If you are dealing with hip pain that will not settle, understanding hip bursitis and its symptoms is the first step toward finding the right treatment. Our hip doctor in NYC at New York Sports Medicine Institute can help you get to the source of the problem. Request an appointment to learn what we can do for you.
What Is Hip Bursitis?
Throughout the body, small fluid-filled sacs cushion the tendons, bones, and muscles around your joints. These sacs reduce friction and are known as bursae. They sit at many points of friction, including the heel, shoulder, elbow, knee, and hip.
When one or more of these bursae becomes inflamed, the condition is called bursitis. In the hip, there are two types: trochanteric and iliopsoas, the latter being rarer. Trochanteric bursitis, the more common of the two, develops when the bursa at the bony point of the hip becomes inflamed. Iliopsoas bursitis develops when the bursa on the inner side of the hip, near the groin, becomes inflamed.
Symptoms of Hip Bursitis
The main symptom of trochanteric bursitis is pain at the point of the hip. This pain can extend to the outside of the thigh, and it often begins as intense and sharp before settling into a broader ache across the hip.
The pain is usually worse after periods of inactivity, such as sleeping on the affected hip or sitting for a prolonged period. Activities including squatting, walking, and climbing stairs can also aggravate it. The hip may look red or swollen, and it may hurt more under pressure.
It is a good idea to see a specialist if the pain becomes disabling, or if you notice swelling, excessive redness, or a fever.
Diagnosis of Hip Bursitis
Hip bursitis is more common in women, and in middle-aged and elderly patients. Certain injuries and pre-existing conditions raise the risk of developing it. Some of these include:
- Previous hip injury
- Overuse injury
- Bone spurs
- Diabetes
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Previous hip surgery
During your visit, our specialists perform a physical exam to locate tenderness in the hip. They may also run additional tests to rule out other conditions causing your pain. Once those are excluded through imaging, you may receive a hip bursitis diagnosis. The Hospital for Special Surgery outlines how trochanteric bursa inflammation produces this pattern of pain.
Treatment of Hip Bursitis
Surgery is rarely necessary for hip bursitis. In most cases, conservative treatment resolves symptoms and prevents the need for a procedure entirely.
Simple changes often bring meaningful relief. The first step is scaling back the activities that aggravate the hip the most. Ice and adequate rest help during painful stretches. Medication can reduce inflammation in the short term, though prolonged reliance on pain medication is not a long-term solution. Guided rehabilitation and targeted exercise remain the most effective conservative approach, and a structured program can restore comfortable movement without surgery.
Because hip pain has many possible sources, an accurate diagnosis matters as much as the treatment itself. Conditions such as hip arthritis flare-ups can produce overlapping symptoms, which is why a full evaluation comes first.
How Our Hip Doctor in NYC Can Help
New York Sports Medicine Institute offers personalized treatment built around your diagnosis and your goals. Our hip doctor in NYC evaluates the underlying cause of your pain and builds a plan around it, drawing on the full range of orthopedic sports medicine services available at the practice.
We see patients at three offices, in New York City, White Plains, and Paramus. You do not need to keep working around your hip pain. Call our New York office at 212-861-2300 with any questions, or request an appointment today.