Therapy

Bursitis in the hip area usually heals completely within a few weeks without medical intervention. The affected patients can take pain-relieving measures during the healing phase. Especially by applying cooling ointments or gels, the pain of a bursitis of the hip can be treated well.

In addition, the careful cooling of the hip can be done with the help of cooling pads. However, these should never be placed directly on the skin surface (risk of frostbite). Since this clinical picture is an inflammation, warming measures should be avoided at all costs.

These would stimulate the inflammatory processes and worsen the symptoms. In order to positively influence the healing process, the affected hip joint can be immobilized with a bandage or splint. However, the affected hip should only be completely spared for a short period of time.

The reason for this is the danger that immobilising the hip joint for too long a period of time can lead to permanent restrictions in movement. For this reason, if the hip is inflamed with bursitis, it is recommended that the affected joint be moved slowly and without great stress after a short resting phase. In this context, regular physiotherapy can help to positively influence the healing process of the bursitis.

If the bursitis in the hip causes very strong pain, painkillers (analgesics) can be taken. Above all, drugs containing the active ingredient ibuprofen are particularly suitable for the treatment of bursitis of the hip.This is due to the fact that the active ingredient ibuprofen can also have an anti-inflammatory effect in addition to its analgesic properties. In case of bursitis of the hip, it is possible to tape the hip joint with kinesio tapes.

Instructions for this can be found on various pages from different tape suppliers. The aim is to stabilize the hip joint and to distribute the forces evenly over the muscle and tendon apparatus. In this way, the joint should be relieved and the healing of a bursitis should be supported.

However, taping does not represent an independent therapy, but should be regarded as a supporting measure of a conservative therapy. The tape is applied to the lateral thigh without traction. It is a Y-tape.

The tape is stretched slightly before it is applied. One end is placed over the greater trochanter, which is best felt with instructions. Then the leg is angled in a relaxed lateral position and the second part of the Y-shaped end is glued on without tension in the direction of the coccyx.

Now stretch out the leg loosely and glue the long end of the Y-tape to the outer side of the thigh, also without tension. In the case of an advanced bursitis, surgery is usually the only way to stop the inflammation and avoid chronic hip pain. A bacterial joint infection is also a reason for surgical treatment, as the vitality of the joint can be threatened in this case.

In the case of a bursitis that does not heal or recurs repeatedly despite all conservative measures, the inflamed bursa is removed in a surgical procedure. This procedure is called bursectomy. In case of a bacterial infection, an antibiotic against the germ is administered additionally. Bacterial infections are, however, less frequently a cause of bursitis of the hip and usually occur in patients with a certain risk profile, for example after surgery or with a poor immune system.