How to Maintain Mobility While Dealing with Hip Tendonitis

Tendons link muscles to bones. Inflammation of these strong tissue cords in your hip causes pain, swelling, and discomfort. Tendonitis is usually caused by injury, strain, or overuse—including overexercising. Hip tendonitis may indicate diabetes, infection, or rheumatoid arthritis. Joint bursae are small, fluid-filled pads. They cushion bones, tendons, and muscles. Bursitis is pain caused by bursae inflammation. Bursitis predominantly occurs in joints subjected to repetitive motion, such as the hip, shoulder, and elbow.

Hip Anatomy

The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint formed when the femur meets the pelvis' three bones—the ilium, ischium, and pubis. Spherical femur tips fit into hipbone sockets.

Structures of bone:

• Trochanter

• The trochanter is a femur spur before the ball forms.

• Ischium

• The curved ischium bases each pelvis half.

Muscles

• Iliopsoas: The potent iliopsoas muscle elevates the knee from the ground. It has two muscles—psoas and iliacus. A tendon connects these muscles to the upper thigh from the lower spine and pelvis.

• Workaholic iliopsoas muscle. Forward motions like walking, running, and leg lifting activate it daily. It compensates for weaker muscles' ineffective movements, preventing overwork and injury.

• Rectus femoris: The rectus femoris is one of four quadriceps muscles that attach to the patella. It facilitates knee extension and hip flexion.

• Sartorius: Humans' longest muscle is the sartorius. All the way down the front thigh. It aids hip flexion, abduction, lateral rotation, and knee flexion.

• Piriformis: The small piriformis muscle runs from the sacrum to the hip outside.

• Bursae: Sacs filled with egg-white-like synovial fluid. Bursae reduce friction between tendons, ligaments, and muscles and lubricate bones and other structures. They encase bones and are called bursae.

• Trochanteric bursa: One of the hip's two main bursae. The greater trochanter is the femur's outermost point.

• Ischial bursa: In the upper buttocks. The deep bursa over the ischium is between the M. gluteus maximus and ischial tuberosity.

What are Hip Bursitis and Tendinitis?

Lateral hip pain may result from trochanteric bursitis and hip abductor tendinopathy.

Bursas are fluid-filled sacs between bony prominences and soft tissues. Inflammation from various causes can cause bursitis. Trochanteric bursitis inflamed and hurts the bursa between the femur's trochanter and the gluteus medius and minimus (hip abductor) tendons. Alternatively, tendinitis is the initial term for tendon injury or inflammation. 

After a few weeks, the inflammatory response subsides, but tendonitis is caused by chronic tendon changes. Tendinopathy encompasses tendinitis and tendinosis. Trochanter-attached gluteus medius and minimus tendons abduct the hips. Hip abductor tendinopathy can result from inflammation, injury, and degeneration of these tendons.

Concurrent trochanteric bursitis and hip abductor tendinopathy increase trochanteric pain syndrome.

Bursitis and Hip Tendonitis Symptoms

Hip tendonitis/bursitis symptoms include:

• Hip joint grating—a grinding sensation while moving.

• Hip pain or throbbing when moving hip tendons.

• Stiffness—at rest and while moving.

• Joint/tendon swelling—fluid and inflammation.

• Hip tenderness.

Diagnose Hip Tendonitis and Bursitis

Your doctor reviews your health history and examines you. If more tests are needed to diagnose hip pain, your doctor may recommended:

• A needle and syringe are employed to extract fluid from a joint.

• MRI employs a magnet, radio waves, and computer technology to generate images of the hip.

• Invisible electromagnetic energy beams called X-rays image the hop and its soft tissues. Your hip pain doctor in Dallas will recommend this arthritis test. X-rays show arthritis-related bone damage but not tendons.

Treatments for Hip Tenditions

Treatment for these two issues depends on the cause. Overuse or injury may require the patient to reduce or avoid a certain activity. Keeping the injury from returning requires proper body positioning during problem activities. Warming up and using proper posture during exercise are helpful. Inflammation and pain are reduced by medications. Local steroid injections usually help. Make an appointment with a Dallas pain clinic if you have hip tendon pain.

Antibiotics are given for infections. Surgical procedures may be needed. Surgery for other tendonitis or bursitis is rare. After tendonitis or bursitis, prevention is key. Optimal conditioning, ergonomic workstations, proper joint alignment, and the use of splints or pads alleviate discomfort in affected areas. Physicians should treat chronic pain. Hip tendonitis and bursitis are best treated by rheumatologists.

Ways to Avoid Hip Injury

There is no single hip pain prevention method due to the hips' complexity and how different athletes use their bodies. Physical therapy, splinting, and moist heat or ice help for hip tenditions. However, these exercises can relieve hip pain:

• Bridge-alternating hip flexion

• Stomach crunches

• Supine knee-to-chest figure four piriformis stretch

• Seated butterfly stretch

Because of the variety of hip injuries and their causes, they cannot be completely prevented, but three actions greatly reduce an athlete's risk:

• Stop at fatigue.

• Use biomechanics properly.

• Warm up and stretch. (without a warm-up, stretching won't prevent injury)