Gluteal tendinopathy can often be successfully managed with gradual reintroduction of activity and strength training programs, provided a comprehensive physiotherapy assessment identifies and addresses contributing factors.
As part of your initial treatment, it’s essential to avoid positions which compress gluteal tendons such as hip hitting or sleeping with one leg crossed over another. Isotonic exercises may help avoid such compressive loads.
Side Lying Leg Lifts
This exercise targets hip abductor muscles to alleviate gluteal tendinopathy symptoms. Begin by lying on your side with both legs together and straight. Support your head with either your bottom arm or a pillow to maintain spinal alignment before lifting one leg off the ground for approximately 3 seconds at a time before slowly lowering back down again; repeat this movement for 10-15 repetitions on either side before switching sides.
Gluteal tendinopathy occurs when gluteus medius and minimus muscles become inflamed or overloaded, leading to hip pain originating near the greater trochanter of your thigh bone (see image below). You may notice it while climbing stairs, walking uphill, running downhill, getting out of bed after prolonged sitting periods or simply moving. You might experience radiating pain to the knee or lower leg that feels tender to touch; gluteal tendinopathy can be further aggravated through exercises like figure 4 seated figure 4 hip stretches as well as running on hard surfaces (see image below).
Your Physiotherapist will be able to identify which form of gluteal tendinopathy you have with a thorough case history review and physical exam that includes palpating areas of discomfort or pain and probing further with questions regarding past injuries, running/training history and anything that relieves or worsens symptoms. Sometimes gait analysis may also be required in order to ascertain why there is tendonitis present in your gluteals.
As the best approach to treating gluteal tendinopathy, combining both ice packs and strengthening exercises such as side lying leg raises, single leg squats and lateral band walks with strengthening exercises such as single leg squats can help relieve symptoms while preventing any return of running/training related tendinopathies. A physiotherapist will be able to advise you on suitable strength training exercises tailored specifically for you based on individual needs; starting off simple then gradually increasing in difficulty until hip/leg pain/strength decreases significantly and regular activities resume without symptoms recurring.
Single Leg Squats
Gluteal Tendinopathy (GT) is an overload condition caused by excessive loading on gluteal tendons during activity or non-activity, or from long periods of inactivity where load increases or there is no loading through inactivity (for instance due to extended inactivity periods) the tendons become overloaded and begin to break down, often leading to pain over the lateral hip area and down into the thigh or even knee area. Strength training exercises have proven useful in increasing capacity of tendons to tolerate load and therefore decreasing symptoms associated with GT.
One of the best strength exercises for gluteal tendinopathy is the single leg squat. This challenging exercise engages your gluteal muscles more while improving balance and mobility for daily function. To start out with easy repetitions before moving onto harder variations such as box squats.
To perform the box squat, position a chair or box behind you that is at least knee-high. Start off on one leg with your foot facing away from it; squat until your butt touches the box before pushing through your foot back up into starting position.
As part of this exercise, it’s vital to focus on maintaining strong core muscles and looking straight ahead during each squat movement. Doing so will prevent your head from dropping as you descend, lessening pressure on supporting legs and increasing efficiency of movement. If box squats prove too challenging for you, try adapting them by performing split squats or stationary lunges instead.
Another simple and effective modification to the single leg squat is placing the affected leg on a stack of pillows to alleviate excessive strain on gluteal tendons that could potentially irritate them. This exercise is ideal for early stage gluteal tendinopathy as it enables hip movement without overloadeding tendons too heavily.
Lateral Band Walks
Gluteal tendinopathy is an often challenging issue for runners to treat. It can result in pain down one leg, knee or lower back; often beginning at the greater trochanter (top of thigh bone) and feeling tender to touch; worsening after running or climbing stairs; especially after standing up from sitting for extended periods; as well as certain stretching routines like the seated figure 4 or standing hip stretch.
Strengthening glutes and hips through exercises such as lateral band walks is the key to effectively treating this condition, improving function while simultaneously decreasing stress on tendons.
Lateral band walks are one of the best exercises to strengthen gluteus maximus, medius and minimus muscles as well as hip stability and function of the Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) muscle that serves to stabilize pelvis and hips. TFL acts as an integral hip synergist muscle helping you walk, run or otherwise move about freely with no restrictions whatsoever.
To perform lateral band walks, start by positioning the resistance band directly above your knees with feet shoulder width apart and the resistance band just above them. Squat into an athletic position before taking one step left – keeping movements slow and controlled throughout while remembering to breathe throughout each exercise session.
Lateral band walks are an effective gluteal strength and conditioning exercise for athletes of all levels, particularly runners and triathletes with their high impact activities that put a heavy load on the gluteal tendons. Such exercises may help prevent injury while improving performance and saving you money!
Physiotherapists can be invaluable resources if you are suffering from gluteal tendinopathy symptoms. By conducting an in-depth case history and physical exam, they will be able to pinpoint the source of your discomfort and recommend appropriate therapies and help ensure a speedier recovery timeframe.
Front Lunges
The front lunge is an effective exercise to strengthen multiple lower body and core muscles. A variation on the walking lunge, it focuses on strengthening gluteal muscles, medial quadriceps, and the hamstrings in your front leg. To perform one, stand with feet hip-width apart before taking one step back with one foot until your back knee lingers just above or lightly touches the ground – this position should feel natural to you – push off with one foot to return to starting position before repeating on other side.
Gluteal tendinopathy is usually caused by chronically compressing loads on gluteal tendons over long periods, leading to inflammation (tendinitis) or degeneration and breakdown (tendinosis). This compression can irritate (tendinitis), degenerate and eventually break down (tendinosis) these tendons over time, often due to overuse during physical activities (overuse) or from falling accidents that cause excessive pressure to be placed upon them, weight gain due to obesity putting excess strain onto these tendons; inactivity or living an inactive lifestyle leading to underuse of hip muscles and tendons in turn causing underuse of hip muscles and tendons over time causing underuse of these hip muscles and tendons over time causing long term damage over time causing wear-and-breakdown.
Gluteal tendinopathy symptoms can include pain when sitting for extended periods, walking, running and climbing stairs, tenderness and redness over the outside of hip and greater trochanter (the large bony bit on the outside of hip) when touched, as well as leg and even knee pain.
Gluteal tendinopathy symptoms can generally be managed with rest, ice, massage, stretching and gentle exercises such as those listed above. It’s important to keep in mind that degenerative tendon conditions worsen with complete rest; by continuing to load the muscles and tendons with appropriate exercise can improve their capacity to tolerate load quicker, leading to faster recovery and return to regular activities sooner. A physiotherapist can provide guidance regarding which exercises would best fit for you depending on the stage and symptoms of gluteal tendinopathy.
