Pain in the upper thigh and hip joint. Left untreated, hip bursitis can prevent you from running and even walking due to the pain. Moreover, however, it could eventually lead to surgery if you do not take care of it right away.
Activities or positions that put pressure on the hip bursa, such as lying down, sitting in one position for a long time, or walking distances can irritate the bursa and cause more pain.
Walking, running, cycling, and many cardio exercise machines, as well as, deep squats, and lateral hip exercises can all aggravate hip bursitis pain because of the compression caused. For similar reasons sitting with crossed legs, standing with a dropped hip, or lying on your side can also be very painful.
A bursa is a small sac filled with fluid that acts as a cushion and allows smooth motion by reducing the friction between the muscles and the bone. Trochanteric bursitis results in pain on the outer portion of the hip which usually increases with prolonged walking or climbing stairs.
Avoid High-Impact Activities
Running and jumping can make hip pain worse, so it's best to avoid them. The AAOS recommends switching to lower-impact choices, like walking or cycling.
The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later. You may notice it more when getting out of a chair or bed. You may also notice it when sitting for a long time and when sleeping on the affected side.
Unfortunately, the recovery time for hip bursitis can take quite a while. Many patients tend to recover in about six weeks, but others can spend as many as 12 weeks recovering from hip bursitis. One way patients can speed up their recovery time is with physical therapy.
Symptoms are aggravated by sitting which places direct pressure onto the sitting bones and also with activities involving stretching or contraction of the hamstring muscles such as climbing stairs, squatting or sports involving rapid accelerations and kicking movements.
Rest and don't overuse the affected area. Apply ice to reduce swelling for the first 48 hours after symptoms occur. Apply dry or moist heat, such as a heating pad or taking a warm bath.
Avoid the activity or positions that irritated your bursa. Taking a break from activities that put pressure on that part of your body will give it time to heal and prevent further injury. Ask your provider how long you'll need to rest and avoid physical activities.
Pain that doesn't go away
Hip bursitis (trochanteric bursitis) may be a sign of a more serious issue. If you continue to have bursitis pain at the hip that has not improved despite extensive treatment, you may have a tear of a muscle located next to the bursa called the gluteus medius.
If the outside of your hip becomes tender and swollen, it may be affected with bursitis. Bursitis can be very painful, and tends to be more severe during joint use, or while resting at night. Hip bursitis can become so painful that it may limit your mobility.
Rest and activity modification.
When hip bursitis stems from injury or overuse, rest and other remedies to relieve inflammation are usually successful. People with hip bursitis should avoid activities that will aggravate and inflame the bursa, which may include sports and/or standing for long periods of time.
Avoid sitting cross legged. When you sit cross legged the bursa is compressed between the Greater Trochanter (bony part of the hip) and the Gluteal tendons, further irritating the inflamed bursa. Sleep on the unaffected side with a pillow between the legs.
Sometimes the bursae become inflamed or irritated, typically from repetitive movement, which can lead to hip bursitis. Muscle or tendon strain. Repetitive motion, particularly from running or cycling (or even walking) can strain the muscles, tendons and ligaments that support the hips.
It may be painful to walk, climb up stairs, lie down on the side of the affected hip, or get out of a chair, especially after sitting for a long time.
Diagnosis of Hip Bursitis
To check for any bone spurs that could be causing irritation of the bursa your doctor may order an X-ray. If the reason for the pain is not very clear, your doctor may order an MRI to view the soft tissues and structures not visible on an X-ray.
The most common causes include: Repetitive motions: Lifting heavy boxes at work, climbing up and down stairs a lot or standing for a long time can all cause bursitis. So can playing sports or doing physical activity that puts a lot of stress on your hips (like cycling or running).
Bursitis is when a joint becomes painful and swollen. It can usually be treated at home and should go away in a few weeks.
Your physician or physical therapist will recommend when to start and how often to do your hip bursitis exercises. The general recommendation is to do the stretches 2 to 3 times a day and the exercises 1 to 2 times a day as tolerated. A floor mat can be useful and you will need a cushion or pillow.
Do range-of-motion exercises each day. If your bursitis is in or near a joint, gently move the joint through its full range of motion, even during the time that you are resting the joint area. This will prevent stiffness. As the pain goes away, add other exercises to strengthen the muscles around your joint.
It's also really important when suffering this type of pain, to avoid sitting with you legs crossed. At least until your symptoms settle down. It's also important that you sit with your hips a little bit higher than your knees to prevent compression of the hips tendons and bursa.
Since prepatellar bursitis is quite superficial, topical NSAIDs such as diclofenac topical gel (Voltaren Gel) can be very effective, with minimal systemic side effects.
Is Walking Good for Bursitis? Exercise is often prescribed to improve joint pain, so walking could be a vital part of managing your bursitis symptoms.