Hip bursitis is one of the many conditions that can cause severe hip pain. It can not only affect a person during daily activities like walking and climbing stairs, but can also be quite debilitating when it causes pain at night during sleep. Read on to learn about hip bursitis and what you can do if you have hip pain.

What Is Bursitis?

A bursa is a jelly-like sac with fluid that helps reduce friction around the joint. We have several bursae that surround our hip joint. When a bursa becomes swollen and inflamed, this is known as bursitis and can result in varying degrees of pain. Hip bursitis is a term that typically describes inflammation of the trochanteric bursa, which lies on the outer (lateral) side of the hip.

What Can Cause Or Lead To Hip Bursitis?

Hip bursitis can have several causing or contributing factors, such as:

• Overuse or overloading of the hip joint or surrounding muscles.
• Direct trauma or compression to outer (lateral) side of the hip.
• Poor stability or weakness of the hip and/or pelvis.
• Injury or tears to the surrounding muscles, particularly the glutes (gluteal muscles).
• Female gender.
• Increased weight or obesity.

How Does Hip Bursitis Typically Present?

Hip bursitis can lead to the following signs and/or symptoms:

• Hip pain and tenderness, primarily to the outer (lateral) side of the hip.
• Pain when lying on the side.
• Pain with weight-bearing activities (e.g. standing, walking, stair-climbing).
• Pain with prolonged sitting, particularly cross-legged.

Is My Hip Pain From Bursitis?

Hip bursitis can be difficult to diagnose without an assessment from a health professional. It can often be mistaken for other conditions, such as injuries or tears to the surrounding tissues (e.g. muscles, tendons), arthritis, or even pain that is coming from the low back down to the hip. Some people may require imaging to be able to confirm hip bursitis.

Are There Any Exercises I Can Do For Hip Pain?

There are a variety of exercises we can do for hip pain that can assist with improving hip mobility (movement), strength and stability. In many cases, the exercises themselves can also be pain relieving. See below two examples of exercises you can trial if you have hip pain:

GLUTE STRETCH

GLUTE BRIDGE

Remember that the examples above are just two of the many exercises you can do for hip pain. Finding the right exercise will depend on many factors, such as your age, severity of pain, your level of function, and previous exercise background.

Therefore, we recommend reviewing with a health professional first, either with a physiotherapist, exercise physiologist or your GP, to assess your hip and to determine a rehabilitation plan appropriate to your needs.

Book with us today and we can get you started on your recovery process!