Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac on the greater trochanter of the femur, near the hip joint. The bursa protects the ligaments and tendons which pass over it and connect at the hip joint, particularly the largest tendon in the body, the iliotibial band (ITB), which runs down the outer side of each leg from the hip to the knee. The bursa prevents these ligaments and tendons from rubbing directly against the bone of the greater trochanter and wearing them out.
I’ve been a personal trainer in London for over 20 years, and come across several clients with bursitis. It can cause pain and discomfort and reduced mobility, even poor sleep at night. What can you do to relieve this condition?
The first thing is to determine the likely cause of the bursitis. It can be the result of poor gait (the way you habitually walk), poor running technique, poor sleep position, bad sitting posture (particularly if you have a desk-bound job), excessive tightness or weakness in one or several of the muscles in the legs and hip area. A good physiotherapist will be able to determine the likely cause and prescribe a plan of action to relieve this condition.
All the causes above can result in something called femoral anterior glide syndrome, where the ball and socket of the hip joint are mis-aligned, which puts pressure on the bursa. This can be corrected by stretching and strengthening those muscles which are too weak or tight.
Foam-rolling is something you can do yourself to relieve tightness in the muscles of the legs and glutes. If the muscles which act on the ITB are too tight, this can have a knock-on effect on the bursa. You can’t stretch the ITB itself, but you can stretch the muscles around it, particularly the tensor fasciae latae near the hip, the vastus lateralis (one of the quadricep muscles at the front of the thigh), and the bicep femoris (one of the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh). Check out the YouTube channel Tone and Tighten for videos on foam-rolling.
For more information on bursitis, see also the excellent YouTube channel Bob & Brad. They are physical therapists in the States and their channel has over 5 million subscribers.
Bear in mind that inflammation in this area of the hip can sometimes be misdiagnosed as bursitis, when it might actually be a torn tendon or torn muscle. A good physio will be able to diagnose the problem.
(Dominic Londesborough is a personal trainer in London and an online nutrition coach)
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