Management of Lateral Hip Pain

So now that you’ve diagnosed your patient as having greater trochanteric bursitis (GTB) and/or gluteal tendinopathy (GT), what can you do about it? Here is a list of 10 suggestions before resorting to cortisone injection or surgery.

Use a topical NSAID cream (unlike oral NSAIDs there is at least no risk of GI side effects)

Use a cane on the opposite hand to reduce the gluteal load on the greater trochanter. The temporary use of a cane may be one of the single best interventions.

Avoid sleeping on the affected hip. When sleeping on the unaffected hip, use an abductor pillow to keep the hips apart.

Reduce running or walking distance (if possible try not to completely stop, do as tolerated without causing pain)

Modify running shoes, running style, cadence, avoid hills or try elliptical machine for a while

Hold handrail and take stairs one step at a time using the unaffected leg

Deep squats to maintain hip mobility (3 reps once a day)

Eccentric hip abductor strengthening (e.g. Single leg standing clock excursion reach)

Hip abduction and adduction mobility exercises (e.g. clock lunges). See videos on com where you may freely access all my exercise videos.

Tissue distraction release with movement (TDR-WM) to ITB and hip abductors. Email me to get the free TDR e book.

Reference: Sorry no good study to reference. Only personal experience