Diagnosis of inflammation of the hip tendon | Tendinitis at the hip

Diagnosis of inflammation of the hip tendon

At the beginning of the diagnosis there is a detailed doctor-patient consultation. Informative information such as a strong physical strain on the hips or previous illnesses can already be recognized. A physical examination of the hip should follow.

This includes testing for pressure pain over the tendon, movement pain and restrictions. Hereby the physician can gain further information, which could speak for a tendon inflammation of the hip. Both ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are important imaging procedures.

However, MRI should only be used in cases of more serious tendon inflammation with suspected more complex injury patterns. In most cases, ultrasound is sufficient to detect tendon inflammation in the form of swelling or calcification. Inflammation of the tendons often occurs as a result of overloading, for example, through long walks or jogging.

Accidents and strains can also lead to it. Inflammation also usually occurs very spontaneously, so that patients usually experience pain from one day to the next. In addition, both young and older people can be affected.

If the inflammation is severe, it can also lead to redness or fever. When immobilised, the tendon inflammation heals completely and patients are free of symptoms again. Hip arthrosis is usually the result of years of wear and tear of the joint surface, so that mostly older people (45 years and older) are affected.

Patients often complain months and years in advance of the onset of pain when moving their hips. Even after long periods of rest, there is no real improvement and over time the complaints become worse and worse and often occur at rest. There are several bursa sacs on the hip, the two most frequently affected are the bursa trochanterica on the outside and the bursa ilipectinea in the groin.

Bursitis can be similar to tendonitis. In this case, pain in the hip often occurs after increased strain, especially during movement. Later, the symptoms can also become noticeable at rest.

Prolonged pressure on the area, for example when sleeping on the side, can also lead to complaints. This distinguishes bursitis from tendonitis. However, bursitis of the hip is usually less common than tendonitis. Often there is no exact diagnosis to clearly differentiate the diseases from each other, because the treatment of both is similar: sparing and taking anti-inflammatory drugs.