Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome:

Symptoms:

• Pain on the outside of the hip, on or close to the bone.
• Pain lying on affected side
• Pain may refer down the outside of the thigh
• Pain walking up stairs, uphill or getting in and out of a car.
• Pain on getting up from sitting and crossing legs.
• Difficulty getting dressed when needing to stand on one leg or crossing leg over.

Causes:

• Increased compression of gluteal muscles that attach onto the bone on the side of your hip.
• Repetitive movements or positions where compression of tendons and bursae leads to pain.
• Poor pelvic control when walking, squatting or climbing stairs.
• Posture and stance habits:
  • Standing with hip hanging to side (as if holding a baby on one hip.)
  • Sitting with legs crossed
• Sudden increase in activity or starting a new activity (new exercise class, walking more whilst on holidays, change in walking routes with more uphill walking or returning too quickly after an injury).
• Other factors:
  • Changes in medication, weight & hormones can often play a role.
  • More common in women either during or after menopause.

Treatment & Management:

• Physiotherapist assessment to accurately diagnose your pain.
• Exercise program targeted at surrounding muscles and specific exercises for local muscles around the area of pain.
• Corticosteriod injections can often help to decrease pain and provide a time frame for appropriate strengthening.

Tips:

• Advice and education on daily habits and activities has been found to improve symptoms.
• Resting from aggravating activities, whilst targeting to strengthen local muscles helps to decrease symptoms.
• Gradual walking and exercise program outlined by your physiotherapist is important to reduce the likleyhood of pain returning.