Hip pain can have various causes. One of the most common we see at PPP is gluteal tendinopathy involving gluteus medius and minimus. It presents as pain on the outside of the hip and can often be diagnosed as bursitis.
In a tendinopathy, the tendon structure is disturbed and starts to deteriorate. It can be caused by repeated compression of the tendon against the bone, overuse (too much load) or a sedentary lifestyle (not enough load).
In gluteal tendinopathy, pain is often brought on or aggravated by lying on that side, walking – particularly if fast and striding and tends to be worse going uphill/upstairs.
Tendinopathies can really reduce activity such as hiking and cycling but even normal activities such as shopping and gardening can be very painful.
Things to avoid initially would be sleeping on that side, walking fast with big strides, standing on one leg and crossing legs.
Instead try sleeping on your back or on the other side with a pillow between your knees, walking with smaller strides and a more moderate pace and sitting to dress.
It can be treated with hands-on physio and exercises to rebuild resilience in the tendons. Like most things, getting onto it quickly usually means a faster, better result but even long-standing tendinopathies can improve with appropriate physio treatment.
If you suffer from Lateral Hip Pain, don’t hesitate to contact us for an appointment.