Hip bursitis - please help!

Hello,

I have been suffering with hip pain for the past 4 weeks now. I've actually had discomfort in my hip for the past few months but it has been largely ignorable, until a few weeks ago when walking became too painful.

I am a 22 year old female and quite active, walking 20 minutes to and from work each day. I assume that it is this repetitive exercise which has led to the bursitis, as my x-ray and blood tests came back normal.

My GP initially suggested ibuprofen and paracetomol, which did not work, then prescribing stronger painkillers - diclophenac and co-codamol to make walking 'virtually pain-free'. I'm concerned that walking is the problem and masking the pain will not help long-term. I know diclophenac is an anti-inflammatory, so this is more than just a painkiller, but it still concerns me.

Any advice would be much appreciated, as the pain is really getting me down now. I have stopped my daily walk, which I really enjoy, and am now getting public transport which is becoming very expensive. It's not feasible to stop walking but I would like this to be sorted asap.

One thing I have noticed is that my 'iliotibial band' (you can tell I've been reading up!) does seem very tight. I have been limping a lot, which I think has tensed the muscles in my leg - I assume this isn't helping! I have tried stretches and self-massage and have begun a pilates dvd for stretching - is this a good idea? I wanted to check as I know pilates is recommended for avoiding problems, but I still consider myself in recovery, as I still have pain.

Any advice really is appreciated,

Thanks so much for your time,

Sian

Hi Nico_165

If you do have bursitis the most likely bursa lies on the surface of the top of the thigh bone on the ouside of your hip. the bursa provides a reduced friction for the muscles that run into the iliotibial band and rub over this bone while you are walking. the bursa is position between the bone and the muscles and tendon like a lubricated cushion.


However there are other things that can cause pain in the hip and this can often be misdiagnosed. 20 minutes of walking a day is not very much really and isn't a usual causative factor. I would get a physio to look at it, check the diagnosis and who can give you appropriate treatment and exercises to help.

Hi Gcoe,

Thanks for the reply.

It's actually 40 mins walking per day, 20 mins there and back - although I'm aware this still isn't that much, by athlete standards!

I've found that the pain has reduced with my reduced activity, and I can now walk at a reasonable speed, however I've noticed that the pain now seems to be more of a dull ache which has radiated around the back into the buttock. Does this sound like a symtom of healing? I find that, when I stretch the hip, I do get a tenderness in the place where I would expect the bursa to be, so it seems fairly likely.

One thing I wanted to check - I don't want to reduce the strength in the hip so I have been doing non weight-bearing exercise (i.e. pilates and cycling, I am also going to try swimming). It's a bit of a shock suddenly not doing my walk anymore - my daily exercise! Do you think this is a good idea?

I am planning to ask for a referral to see a physio but I'm not sure how long this will take.

Thanks again for your help,

Sian