Hip Bursitis Treatment in NJ & NY
Lying on your left side has become impossible. The moment your hip touches the mattress, a deep burn radiates from the bony point on the outside of your thigh, and switching to your right side only delays the problem until the other hip starts aching too. Metro Pain Centers identifies which hip bursa is inflamed and treats it so you can sleep on either side without waking in pain.
Understanding Hip Bursitis at Metro Pain Centers
Hip bursitis is the inflammation of the bursae surrounding the hip joint, most commonly the trochanteric bursa that lies between the greater trochanter of the femur and the overlying iliotibial band and gluteal tendons, producing lateral hip pain that worsens with direct pressure, walking, and stair climbing.
Iliotibial band friction syndrome, the repetitive sliding of the iliotibial band over the greater trochanter during hip flexion and extension that irritates the underlying trochanteric bursa through mechanical friction, is a biomechanical driver of hip bursitis that Metro Pain Centers identifies when patients report lateral hip pain tied to walking, running, or cycling. Correcting IT band tension reduces bursal irritation at its mechanical source.
The trochanteric bursa absorbs friction between the gluteus medius tendon and the greater trochanter during every step. When the bursa becomes inflamed, each stride and each position change produces pain at the lateral hip.
Metro Pain Centers treats trochanteric bursitis, iliopsoas bursitis, and ischiogluteal bursitis. Our physicians determine which bursa is involved and whether the inflammation results from overuse, biomechanical dysfunction, or adjacent hip joint pathology.
Understanding Your Condition
Our board-certified physicians use advanced diagnostic techniques to accurately identify the source of your pain, ensuring you receive the most effective treatment.
Symptoms of Hip Bursitis
Pain on the outside of the hip that worsens when lying on the affected side is the most common complaint. Patients often report that side-sleeping, which was once their preferred position, now wakes them within hours. Metro Pain Centers uses the side-lying pain pattern to localize the trochanteric bursa.
Tenderness directly over the greater trochanter, the bony prominence on the outer hip, reproduces the pain when pressed. Our pain management physicians use point tenderness to confirm bursal involvement and rule out deeper hip joint pathology.
Pain that intensifies climbing stairs or walking uphill indicates the gluteal tendons are pulling across the inflamed bursa with each step. Metro Pain Centers evaluates stair-related pain to assess both bursal inflammation and gluteal tendon integrity.
A burning or aching sensation that extends from the lateral hip down the outer thigh toward the knee suggests iliotibial band irritation accompanying the bursitis. Our specialists assess IT band tightness to determine whether biomechanical correction is needed alongside bursal treatment.
What Causes Hip Bursitis
Repetitive friction from the iliotibial band sliding over the greater trochanter is the most common mechanical cause of hip bursitis that Metro Pain Centers diagnoses. Walking, running, and cycling produce this friction with every hip flexion-extension cycle.
Gluteal tendon weakness allows the pelvis to drop on the opposite side during single-leg stance, increasing compressive load on the trochanteric bursa. Metro Pain Centers identifies gluteal insufficiency through Trendelenburg testing and targeted physical examination.
Hip osteoarthritis alters gait mechanics and redistributes forces around the hip joint. The compensatory movement patterns overload the trochanteric bursa. Our physicians evaluate the hip joint alongside the bursa because treating one without addressing the other leads to recurrence.
Direct trauma from falls onto the lateral hip can produce acute trochanteric bursitis. Prolonged side-lying on a firm surface during surgery or hospital stays also compresses the bursa against the trochanter. Metro Pain Centers assesses trauma history to distinguish acute from chronic presentations.
How Metro Pain Centers Diagnoses Hip Bursitis
Physical examination includes palpation over the greater trochanter, resisted hip abduction testing, Trendelenburg gait assessment, and Ober's test for IT band tightness. Our board-certified pain specialists use these maneuvers to confirm bursal involvement and identify biomechanical contributors.
Ultrasound visualizes bursal fluid accumulation, bursal wall thickening, and adjacent gluteal tendon pathology in real time. Metro Pain Centers uses office-based ultrasound to diagnose hip bursitis and guide treatment in the same visit.
MRI reveals the extent of bursal inflammation alongside gluteal tendon tears, IT band thickening, and hip joint changes that may be driving the bursitis. Our physicians order MRI when ultrasound findings suggest concurrent tendon damage requiring a broader treatment plan.
Diagnostic trochanteric bursa injection with local anesthetic confirms the bursa as the pain source. When the injection eliminates lateral hip pain temporarily, Metro Pain Centers uses that confirmation to plan definitive treatment targeting the verified structure.
Treatment Options for Hip Bursitis at Metro Pain Centers
Ultrasound-guided trochanteric bursa injections deliver corticosteroid directly into the inflamed bursa. Metro Pain Centers uses real-time imaging to ensure needle placement within the bursal space rather than the surrounding gluteal tissue.
Aspiration and injection performed together drain accumulated bursal fluid and deposit anti-inflammatory medication in a single procedure. Our physicians combine these steps for patients with significant bursal distension.
Interventional pain management at Metro Pain Centers includes targeted treatment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve and superior gluteal nerve for chronic hip bursitis that persists despite repeated bursal injections.
Physical therapy strengthens the hip abductors and stretches the iliotibial band to reduce the mechanical friction that caused the bursitis. PRP therapy supports healing within chronically inflamed bursae and adjacent gluteal tendons that have not responded to corticosteroid treatment.
Schedule an appointment to discuss your hip bursitis treatment plan.
Your Hip Bursitis Specialists at Metro Pain Centers
EXPERIENCE
Led by Dr. Rahul Sood
Led by Dr. Rahul Sood, Chairman of Anesthesiology at New Bridge Medical Centers, Metro Pain Centers delivers multilingual care in English, Spanish, Punjabi, and Hindi across all 12 offices.
Our physicians hold board certifications in anesthesiology and pain medicine, with training from Mount Sinai, Rutgers, and Thomas Jefferson University.
Related Conditions Treated by Metro Pain Centers
Hip bursitis frequently coexists with other conditions our physicians treat. Hip pain is the broad symptom category, and confirming bursitis as the specific cause directs treatment to the correct structure.
Hip arthritis often accompanies hip bursitis through altered gait mechanics. Bursitis in the shoulder, knee, or elbow follows similar inflammatory patterns that Metro Pain Centers manages with targeted injections. Hip labral tears can produce lateral hip symptoms that overlap with bursitis.
View all conditions we treat at Metro Pain Centers.
Hip Bursitis Treatment at 12 NJ and NY Locations
Why does hip bursitis hurt more at night?
Side-lying compresses the trochanteric bursa directly against the greater trochanter. The sustained pressure on an inflamed bursa produces pain that disrupts sleep. Metro Pain Centers treats the bursal inflammation and addresses the biomechanical cause.
How long does hip bursitis last?
Acute hip bursitis can resolve within weeks with targeted treatment. Chronic cases that recur require correction of the underlying biomechanical dysfunction. Metro Pain Centers addresses both the inflammation and the mechanical trigger.
Is hip bursitis the same as hip arthritis?
Hip bursitis inflames the bursa on the outside of the hip. Hip arthritis damages the cartilage inside the hip joint. Both produce hip pain but in different locations. Metro Pain Centers distinguishes between them through examination and diagnostic injections.
Can I still exercise with hip bursitis?
Low-impact activities that do not repeatedly load the lateral hip are generally safe. Metro Pain Centers guides patients toward modified exercise that maintains fitness without aggravating the inflamed bursa.
Does insurance cover hip bursitis treatment at Metro Pain Centers?
Metro Pain Centers accepts most major insurance plans. Our billing team verifies your coverage and explains costs before any procedures.
Hear From Our Patients
The doctors actually listen to you and take time to explain everything. I finally found relief after years of back pain.
From my first visit, I felt like they genuinely cared about helping me get better. The staff is wonderful and the treatments changed my life.
After seeing multiple doctors with no improvement, Metro Pain Centers finally gave me a treatment plan that works. I can't recommend them enough.
Get Relief from Hip Bursitis Today
The fire on your outer hip at night and the ache that follows you up every staircase do not have to steal your sleep or slow your stride. Metro Pain Centers delivers the diagnostic precision to locate the inflamed bursa and the procedural skill to quiet it.