection has limited use for tendon injury. In fact 4% - 46% of people have bursitis visible on imaging and tendinopathy 18% to 50% of people.
The technical terms that are often used include:
​

• Hip Bursitis (trochanteric bursitis)
• Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS)
• Gluteal tendinitis (Gluteal tendinopathy)

We prefer the term GTPS as it more realistically encomasses the common causes of outer hip pain. 
Classic symptoms of GTPS include pain on the outside of the hip, especially at night when side sleeping and with the sore side down ALTHOUGH  it quite often gets painful with the sore side up as well - due to the fact that the leg is hanging across the midline of the body essentially tractioning the outer hip muscles.

Three things you can do right now to help relieve this problem.
​
✅✅✅Sleep with the sore side UP & place a pillow between your legs ✅✅✅

​❌❌❌Do NOT cross your legs when seated❌❌❌

​❌❌❌ Do NOT stand with all your weight posted onto one leg. ❌❌❌

Excessive loading of the gluteal tendon attachments to the top of the thigh bone along with direct compression (from side laying in bed) may be partly responsible for the development of lateral hip pain. As such, decreasing the repetitive loading on the muscles and tendons can help alleviate the symptoms in the SHORT term.

Now GTPS can be particularly tricky to get better. In our experience one of the major challenges is doing too much too soon in the recovery process. Slow progressive exercises are the best way to a long term solution. 

If you would like further advice on the best progressive exercises for GTPS or other tendon issues we recommend consulting your local healthcare provider that has a special interest in tendon rehabilitation. If you are local to Health Associates we would be more than happy to help.

Further Resources

For a fantastic visual resource relating to any tendon problem click on the link below to view Jill Cooks - 10 Things NOT to do if you have lower limb tendon pain . 

Written by Christopher Bowles
Chiropractor 
Working at Health Associates Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday​

​Credentials
Master of Chiropractic
Diploma Sports Chiropractic
Registered Sports Trainer
Active Release Technique
Personal Trainer
Functional Movement Screen

​Chris created Health Associates on the belief that movement is essential to living well. It is his personal mission to keep people active and moving for as long as possible. Recreational to elite, Chris will make sure that you are provided the best treatment possible and will help keep you in your sport. Chris is very empathetic to the pain and suffering of his patients. That is why he gives everything he can to ensure that they receive an accurate diagnosis and the most recent evidence based treatment plan.

---

Book Online