Hip Pain and Trochanteric Bursitis: Causes and What Helps

Hip pain on the outside of the hip is most often trochanteric bursitis. It comes from sore buttock tendons and a small fluid sac (bursa) over the bony point of the hip. It hurts to lie on that side, climb stairs or stand up, and it usually gets better in a few weeks with exercise and small changes. This guide is by Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera, a GP licensed in Spain (Colegiado No. 484814280).

What is trochanteric bursitis?

It is pain over the greater trochanter, the bony bump on the side of your hip. It used to be called bursitis. We now know the buttock tendons (gluteal tendons) are nearly always sore too. So doctors often call it greater trochanteric pain syndrome. In Spain people call it trocanteritis.

Where does it hurt?

• On the outside of the hip, sometimes down the side of the thigh.
• When you lie on that side at night.
• When you climb stairs, walk fast or get up from a low chair.
• When you press on the bone at the side of the hip.
• It feels stiff after sitting for a while.

What causes hip pain?

Where it hurts gives a clue to the cause:

• On the side: trochanteric bursitis, sore gluteal tendons or a tight band down the outer thigh (IT band).
• In the groin: hip arthritis, a joint injury, a hernia or a strain. See our guide to groin pain.
• In the buttock or down the leg: often from the back, such as sciatica.
• After a fall in an older person: it may be a broken hip.

Things that raise the risk include weight gain, a sudden jump in walking or running, the menopause and standing with your weight on one leg.

Is it bursitis or hip arthritis?

Arthritis hurts mostly in the groin and the front of the thigh. It feels stiff in the morning, and putting on socks or shoes gets hard. Trochanteric pain is on the side and hurts when you lean or lie on it. You can have both. A doctor tells them apart with an exam and, if needed, an X-ray or ultrasound.

What helps trochanteric bursitis?

• Cut down, but do not stop, what hurts most. Walking on the flat is fine; hills can wait.
• Sleep on the other side or on your back, with a pillow between your knees.
• Do not cross your legs or stand with your weight on one hip.
• Use higher chairs and avoid very low seats.
• Try an ice pack or a heat pad, whichever feels better.
• Do buttock strength exercises, best guided by a physio.
• If you are overweight, losing a little weight takes load off the hip.

For pain you can take paracetamol or an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, following the leaflet. In some cases a doctor may suggest a steroid injection. Most people get better within weeks to a few months. Read how a physio referral works in Spain.

Why does my hip hurt at night?

When you lie on your side, your weight presses the tendons against the bone. That is why this pain is often worst at night. If night pain does not ease when you change position, or comes with fever or weight loss, see a doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

• The pain lasts more than two weeks despite home care.
• You limp or find it hard to walk.
• It wakes you every night.
• You have tingling or weakness in the leg.
• You have osteoporosis or take steroids.

When should I go to A&E or call 112?

• After a fall you cannot stand on the leg, or the leg looks shorter or turned out: call 112.
• The hip is hot and swollen and you have a fever.
• A child limps with a fever or will not stand on the leg.
• Sudden, severe pain with no clear cause.

Frequently asked questions about hip pain

Getting a medical assessment

If you are in Spain and you have hip pain, you can book a video consultation with Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera, a physician registered in Spain. You can also read about joint pain and back pain. A prescription is never guaranteed: it is issued only where clinically appropriate after a genuine evaluation, as a private electronic prescription under Spanish law. This service is for urgent, non-emergency care. In an emergency, call 112.

This guide is general information. It does not replace the package leaflet or the advice of your doctor or pharmacist.