SPONSORED: Greater Trochanteric Bursitis Is Treatable at West Park Rehab

office syndrome - man suffering from neck and back pain while woGreater trochanteric bursitis is one of the most common causes of hip pain. The physical therapists at West Park Rehab are movement experts.

Although GTB affects both active and inactive individuals, it is most commonly diagnosed in moderately active, middle-aged females or those who have recently increased their activity level. In all individuals, pain on the outside of the hip from GTB can result in a limited ability to lie on the involved side, walk, climb stairs, squat, or participate in recreational activities. The physical therapists at West Park Rehab treat people experiencing GTB with a combination of stretching, strengthening, and movement retraining activities to decrease irritation in the hip, resolve pain, and help restore normal function.

The physical therapists at West Park Rehab are movement experts. They improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement. You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation. West Park Rehab has been successfully treating Greater Trochanter Bursitis (GTB) for over 20 years. Help is available.

You can request an appointment using this link: https://sites.webpt.com/1660/reactivation-offer.

Or, call our offices at Franklin: 814-437-6191 or Seneca: 814-493-8631.

What Is Greater Trochanteric Bursitis?

Greater trochanteric bursitis is an irritation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac that sits on top of the greater trochanter, a bony prominence on the outside of the hip bone (femur). The bursa acts as a cushion to decrease friction between the outside of the hip bone and muscles attaching to the bone; bursitis results when the bursa on the outside of the hip bone becomes irritated. Greater trochanteric pain syndrome is the term used when the condition also includes irritation to the tendons of the gluteal muscles that sit beneath the bursa.

Most often, GTB is the result of repetitive friction to the bursa due to a combination of muscle weakness and tightness affecting the outside of the hip. The condition is most often treated with physical therapy to restore normal function.

People with GTB may experience:

– Tenderness to touch on the outside of the hip
– Pain that can vary from sharp to dull, and can radiate to the buttock, groin, thigh, or knee
– Pain that is intermittent and symptomatic for a prolonged period
– Pain when lying on the involved side
– Pain and stiffness with prolonged sitting, walking (worst with the first few steps), negotiating stairs, or squatting
– Pain that may increase during prolonged activity

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How Is It Diagnosed?

The goals of the initial examination are to assess the degree of the injury, and determine the cause and contributing factors to it. GTB is a condition that develops as a consequence of repetitive irritation in the hip; it seldom results from a single injury. Your physical therapist will begin by gathering information about your condition, including your health history and your current symptoms. Your therapist will then examine your hip and thigh region to determine the presence of GTB.

Your physical examination will focus on the region of your symptoms, but also include other areas that may have been affected as your body has adjusted to pain. Your physical therapist may watch you walk, step onto a stair, squat, or balance on one leg. Following the interview and physical examination, your physical therapist will assess the results and develop an individualized treatment program to address your specific condition and goals.

West Park Rehab and Diagnostics can perform a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. This form of imaging can be used to visualize the exact location and size of tendon injury. Once treatment has been initiated, we can even perform a repeat Ultrasound scan to track the healing of the tendon. “It’s one thing to describe what tendonitis or a tendon tear is to a patient, but it is an improved experience to actually show a patient their tendon and have them watch the healing process.”, Eddie St. Clair, Physical Therapist and Board-Certified Hand Specialist at West Park Rehab and Diagnostics. Beth Carr, DPT is the Musculoskeletal Fellow at West Park Rehab and Diagnostics who performs these tests at our Franklin office. These tests are covered by insurance and oftentimes do not need authorization. These tests are exceptionally helpful when an MRI is not being authorized by the insurance.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

You and your physical therapist will work together to develop a plan to help achieve your specific goals. To do so, your physical therapist will select treatment strategies in any or all of the following areas:

– Patient education. Your physical therapist will work with you to identify and change any external factors causing your pain, such as the type and amount of exercises you perform, your athletic activities, or your footwear. Your therapist will recommend improvements in your daily activities, and develop a personalized exercise program to help ensure a pain-free return to your desired activity level.

– Pain management. Your physical therapist will design a program to address your pain that includes applying ice to the affected area as well as a trial of heat, such as a hot shower or heating pad. The exercises discussed below also can have a pain-reducing component. Your physical therapist also may recommend decreasing some activities that cause pain. Physical therapists are experts in prescribing pain-management techniques that reduce or eliminate the need for medication.

– Range-of-motion exercise. Your low back, hip, or knee joint may be moving improperly, causing increased tension at the greater trochanter. Your physical therapist may teach you self-stretching techniques to decrease tension and help restore normal motion in the back, hip, and knee.

– Manual therapy. Your physical therapist may apply “hands-on” treatments to gently move your muscles and joints, most likely in your low back, hip, or thigh. These techniques help improve motion and strength, and often address areas that are difficult to treat on your own.

– Muscle strength. Muscle weaknesses or imbalances can result in excessive strain at the greater trochanter. Based on your specific condition, your physical therapist will design a safe, individualized, progressive resistance program for you, likely including your core (midsection) and lower extremity. You may begin by performing strengthening exercises lying on a table or at home on the bed or floor (eg, lifting your leg up while lying in different positions). You then may advance to exercises in a standing position (eg, standing squats). Your physical therapist will choose what exercises are right for you based on your age and physical condition.

– Functional training. Once your pain, strength, and motion improve you will need to safely transition back into more demanding activities. To minimize the tension on the hip and your risk of repeated injury, it is important to teach your body safe, controlled movements. Based on your own unique movement assessment and goals, your physical therapist will create a series of activities to help you learn how to use and move your body correctly and safely.

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You can request an appointment using this link: https://sites.webpt.com/1660/reactivation-offer.

Or – call our offices at Franklin: 814-437-6191 or Seneca: 814-493-8631.


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