The gluteus medius tendinopathy is one of the most prevalent injuries that presents to the clinic. It primarily affects women, with the age of 40-60 being the most common for the onset of symptoms. If you have pain on the outside of the hip and are either perimenopausal or menopausal, you are likely suffering from a gluteus medius tendinopathy.

The presentation of this pathology is typically located quite deep to the gluteus medius tendon where it attaches to the greater trochanter of the femur (thigh bone). It begins lateral buttock/hip and then can radiate to the back of the hip into buttock. It also can radiate down the lateral thigh as far as the knee, however it doe not extend beyond the knee. What is possible to occur after a gluteus medius tendon develops is a greater trochanteric bursitis. This poor bursa seems to get blamed by many health professionals who have not done an appropriate examination. It is important to know that bursitis is typically secondary to a gluteus medius pathology.

The gluteus medius supports all of our body weight when we stand on one leg! That is a lot of load those tendons have to tolerate. If they are significantly affected, then a waddling gait may be present as the gluteus medius muscles cannot keep the pelvis level on every step.

Sleeping on the painful hip typically aggravates symptoms, prolonged sitting and even sleeping on the unaffected hip can cause pain. The reason for this is due to the painful tendon is being compressed.

1 in 4 women over 50 have a gluteus medius tendinopathy. The reason for this is that estrogen hormone plays a protective role to tendon health. So the loss of this hormone reduces the integrity of the tendon structure. The other reason why women are more at risk for developing this injury are biomechanics and anatomy. Females have a shallower neck angle of their femur (thigh bone) and a wider pelvis. This hip morphology leads to higher compressive loads being exerted by the ITB against the gluteus medius tendon.

Despite the risk factors, this injury is the result of a spike in loading of the gluteus medius tendon. Increased walking/running/exercise intensity or volume leads to an increased loading demand going through the gluteus medius tendon, which already has a reduced capacity in females. Once the capacity has been exceeded then a tendinopathy reaction results.

The Reform Lab Osteopathy offers evidence based osteopathy services. These injuries need an appropriate exercise rehabilitation program for appropriate loading to be met. We offer our rehabilitation services inside the elite gym Project Reform, where your management is not limited by equipment.

Ensure you read our informative blog with scientific research ‘Tendon Reaction Injuries’