- Possible causes
- What are the signs and symptoms
- What exercises are recommended
- 1. Make the bridge
- 2. Raise legs sideways
- 3. Make circles with your legs
- 4. Raise your legs upright
- How the diagnosis is made
- What is the treatment
Hip bursitis, also known as trochanteric bursitis, consists of a painful inflammatory process of synovial bursae, which are small pockets of connective tissue filled with synovial fluid located around some joints, which act as a surface that reduces friction between bone and tendons and muscles.
This problem can be caused by diseases, muscle weakness or intense physical exercise that can cause overload in these structures. Treatment consists of the administration of anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy and in more severe cases it may be necessary to resort to surgery.
Possible causes
Hip bursitis can be caused by overload of tendons and bursae, which can be caused during intense physical activity or exercises in which repetitive movements are performed. This inflammation can also occur due to situations of muscle weakness, in which even light activities can be sufficient to cause injuries.
There are diseases that are also a risk factor for the development of this problem, such as disease in the lumbar spine, disease in the sacroiliac joint, rheumatoid arthritis, knee arthrosis, gout, diabetes, infection by a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus or scoliosis.
In addition, hip injuries, previous hip surgery, ankle sprains, leg length discrepancies, shortening of the fascia lata and having a broad hip are also factors that can sometimes affect walking and overload the bursae and tendons and lead to bursitis in the hip.
What are the signs and symptoms
The most common symptoms that can occur during hip bursitis are:
- Pain in the lateral region of the hip that can increase in intensity when standing or lying on its side for a long time; Pain when touched; Swelling; Pain that radiates to the thigh.
If this disease is not treated, it can become chronic, making it increasingly difficult to treat and control symptoms.
What exercises are recommended
The exercises recommended for hip bursitis are intended to strengthen the muscles of the gluteal region, especially the affected muscles and also the muscles of the lower limb.
1. Make the bridge
Bridging the hips helps to work muscles such as the hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps, which are very important to support the hip joints, so it is a good exercise to strengthen the hips.
To do this exercise, the person should start by lying on their back with their feet on the floor and their legs curved and then raise only the hips, so as to form a straight line between the shoulders and the knees. Then, slowly return to the previous position and do 5 sets of 20 repetitions.
In order to increase the difficulty and achieve better results, 5 sets can be done with more repetitions.
2. Raise legs sideways
This exercise helps to strengthen and develop the iliotibial band, which is located on the outside of the thigh and also helps to strengthen the glutes.
To do this exercise, the person must lie on the right side, stretching the right arm to help balance during the exercise and raise the right leg upwards as much as possible and go down again towards the other leg. The ideal is to perform 4 sets of 15 repetitions on each leg.
3. Make circles with your legs
This exercise helps to improve range of motion, flexibility and strength in all muscles that make hip and leg rotation possible, such as hip flexors and glutes.
To perform this exercise correctly, the person must start by lying on his back with his legs straight. Then, raise your right leg slightly and make small circles, keeping it always stretched. 3 sets of 5 rotations must be performed on each leg.
4. Raise your legs upright
With a chair in front of you to support yourself or with the help of someone, the person should lift one of the bent legs while the other remains stretched and then repeat the movement with the other leg and alternate the two, doing about 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
In order to obtain better results, these exercises should be performed about 4 to 5 times a week.
How the diagnosis is made
The diagnosis is made by physical evaluation, in which the doctor assesses the sensitivity in the region, analyzes the symptoms described by the person and performs strength tests of the muscles related to that region. The evaluation can become painful because during the execution there is tensioning of the tendons and compression of the inflamed bursae.
Inflammation can also be discovered through tests such as ultrasound or MRI. An X-ray can also be performed in order to exclude a possible suspicion of another type of injury, such as a fracture, for example, or to see if there is any factor related to hip bursitis.
ultrasound and magnetic resonance
What is the treatment
Hip bursitis is curable and treatment can be done with rest of the joint as long as possible, application of ice on the spot and if necessary, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen, to relieve pain and swelling or the natural painkillers mentioned in the following video:
Physiotherapy is a great treatment option, because good results are usually obtained, because it reduces the inflammation process, relieves pain and reduces the overload on inflamed bursae.
In addition, in more severe cases, the doctor may also administer an injection with corticosteroids or an infiltration, which consists of a local injection of anesthetic medication. Although it is rare, it may be necessary to resort to surgery in which the inflamed bursa is removed and the tissues of the lateral hip region are also released and the injured tendons repaired. See more about the treatment of bursitis.
