Hip Bursitis (GTPS)

Pain on the outside of the hip often goes by the name hip bursitis. You feel it around the bony point at the top of your thigh, and sometimes down the side of your thigh. Walking, climbing stairs, lying on that side and pressure on the spot make it worse.

In most people, the main source of pain is the tendons of the smaller glute muscles. A swollen bursa plays a part in a smaller group. Clinicians therefore call it greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS).

You also have bursae at your shoulder, elbow and knee. At the elbow and knee, bursitis often comes from sustained pressure, such as leaning or kneeling. This page covers the hip; for shoulder pain, see our shoulder pain page.

We ask where the pain sits, which movements bring it on and whether you can lie on that side. If the bony point hurts when pressed while you can put on your socks and shoes without difficulty, that fits GTPS well. Your physiotherapist also examines your hip joint to rule out other causes.

With VALD Force Decks we measure your strength and how you share your weight between both legs.

Education plus exercise therapy is the best-studied approach. You learn to reduce pressure on your tendons, for example by sleeping on your other side. The exercises strengthen your hip and glute muscles until you can handle what your work, sport or daily life asks.

You train under supervision in our gym. If your pain has lasted longer than three months and exercise helps too little, your physiotherapist can add shockwave after an assessment, within your regular session and with no surcharge.

GTPS can be stubborn. In research, most people who had education and exercise therapy reported clear improvement at eight weeks. For most of them, it held at one year.

In the final phase you work on long-term strength, so the pain is less likely to come back.