Bursitis symptoms include pain that may radiate throughout the hip, thigh and buttock. To confirm that the cause of the pain is bursitis, your doctor will do a complete physical exam and ask you about how and when the pain began.
What bursitis feels like. Trochanteric bursitis brings warmth, swelling and pain to your outer thigh that can spread down to your knee. Walking intensifies the pain, limping is common and climbing steps can become difficult. Tenderness on the side you're lying on may interfere with sleep.
Patients with greater trochanteric bursitis pain syndrome (GTBPS) usually suffer from pain radiating to the posterolateral aspect of the thigh, paraesthesiae in the legs, and tenderness over the iliotibial tract..
If you have a problem with your hip joint you may feel pain in the groin, down the front of the leg and in the knee. Sometimes knee pain is the only sign of a hip problem – this is called referred pain or radiated pain and is fairly common.
Tendons and bursae are located near joints. Inflamed soft tissues will often be felt by patients as joint pain. This will be mistaken for arthritis. Symptoms of bursitis and tendonitis are similar.
Differentiating between bursitis and other conditions that affect these joints— such as arthritis, tendinitis, tendon or ligament damage, infection, fracture or neoplasm— can make it a challenge to diagnose.
A cortisone shot for hip bursitis can be very painful, as there is a risk of a steroid flare reaction, which affects about 30% of people. A steroid flare reaction is an increase in pain that lasts 1-3, and up to 5 days.
Rest and don't overuse the affected area. Apply ice to reduce swelling for the first 48 hours after symptoms occur. Apply dry or moist heat, such as a heating pad or taking a warm bath.
In the acute stages of hip bursitis, any weight-bearing exercise can increase your pain. This includes even walking on level surfaces at a modest pace.
The main symptom of trochanteric bursitis is pain at the point of the hip. The pain usually extends to the outside of the thigh area. In the early stages, the pain is usually described as sharp and intense. Later, the pain may become more of an ache and spread across a larger area of the hip.
If the outside of your hip becomes tender and swollen, it may be affected with bursitis. Bursitis can be very painful, and tends to be more severe during joint use, or while resting at night. Hip bursitis can become so painful that it may limit your mobility.
Pain that doesn't go away
Hip bursitis (trochanteric bursitis) may be a sign of a more serious issue. If you continue to have bursitis pain at the hip that has not improved despite extensive treatment, you may have a tear of a muscle located next to the bursa called the gluteus medius.
Bursa injections contain steroids that soothe bursitis inflammation and joint pain. The steroid injection eases symptoms of hip bursitis, shoulder bursitis and other types of bursitis. If injections don't relieve symptoms, you may need surgery.
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion your tendons, ligaments, and muscles. When they work normally, bursae help the tendons, ligaments, and muscles glide smoothly over bone. But when the bursae are swollen, the area around them becomes very tender and painful.
The most common causes of bursitis are injury or overuse, but it can also be caused by infection. Pain, swelling, and tenderness near a joint are the most common signs of bursitis. Bursitis can be treated with rest and medicines to help with the inflammation.
Diagnosis of Hip Bursitis
To check for any bone spurs that could be causing irritation of the bursa your doctor may order an X-ray. If the reason for the pain is not very clear, your doctor may order an MRI to view the soft tissues and structures not visible on an X-ray.
Diagnosis of hip bursitis
Your doctor might order imaging tests such as x-ray, MRIs, ultrasounds, or bone scans. Ultrasound and MRI specifically are used to confirm the diagnosis when the bursae are too deep for regular inspection.
Try sleeping on your back or, if you're a side sleeper, sleep on the side that doesn't hurt and put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned. Around your hip bone and other joints are small sacs filled with fluid that cushion the joint when it moves. These sacs are called bursae.
Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica most often occurs when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on part of the nerve.
Hip problems, such as arthritis in your hip, usually cause pain in your groin, or pain when you put weight on your leg or move it around. If your pain starts in your back and moves or radiates toward your hip or down your leg, or you have numbness, tingling or weakness, sciatica is the most likely cause.