Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAssessing Trochanteric BursitisTrochanteric Bursitis Physical TherapyTrochanteric Bursitis ExercisesPreventionOutlookFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Assessing Trochanteric Bursitis
Trochanteric Bursitis Physical Therapy
Trochanteric Bursitis Exercises
Prevention
Outlook
Frequently Asked Questions
Trochanteric bursitis is a condition of the hip that results from inflammation of thebursae, small fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between muscles, ligaments, and bones, at an area on the outside of thefemur(thighbone) called the greater trochanter. This can cause hip pain, limiting your range of motion and making certain activities and positions uncomfortable.
Trochanteric bursitis is the main form of hip bursitis. Another form of hip bursitis called ischial bursitis occurs at the ischium, a portion of the pelvic bone. It causes pain in the back of the hip and groin rather than at the side of the hip.
Trochanteric bursitis most commonly occurs in adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, and is four times more likely to occur in women than men. Risk factors for developing trochanteric bursitis include a sudden increase in activity and repetitive motions that cause compression or tension at the lateral hip.
Symptoms of trochanteric bursitis include pain and difficulty with prolonged standing and walking, going up and down stairs, walking up and down inclines and declines, sitting down and standing up from a chair, sitting for long periods of time, and lying on your side.
Pain is also increased when you actively move your leg to the side into abduction (away from the body) or when your leg is passively stretched into adduction toward or across your body.
Symptom severity can range from mild discomfort with certain positions to significant pain and limitations with everyday movements.
The main goal of physical therapy is to reduce pain and irritation at the side of the hip so you can get back to performing normal activities without limitations. Trochanteric bursitis is treated on an outpatient basis in outpatient physical therapy.
Physical therapy for trochanteric bursitis typically involves:
How to Treat Hip Bursitis
Verywell / Joules Garcia
Side-Lying Straight Leg Raise
Side-lying leg raises can help strengthen your gluteus medius, a muscle that helps stabilize the hip joint and move the leg out and away from your body. Weakness of thegluteus mediuscan lead to inflammation and irritation of the muscle or tendon at the side of the hip and underlying bursae as the muscle cannot keep up with activity demands to stabilize the pelvis.
To perform this exercise:
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Thehamstringsare a group of three muscles that run from behind the hip to behind the knee. When the hamstrings are tight, they cannot contract optimally. This can lead to either tightness or overuse of surrounding muscles of the hips, including the gluteus medius and TFL, which can cause irritation to the hip bursae.
Clamshell
Clamshells help strengthen the gluteus medius and deep external rotators of the hip joint. When these muscles are weak, the femur can become misaligned, putting increased stress on the hip. This leads to inflammation and irritation of the gluteus medius muscle or tendon at the side of the hip and underlying bursae as the muscle cannot keep up with activity demands to stabilize the pelvis.
To increase the intensity, add a resistance band around your thigh above your knees to increase activation of your glute muscles.
Piriformis Stretch
The piriformis is a muscle in the back of the hips underlying the glutes which helps externally rotate the hip. When this muscle is tight, the hip joint cannot move properly, causing increased tension and friction at surrounding structures, including the hip bursae.
Piriformis Syndrome: Stretches and Exercises
Your physical therapist will also provide you with a home exercise program of strengthening and stretching exercises that will supplement your physical therapy visits. They should be used when you complete your physical therapy to continue on your own to maintain good hip alignment and prevent the recurrence of symptoms.
To minimize symptoms, you should also:
Physical therapy usually requires sessions two to three times a week and may take three to six weeks for symptom improvement. Because symptoms can recur, it is important to regularly attend physical therapy sessions and be compliant with your home exercise program to keep your hip muscle strong and prevent irritation and inflammation of your hip bursae.
Summary
Trochanteric bursitis is inflammation of the bursa at the part of the hip called the greater trochanter. Physical therapy can reduce pain and help you get back to everyday activities. The focus of the exercises in this article is on reducing inflammation, tension, and spasm in the hip muscles.
A Word From Verywell
Trochanteric bursitis of the hip is typically very responsive to physical therapy treatment to restore proper hip alignment, muscle strength, and movement patterns. During the time that you attend physical therapy, you may have to modify your activities—especially prolonged standing, walking, running, or athletic activities—until your pain and inflammation start to subside.
Hip bursitis usually improves within three to six weeks with regular attendance to physical therapy and compliance with activity modification and a home exercise program.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Greater trochanteric pain syndrome clinical practice guideline.Lustenberger DP, Ng VY, Best TM, Ellis TJ.Efficacy of treatment of trochanteric bursitis: a systematic review.Clin J Sport Med.2011;21(5):447-453. doi:10.1097/JSM.0b013e318221299c
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Greater trochanteric pain syndrome clinical practice guideline.Lustenberger DP, Ng VY, Best TM, Ellis TJ.Efficacy of treatment of trochanteric bursitis: a systematic review.Clin J Sport Med.2011;21(5):447-453. doi:10.1097/JSM.0b013e318221299c
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Greater trochanteric pain syndrome clinical practice guideline.Lustenberger DP, Ng VY, Best TM, Ellis TJ.Efficacy of treatment of trochanteric bursitis: a systematic review.Clin J Sport Med.2011;21(5):447-453. doi:10.1097/JSM.0b013e318221299c
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Greater trochanteric pain syndrome clinical practice guideline.
Lustenberger DP, Ng VY, Best TM, Ellis TJ.Efficacy of treatment of trochanteric bursitis: a systematic review.Clin J Sport Med.2011;21(5):447-453. doi:10.1097/JSM.0b013e318221299c
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