Trochanteric bursitis  Trochanteric bursitis causes pain on the side of the hip which is worse when walking or running and can make lying on the affected side uncomfortable. Bursitis is inflammation of a 'bursa', a sac of fluid usually interspersed in an area of potential friction between tendon and bone.
What causes it?
Too much stress through tight muscles, altered biomechanics or sudden changes to training/activity levels, or a direct blow, can cause it to become inflamed. A person suffering from Trochanteric bursitis will have hip pain located over the outside of the hip area and in more severe cases the pain can radiate down the outside aspect of the thigh. The pain will usually be brought on by hip movements such as walking, running, and climbing stairs.
What is the treatment?
Physiotherapy treatment aims initially to settle the inflammation down and this will include ice, electrotherapy and stretching of the surrounding muscles – particularly the ilio-tibial band which overlies the bursa and, if tight, can predispose to this injury. This is often successful in curing the condition but in some cases where the condition has become more chronic, a corticosteroid injection may be necessary.
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