If the side of your hip has started to ache when you climb stairs, sleep on your side, or stand up after sitting, you might have hip bursitis. Doctors also call it greater trochanteric pain syndrome, a name that sounds bigger than it is. It’s one of the most common causes of hip pain, especially in women over 40. A 2025 review in the journal Cureus found that many people live with this pain for months before they get the right diagnosis, because it can feel like a hip problem, a back problem, or both at once. The good news is that most cases get better without surgery.
What Is Hip Bursitis?
Your hip has small, fluid-filled sacs called bursae. Think of them like tiny cushions sitting between bone and muscle. They help tendons glide smoothly every time you walk or climb. When the bursa on the outside of your hip gets irritated, it swells and presses on the tissue around it. That is hip bursitis. It often shows up together with tendinopathy, which is small wear and tear in the tendons that connect muscle to bone. A fall, tight muscles, running on hard surfaces, or even years of sitting with your legs crossed can trigger it.
Why Does Hip Bursitis Hurt So Much at Night?
Many people say the pain is worst when they lie on the sore side. That’s because lying down presses the irritated bursa right against the bone. Walking, climbing stairs, and standing up from a low chair can also hurt, since those motions pull the tendons across the swollen area. The pain usually sits on the outside of the hip and can travel partway down the thigh. That overlap is also why hip bursitis sometimes gets confused with piriformis syndrome, a different condition where a tight muscle deep in the buttock irritates a nearby nerve.
Can Hip Bursitis Heal on Its Own?
Sometimes, yes. Mild cases can settle down with rest and time. But research shows this pain sticks around more often than people expect. One long-term study found that 36 percent of people still had symptoms after one year, and 29 percent still had them after five years. That is why it’s worth treating early instead of waiting it out.
What Is the Best Treatment for Hip Bursitis?
A 2024 review in the journal Physiotherapy looked at six clinical trials and more than 700 patients. It found that targeted exercise worked as well as, or better than, other conservative treatments for this kind of hip pain. A 2025 review in Cureus agreed, finding that physical therapy led to better long-term results than shockwave therapy or cortisone shots. As for shots, a 2025 trial in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery tested platelet-rich plasma injections, a treatment some clinics promote as a quick fix. The results showed no meaningful difference between PRP and a placebo shot after a year. Helpful options tend to include stretching the hip and outer thigh muscles, strengthening the glutes, adjusting sleep position, and correcting the posture or gait patterns that put uneven stress on the hip. Chiropractic care, physical therapy, and a short course of anti-inflammatory medication are common first steps before anything more invasive is considered.
The Bottom Line
Hip bursitis is common, treatable, and rarely a sign of something serious. But because it can linger for months or years if it’s ignored, it’s worth getting it properly evaluated instead of guessing. If hip pain shows up alongside low back pain, it may also be worth ruling out related issues like SI joint dysfunction or tight hip flexors, since these conditions often overlap and get mistaken for one another.
Sources
- Atchia I, Ali M, Oderuth E, Holleyman R, Malviya A. “Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Placebo for the Treatment of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American Volume), 2025;107(5):444-451.
- “Exercise Compared to a Control Condition or Other Conservative Treatment Options in Patients with Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Physiotherapy, 2024.
- Gill JK, Neal-Smith G, Saed A, Burgan A, Fernquest S. “Management of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Narrative Review.” Cureus, 2025;17(6):e85859.
- Wang S-Q, Guo N-Y, Liu W, Huang H-J, Xu B-B, Wang J-Q. “Effect of Conservative Treatment on Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2025;20.
