Have you been recently diagnosed with Gluteal Tendinopathy or do you find yourself experiencing pain in the outside of your hip after exercise or sitting for a long time?
Gluteal Tendinopathy is a form of lateral hip pain that affects the gluteal tendons attached to the side of the hip joint, causing pain or dysfunction. These tendons connect to the gluteal muscles and facilitate movement of the hip in multiple directions, as well as controlling the hip and pelvis motion during weight-bearing activities such as walking or running.
Pain in the area can occur in anyone at all ages, but it seems to be most common in women aged 40-60 years old. This is likely due to pelvis shape and structure, hormone fluctuations and body composition. Furthermore, most tendinopathies occur due to a sudden change in loading, such as an increase in exercise or activity.
Common symptoms of Gluteal Tendinopathy include localised pain at the side of the hip, pain in the morning or after lying on your side, and pain when sitting crossed-legs or walking upstairs.
The management of Gluteal Tendinopathy involves initially reducing aggravating factors, such as avoiding sitting with legs crossing the midline and using pillows to support sleeping position. This reduces the compression on the tendon and thus it’s sensitivity.
Furthermore, research has shown that strengthening the gluteal muscles is the best way to reduce and manage most sources of lateral hip pain. Physiotherapy can assist with guiding exercise selection and ensuring you’re working at the right level.
By strengthening targeted muscles, this reduces load on the tendon itself. Ideally the load should be heavy and challenging but should not aggravate your pain. Further to this, your physiotherapist will assess the surrounding muscles that make up the kinetic chain. This may include other hip muscles and abdominal muscles. Weakness in these areas can contribute to poor movement patterns which can perpetuate lateral hip pain.
Contact our experienced physiotherapists for more information or book in for a targeted assessment and management program that suits your individual needs. At Complete Balance Physiotherapy, we ensure the individual is treated with elite level care that ensures they return to full function and activity pain-free.
Grimaldi, A., Mellor, R., Hodges, P., Bennell, K., Wajswelner, H., & Vicenzino, B. (2015). Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Review of Mechanisms, Assessment and Management. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(8), 1107–1119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0336-5
Andreasen, J., Fearon, A., Morissey, D., Hjørnholm, L. H., Kristinsson, J., Jorgensen, J. E., & Mølgaard, C. M. (2022). “I feel I have been taken seriously” Women’s experience of greater trochanteric pain syndrome treatment-A nested qualitative study. PloS one, 17(11), e0278197. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278197
Cowan, R. M., Ganderton, C. L., Cook, J., Semciw, A. I., Long, D. M., & Pizzari, T. (2022). Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Exercise, or Both Improve Pain and Function in Postmenopausal Women With Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome? A 2 × 2 Factorial Randomized Clinical Trial. The American journal of sports medicine, 50(2), 515–525. https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465211061142
