This condition rarely involves the bursa so it is now accepted that the Gluteus Medius Tendon is the primary issue in patients with pain on the side of their hip. This condition typically affects women from 40-60 years of age who complain of difficulty climbing stairs, long walks and disturbed sleep. It can be confused with hip arthritis but range of motion is unaffected and outer hip pain isn’t typical of arthritis. It is associated with weakness around the pelvis such that the subsequent altered mechanics of walking increases the compression of the tendon as it attaches to the bony protuberance on the outside of the femur. This can occur in tandem with hip arthritis, and often occurs as a consequence of hip replacement surgery.
How can we help?
We will carry out a number of tests to identify if your pain is coming from somewhere else (e.g.spine), your hip joint, or your gluteal tendons. We may use ultrasound imaging to help with this, and to see if there is an inflamed bursa present. Once we have established it is a tendon problem we can discuss ways to fix this through medication/exercises/posture advice or Shockwave Therapy.
