Training Somebody with Hip Bursitis

[Jordan Wright]

One of my clients was recently diagnosed with hip bursitis. Not that her doctor gave here a great diagnosis. Push on her hip and said does that hurt.

I would like to get my client back into squatting, deadlifting, lunging, and some moderate forms of cleans and snatches with dumbbells.

Based on what I have read and heard from Kelly Starrett out of SF crossfit we should work towards keeping this person active based on their ROM and capability.

I will work with her on flexibility in the area around the joint to help loosen up some of the affected muscles.

We currently on train 2x a week so she will have loads of time to recover between sessions. She has progressed extremely well and would like to see her continue to progress in her training.

Any advance would be excellent. I will do some added research to see what people may have used as strategies.

Cheers Jordan

[Steven Low]

Ice, anti-inflams and massage to encourage blood flow... like you can massage 30-60 mins per day.. that would be great!

With bursitis it's just about not aggravating it and letting it heal..... let it heal then go at it. But it looks like what you're doing for now is fine if she's improving.

[Duane Bennett]

I'm not a doctor, but my MD diagnosed me with trochanteric bursitis using a similar test - looking for point tenderness, asking about the pain, and going through a few ROM movements. I don't think there is much more that is typically done upon first review (MRIs are too expensive).

I went through physical therapy for 4 weeks (IT band release, deep tissue massage, ultrasound, stretching, etc.) and it helped, but my case is a bit more severe and I'm looking into more treatment. Another option if your client goes the medical route is a cortizone shot. Supposedly getting one in the bursa isn't as detrimental as similar shots for other joint pain (again, I'm not an MD so I don't know details). Steven's suggestions are probably the best starting point and I would definitely lay off any deep hip movement (squats, lunges) for a few weeks.

Also, is the pain on both sides or just one? If it is only on one side test her flexibility (internal & external rotation, flexion and extension) and strength to see if there is an imbalance. She likely may have poor flexibility on one side.

Good luck!