Susan, a 59 year old female came to our office with recurrent issues of hip bursitis. Her doctor had diagnosed the condition and given her steroid injections on 2 occasions. This resulted in immediate relief from her pain. However, when the problem returned for the third time, she came in to us for our opinion. Examination revealed joint and muscle dysfunction around the hip and sacroiliac joint. The dysfunction itself was not painful, but appeared to be the cause of the bursitis. Her sacroiliac joint had become misaligned and stuck which inhibited her muscles that were primarily involved in hip extension. Other muscles began to compensate causing a band of connective tissue called the Iliotibial Band to tighten down on the bursa.
The Solution
By correcting the joint function, strengthening the muscles that had become weaker, and stretching the tissues that had become too tight, we were able to remove the cause of the bursitis and not just focus on the symptoms. The bursitis resolved within a few weeks, without steroid injections, and did not return.