What has helped your hip bursitis?

[Jenny]

I have, yet again, another nasty case of it. At least I have figured out what caused it. I tried using my elliptical machine and by that evening I was limping. It seems to be getting worse all week and I'm going on a camping trip in our Motorhome tomorrow. In the past I've had to get cortisone injections to get rid of it, but I don't have time. I've tried ice, Antiinflammatories, Voltaren gel.  Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[cccourt1942]

Immediate?  none I know of.  To minimize? Gentle , daily walking.

[litliwlowa]

Jenny

When my hip bursitis kicked up, about the only thing that did help it was steroid injection. However, I haven't had it kick up in a few years. Since bursitis for me was secondary to trauma, I presume the hip healed up.

Have you tried something like Tiger Balm (the clove smelling kind) - a topical OTC cream? That one does well for my neck. Also, the Tiger Balm patches were a life safer when I sustained a nasty fall and messed up my lower back)

Another I recently found that I like even better is Penetrex (not as costly as Tiger Balm) which thus far I am liking. It's not as smelly for one thing. Thus far I've used it on my elbow (bursitis), neck, shoulder and low back at first sign of a flare. A little goes a long way.

Another idea is Biofreeze. I don't know if that one comes in patch form or not.

Just bouncing around alternatives given you stated you don't have time to get injection.

Amanda

[Katybarstool]

Jenny, sorry to hear you are suffering. The only thing that helped me was the steroid injection, although it took a couple of weeks for it to be effective.

I hope you have a good trip.

Kathyx

[irish]

I have had something similar many times over the years and laying in bed to sleep is just the pits. I always said that whether I went to the doctor or not it always seemed to last 6 weeks minimum into several months. I used heat. I would sit on a heating pad placed in the place that needed it the most. Sometimes cold packs help. I would take Aleve as that is the NSAID that always gave me the best relief.

I would always think that I was going to wait as long as I could as I don't like to get the steroid injections unless I have to. So far I have managed to recover without the shot. Life can be bloody miserable with it though. Also, I would use extra pillows when I slept to help position so that the weight of my leg, hip, whatever was not subjecting the joint to stress. This helps rest the area. Good luck. irish

[susanep]

Some good ideas here. I like biofreeze, and anything with the ibuprophen in it is good. Have a good trip.

susanep

[Joe S.]

Years ago, I used tiger balm. Then I used carrot juice and reflexology for targeted endorphin release. I have also used Reiki. When I first got it the doctor tried injections and biofreeze they helped for about a week. At that time I was still doing a lot of walking also. In electronics we used freeze spray (Non medical grade) to cool components. It was about $2/can and a can could do a number of treatments.

Have fun on your trip!

[SjoGirl]

Agreed that gentle walking helps. Hip stretches, gentle, can help as well.

[Sleepy In Seattle]

Ellipticals are awful on my hip! Something about the restricted motion - doesn't work well with my biomechanics. I can hike most of a day and be okay, but half an hour on an elliptical and my hip is out of commission for a week!

If you don't already, try sleeping with a pillow between your knees whenever you're on your side. It relieves a lot of stress on the hip joint!

[Thea]

Steroid injection worked for me. Hurt like HADES! for about 12 hours, then the hip settled down and was never a problem again.

[irish]

I found that doing the usual activities without putting undue stress on that hip helped a lot. No way did I do any exercises. You want to keep the joint fro freezing up, but not do any extra movement to increase the inflammation. If you need to go to the doctor that is just about the only thing that you can do to get rid of the misery. Irish

[4Kids]

The rheumy had me stretch my IT band by crossing my legs w the sore leg to the inside (i.e. crossing the non sore side over it) and leaning into the affected side to stretch it out.  It does wonders although mine is not severe.

google stretch IT band.

[Jenny]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I've tried most for the past few days and it seems to be settling down. Interesting how many of us have this problem.  I also got my shoulder MRI results which shows tears in 3 tendons and arthritis. I haven't met with my doctor yet, but it sounds like another surgery is in my future. I wonder if tendon issues is another Sjogrens complication?

[Jasper]

I had hip bursitis and hip tendonitis. I went to a sports medicine doctor. She X-Rayed the knees and the hips. I had very mild OA of the knees and hips. But she said I had both bursitis and tendonitis and that was causing most of my problems. She said the injections will relieve the pain for awhile but PT would be more of a long term fix. I opted to try PT first. Then, if that did not work or I still needed an injection, I would get a cortisone injection.

I went to a PT clinic that was connected to a hospital. They did an individualized treatment plan. I had 1 hour of PT at the clinic twice a week for 7 weeks and then once a week for an additional 3 weeks.  I had a regimen of most of the same exercises to do at home each day. I did a few more at the clinic but I did not have the equipment at home for some of them (which is why I did not do some of them at home). They specifically tailor the exercise regimen so that it can be done at home.

The exercises are all strengthening and stretching exercises and a couple of balance exercises. They are almost all exercises that can be done at home. I have continued to do these exercises every day. They take about 45 minutes to do and I do them every morning when I wake up. Most are done in bed (at least 3/4 of them). The rest I do right after I get up.

The PT helped tremendously. I have continued to improve as the weeks go by. I started in mid-January so I have been doing them a while. The improvement has been gradual, but it is consistent. I can now climb stairs quite well, without hanging onto the railing. I can easily rise from a sitting position, even in a low chair (but not from a low step stool or the floor). I can walk without hip pain and without knee pain. The hip pain took the longest to dissipate, but I have a very tight IT band and that was causing the bursitis as well as the tendonitis. The IT band is looser now and thus the pain has dissipated. Lately, for the past month or so, I have noticed I really don't have any pain when I am walking. I do have it when I press on the hips, but not when I am walking. So, for me, the PT has worked wonders.

[trector]

Hello, sorry your hips are acting up. I have terrible problems with my hips. I take cymbulta. I know I didn't spell it right sorry. I take 120 mg. When I have tried to when myself off of it my hips are so bad I feel like they are spreading the wrong way. So I have to take it. I can't even wear my underwear to bed the elastic drives me crazy and it hurts. I joined the YMCA so I could use the pool. It helps too. Good luck.