You can get trochanteric bursitis if you fall on your hip, have bad posture, or have had a previous hip injury or surgery. If you run or bike, continued friction and rapid movement in the hip joint can also cause the condition. Women and middle-aged or elderly people get the condition more often.
Greater trochanter bursitis, also called hip bursitis, is when the bursa in the hip become inflamed. Repetitive motions or joint stress can cause or worsen hip bursitis. The greater trochanter is the bony point on the outside of your hip.
While it isn't common for the inflamed bursa in your hip to become infected, when it does happen, it's called septic bursitis – and it can be dangerous. See a doctor right away if you have pain and redness at the hip along with fever, chills or nausea.
The initial treatment of trochanteric bursitis includes rest, anti-inflammatory medications, ice and stretching. Rest: This is the most important part of treatment. At least initially, patients need to avoid any activity that may worsen symptoms.
The pain of bursitis can occur suddenly, may last for days or longer and usually gets better with rest or treatment. Bursitis can also happen in the same area more than once.
Iliopsoas Bursitis
This condition is also generally referred to as hip bursitis. The main difference between iliopsoas bursitis and trochanteric bursitis is that iliopsoas bursitis causes pain in front of the hip and/or groin area, while trochanteric bursitis causes pain in the outer hip.
Injections. A corticosteroid drug injected into the bursa can relieve pain and inflammation in your shoulder or hip. This treatment generally works quickly and, in many cases, one injection is all you need.
However, you need to be careful and talk to your doctor before walking longer distances. After all, they know about your condition and can give you the best advice about walking and exercising with bursitis. The main thing is to take it slow and listen to your body. If the pain gets too intense when you walk, stop.
Activities or positions that put pressure on the hip bursa, such as lying down, sitting in one position for a long time, or walking distances can irritate the bursa and cause more pain.
People who live with trochanteric bursitis often experience pain in their upper back, shoulders, and jaw. The experience of having a massage therapist press upon the pressure points in the areas and release the knots in these areas helps decrease one's overall sense of discomfort while promoting greater relaxation.
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.
You can get trochanteric bursitis if you fall on your hip, have bad posture, or have had a previous hip injury or surgery. If you run or bike, continued friction and rapid movement in the hip joint can also cause the condition. Women and middle-aged or elderly people get the condition more often.
If you have chronic bursitis, try to minimize flare-ups by stretching each day to increase range of motion. And avoid activities that you know will result in pain. Repetitive-motion activities are especially bad for bursitis. If you do have a flare up, remember that resting your hip is important.
Foods that can trigger inflammation may make your pain worse so these are ones to avoid if you can. This includes processed foods (ready meals, sliced meat), caffeine, fizzy juice, sugars (cakes, biscuits etc.), and alcohol.
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.
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.
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.
The prognosis is promising with trochanteric bursitis, as patients can expect complete resolution of symptoms with conservative management without any long-term sequelae. Resolution with NSAIDs and/or corticosteroid injection can be expected within just several days of initiation of treatment.
Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed due to repetitive movements and excessive strain on the joints. Other causes include trauma in the joint due to an injury and infection.
Turmeric, boswellia, and white willow are three herbs that may reduce inflammation.
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.
Symptoms of hip bursitis
Early, the pain may be sharp and intense. But as the condition continues, the pain may become less intense and be more achy than sharp. It may also spread farther across the hip and thigh area. Most people find that hip bursitis pain is worse at night when they lie on the affected hip.
Initially, the pain may be located primarily at the outside of the lower hip. Over time the pain may radiate down the outside of the thigh or to other points in the body, such as the lower back, buttock, or groin, and may extend down the outside of the thigh towards the knee.
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.