#32: Gluteal Tendinopathy - Diagnosis & Treatment Strategies

Rehab Science with Tom Walters

In today's podcast episode, we are going to look at a condition called gluteal tendinopathy, which is a common cause of lateral hip pain due to an irritation of two of the gluteal tendons (gluteus medius & gluteus minimus).

Previously, this type of pain was thought to be caused by trochanteric bursitis, but more recent research has shown that bursitis only accounts for approximately 20% of these cases (see references below). The majority of lateral hip pain cases are now thought to be due to gluteal tendinopathy or irritation of the gluteal tendons where they attach on the side of the hip (greater trochanter).

Risk factors for developing gluteal tendinopathy include: female gender (4:1 female to male ratio), increased body mass index (BMI), excessive hip adduction during walking/running, prolonged hip flexion (sitting) and weak hip abductors muscles (especially gluteus medius and minimus).

Treatment of this disorder is similar to other tendinopathies in that the focus is on gradually loading and strengthening the gluteal tendons via resistance training exercises that target the hip abductor muscles. These types of exercises not only improve the working capacity of the muscles and their tendons, but also help reduce tendon pain.

My YouTube video below includes a a few exercises that typically help people suffering from gluteal tendinopathy.

YouTube Link

Here are a couple of articles that you can read to learn more about this disorder.

1. Long SS, Surrey DE, Nazarian LN. Sonography of greater trochanteric pain syndrome and the rarity of primary bursitis. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2013;201(5):1083-1086.

2. Pianka MA, Serino J, DeFroda SF, Bodendorfer BM. Greater trochanteric pain syndrome: Evaluation and management of a wide spectrum of pathology. SAGE Open Med. 2021.

3. Ladurner A, Fitzpatrick J, O'Donnell JM. Treatment of Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Stage-Adjusted Treatment Recommendation. Orthop J Sports Med. 2021;9(7):23259671211016850.

I hope the information in this episode was helpful and you feel better equipped to treat gluteal tendinopathy related pain. Besides the YouTube video I linked, my book contains comprehensive programs for the 50 most common orthopedic conditions, including one for gluteal tendinopathy. The programs are broken into three phases and include exercises that can be used to help prevent injuries as well as help you recover from an injury. If you want to learn more about my book, visit my website or click HERE to view the book on Amazon.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day!

Dr. Tom