Hip Bursitis and Runners

Athletes in general, but especially runners. routinely complain about pain in their hips - which can be due to muscle imbalances, stress fractures, strains or osteoarthritis. As a runner, I've frequently suffered from hip pain and hip bursitis,

Firstly, what is Bursitis?

It is the inflammation of gel-like sacs (bursae) - found all over the body to lubricate joints - through movement over the bone.

Hip Bursitis is experienced when one or other of the two major hip bursae - Tronchanteric or Ischal - becomes inflamed or irritated.

The most frequent inflammation occurs in the Tronchanteric bursa, located over the bony part of the hip, serving as an attachment point for muscles that flex the hip. It is the outermost sac and, when irritated, activities such as climbing, walking or running are accompanied by a dull, burning pain on the side of the hip.

The Ischal bursa, located in the upper buttock, forms a cushion over the bony part of the pelvis. Here, you'll feel a tingling pain in both hip and glute that can extend down the leg - often getting worse when sitting or walking/running up a hill.

You can find the Tronchanteric bursa by standing with arms by your side

with palms of your hands facing inwards. Where the middle of each palm is, that is the approximate location of the Tronchanteric bursa. And if this area is painful when you press on it, or is swollen or red, it is likely the Tronchanteric bursa is inflamed.

And what causes runners to get hip bursitis?

Unfortunately, it is a classic injury for us. It commonly occurs because the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus become weak from sitting for long periods during the day - so when we do start running, the glutes become inflamed and start rubbing on the bursa.

This is generally due to an overall muscle imbalance caused by larger muscles overcompensating for weaker or tighter muscles, especially those that connect the hips to the lower back. So, doing too much too soon, skipping warm-ups and cool downs, or even a fall or blow to the hip can cause hip bursitis.

What can you do to find relief?

You might be thinking that you can't exercise because of the pain, but the following will provide some pain relief so that you can do other exercise that will hurt less, such as swimming, water aerobics, or even cycling to give your joints a rest from the impact of running.

Try some of these yoga poses to stretch and strengthen:

Stretch: hold poses for 5 breaths

Bridge Hip Rotator stretch IT band stretch

Strengthen: 10 reps on each side

Clamshell Side leg raises Donkey kicks

Remember that building muscle strength will help reduce your risk of injury and help correct muscle imbalances.

But if the hip pain continues, do seek professional help from a physiotherapist and, if you're lucky, find one that specialises in sports or runners' injuries.