Trochanteric Bursitis
Whether you are running, sitting or jumping, the hip bone and the muscles and tissue surrounding it are continuously working together to give people greater flexibility.
When people engage in strenuous activities that revolve around repetitive motions such as long-distance running, people increase their odds of sustaining an injury along the greater trochanter (the area on the side of the hip).
The key areas that surround the upper side of the hip include the trochanteric bursa, the gluteus medius muscle and the iliotibial band. The overuse of these important structures may cause them to become inflamed with the most common symptom being some degree of pain.
Trochanteric Bursectomies
Trochanteric bursitis is a condition where the bursa, a shock absorbing sac located on the side of the hip, becomes inflamed. Patients describe pain associated with trochanteric bursitis as sharp and intense with symptoms worsening when they are lying down on the affected hip.
Treatment options include lifestyle changes, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen, or an injection of steroid (cortisone). In rare instances where pain does not improve, a physician may recommend a trochanteric bursectomy.
A trochanteric bursectomy is a procedure where the inflamed bursa is completely removed. The removal of the bursa does not inhibit the function of the hip, and most patients can make a recovery within two weeks.
