Start with understanding
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome is a name for pain around the outside of the hip. Gluteal tendons and other local tissues may be involved; the older label “bursitis” does not describe every case.
The area can be uncomfortable when lying on that side or loading the hip during daily activity. Assessment helps distinguish this pattern from hip-joint pain or symptoms referred from the back.
Video coming soon
Explore the written guide and illustrated lessons below.
Connect understanding to daily life
Pressure and load are useful clues
Tell a clinician whether side-lying, stairs, or single-leg tasks affect the pain. The examination looks at the lateral hip and other possible sources. A sore spot is a starting point, not proof of one tissue diagnosis.
Education and exercise can work together
In a trial of confirmed gluteal tendinopathy, a supervised education-and-exercise program produced better overall improvement than injection at longer follow-up. Understanding aggravating positions was part of the program, alongside progressive exercise.
Persistent pain deserves a review
Seek assessment for ongoing symptoms that disturb sleep or limit walking. A severe sudden change, inability to bear weight after trauma, or fever with a painful hip needs urgent medical evaluation rather than assuming a familiar tendon flare.
Build the plan around your life
If the problem keeps you from settling comfortably at night or joining a walk, make that the goal of the discussion. Explain how much the interruption affects you. The plan should say what you are trying to improve and what would count as meaningful change, rather than treating tenderness at one spot as the only outcome.
Make your next visit useful
List the positions and daily tasks that bring the pain on, including what happens at night. Tell the clinician about groin pain, back symptoms, or leg numbness as well. Ask which structures are most likely involved and when persistence would justify imaging or referral.
Educational information complements individual guidance. Your health history, goals, and examination determine appropriate care.
Build your understanding
Five ideas to build your understanding. Swipe, use the arrows, or focus the slides and use your keyboard.
Is lateral hip pain always bursitis?
No. Tendon-related pain and other conditions can produce similar symptoms. The working diagnosis should reflect the examination.
Is an injection a permanent fix?
It can be one option, but response and duration vary. Research comparing strategies supports discussing education and exercise as well as short-term symptom relief.
What the evidence means for you
Education plus exercise improved overall recovery
A randomized trial found better global improvement with education plus exercise than corticosteroid injection at 52 weeks.
Put it to use: Ask how load management and supervised exercise could fit your plan.
Keep in mind: Participants had confirmed gluteal tendinopathy; at one year, pain intensity did not differ between exercise and injection groups.
BMJ · randomized clinical trial →Older treatment evidence was limited
A systematic review found few high-quality trials and mainly short-term benefits for corticosteroid injections.
Put it to use: Discuss both the timeframe of benefit and the quality of evidence behind an option.
Keep in mind: This review predates the later education-and-exercise trial and should not be read as the final word.
BJSM · systematic review →