Nonsurgical treatment

• Most patients with trochanteric bursitis will not need surgery. Younger people are more likely to not require surgery. Anti-inflammatory medication along with an adjustment of their daily activities as well as incorporating stretching and strength building exercises may be the only treatment needed. This typically occurs in younger patients due to over use. In some cases ice/cold compress may be applied as well as physical therapy. Therapy will build up the hip and buttock muscle to reduce friction in the bursa that can cause inflammation. A four to six week span of therapy may be required to redevelop full motion in the hip. Your therapist may then give you exercises to do at home to continue rehabilitation after your motions becomes more flexible and when you have gained more strength in the trochanteric bursitis area. If therapy does not relieve the pain, your doctor may suggest a cortisone injection, which is an anti-inflammatory injected directly into the bursa, which will help to temporarily relieve the pain, swelling and inflammation.
  
  

Surgical treatment

• When the pain becomes unbearable or disabling your doctor may recommend surgery as a last resort to treat trochanteric bursitis. Friction is what typically causes trochanteric bursitis which can originates from either a thickened bursa, an unrelaxed tendon in the gluteus maximus or the formation of bone spurs on the greater trochanter. Surgery is done one of two ways. One procedure is to relax the tendon on the gluteus maximus by lengthen the tendon it. The second procedure is to relax the tendon and reduce friction by removing the part of the tendon that irritates the greater trochanter and causes the inflammation.
  
  

After Surgery treatment for Trochanteric Bursitis

• After surgery, your hip will be bandaged to protect the incisions. Most people require rehabilitation for up to two months after surgery. Physical therapy will teach you to overcome the pain and control the swelling from the surgery. The rehabilitation process will start gradually until you begin to regain strength around your hip and the pain subsides so that you can begin to gain motion in your hip joint. You will also be required to stretch and exercise when the healing process begins so that the ball of the femur can continue to move in its socket smoothly.