Symptoms of bursitis of the hip Symptoms include joint pain and tenderness. You may also see swelling and feel warmth around the affected area. The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later.
“The simplest way to understand the difference between hip bursitis and hip osteoarthritis is to understand where the pain is coming from,” says Dr. Sparling. “When you have hip osteoarthritis, the pain is coming from inside the joint. With hip bursitis, pain is coming from the outside.”
There are a few basic ways to know if you have hip bursitis or arthritis. If the pain you feel is sharp and severe before spreading out into an ache in the affected area, you may have hip bursitis. On the other hand, if your pain develops slower and is more painful in the morning, it may be hip arthritis.
Symptoms and diagnosis
With all of these conditions, the pain lingers or even worsens when you lie on your side, or when you sit and cross your legs. It may ease with activity. But left untreated, the pain can become so severe that you're unable to walk.
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.
Many people with hip bursitis have difficulty walking. Using a cane or walker when the bursitis is particularly bad will help prevent falls and add much-needed support to the hip.
Common symptoms include: Pain at the side of the hip, which may also be felt on the outside of the thigh. Pain that is sharp or intense at first, but may become more of an ache. Difficulty walking.
Symptoms of bursitis of the hip
Symptoms include joint pain and tenderness. You may also see swelling and feel warmth around the affected area. The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later.
Trochanteric bursitis can result from one or more of the following events: Injury to the point of the hip. This can include falling onto the hip, bumping the hip into an object, or lying on one side of the body for an extended period. Play or work activities that cause overuse or injury to the joint areas.
Gout can mimic bursitis as well, especially at the olecranon, prepatellar, and infrapatellar bursa, as these joints are common locations for the formation of gouty tophi or pain from pseudogout.
Chronic pain: Untreated bursitis can lead to a permanent thickening or enlargement of the bursa, which can cause chronic inflammation and pain. Muscle atrophy: Long term reduced use of joint can lead to decreased physical activity and loss of surrounding muscle.
Doctors examine the affected area to look for swelling, redness, or warmth. They also feel for bumps beneath the skin, which may indicate swollen bursae. Doctors use their hands to gently move the affected part of the body to see if bursitis or tendinitis are limiting range of motion or causing pain.
Pain from bursitis in your hip tends to get worse after you've been sitting or lying down. The pain may also increase when you do a repetitive activity, like climbing stairs.
If you have bursitis, the affected joint might: Feel achy or stiff. Hurt more when you move it or press on it. Look swollen and red.
Hip bursitis will often get better on its own as long as it is not caused by an infection. To heal your hip bursitis, you will need to rest the affected joint and protect it from any further harm. Most patients feel better within a few weeks with proper treatment.
Avoid any activity or direct pressure that may cause pain. Apply ice or cold packs as soon as you notice pain in your muscles or near a joint. Apply ice 10 to 15 minutes at a time, as often as twice an hour, for 3 days (72 hours). You can try heat, or alternating heat and ice, after the first 72 hours.
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.
It is essential that you avoid all outer hip and gluteal stretches, during your recovery as this can create pain and limit your progress! You will need to avoid any stretch that takes your knee or your ankle towards your opposite shoulder.
Do not massage right over the bursa. This will make it worse. However, massage can be done to other areas of the body to address imbalances: I recommend John F Barnes myofascial release. In conclusion, you should work with a physical therapist to progress these exercises slowly and correctly.
Rest: The most important part of treating bursitis is resting your hip while the bursa heals. Rest your hip as much as possible to decrease pain and swelling. Resting will also prevent the bursitis from getting worse.
It's also really important when suffering this type of pain, to avoid sitting with you legs crossed. At least until your symptoms settle down. It's also important that you sit with your hips a little bit higher than your knees to prevent compression of the hips tendons and bursa.
Unfortunately, the recovery time for hip bursitis can take quite a while. Many patients tend to recover in about six weeks, but others can spend as many as 12 weeks recovering from hip bursitis. One way patients can speed up their recovery time is with physical therapy.
Doctors may recommend over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, to reduce inflammation in the bursa and tendon and relieve pain. These medications are typically recommended for a few weeks while the body heals.