Outer Hip Pain That Won’t Go Away? You Don’t Have to Just Live With It.
That deep, persistent ache on the outside of your hip — the one that flares up when you walk, climb stairs, lie on your side at night, or sit for long periods — is one of the most commonly misunderstood and undertreated conditions in musculoskeletal care. Whether your provider has called it hip bursitis, gluteal tendinopathy, or greater trochanteric pain syndrome, radial shockwave therapy is emerging as one of the most effective non-invasive treatments available.
Denver patients no longer have to choose between repeated cortisone injections or learning to live with the pain. There’s a better path forward.
What Is Hip Tendinopathy and Hip Bursitis?
The outer hip is a complex area where several important structures converge — including the gluteal tendons (gluteus medius and minimus), the iliotibial band, and the trochanteric bursa, a small fluid-filled sac that cushions the bony prominence of the hip known as the greater trochanter.
What was historically called “trochanteric bursitis” is now more accurately understood as greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) — an umbrella term that captures the most common cause of lateral hip pain. Greater trochanteric pain syndrome is often a manifestation of underlying gluteal tendinopathy PubMed, where the tendons attaching the gluteal muscles to the greater trochanter become degenerated, irritated, or inflamed — sometimes with secondary involvement of the bursa.
Common symptoms include:
- A sharp or burning pain on the outer hip or thigh
- Pain that worsens with walking, running, stair climbing, or prolonged standing
- Discomfort when lying on the affected side at night
- Tenderness to the touch over the outer hip bone
- Pain after prolonged sitting, especially with legs crossed
Conservative treatment is considered the primary approach for GTPS, including rest, cryotherapy, physiotherapy, and pharmacological treatment — but for many patients, these measures provide only partial or temporary relief, and non-responders may otherwise face surgical management. PubMed Central That’s exactly the gap shockwave therapy is designed to fill.
What Is Radial Shockwave Therapy?
Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) is a non-invasive, in-office treatment that delivers acoustic pressure waves directly through the skin to the affected tendons and soft tissue around the hip. A handheld device is applied to the outer hip area, delivering targeted pulses of energy that stimulate the body’s natural healing response — promoting blood flow, encouraging tissue repair, and reducing the chronic pain cycle — all without needles, surgery, or recovery time.
Shockwave therapy works by stimulating increased blood flow and stem cell activity in chronically injured tissue, providing pain relief and an increased tissue healing response Physio Effect — making it particularly well-suited for the kind of chronic, degenerative tendon changes seen in GTPS.
What Does the Research Say?
Significantly better outcomes than conservative care alone. A controlled study of 66 patients with chronic greater trochanteric pain syndrome found that shockwave therapy produced significantly lower pain scores and significantly higher Harris hip scores than the control group at every follow-up point — 1, 3, and 12 months after treatment — with the percentage of patients achieving successful results substantially greater in the shockwave group. PubMed
Superior to cortisone injections at longer follow-up. Research by Rompe et al. found that at 4-month follow-up, shockwave therapy was significantly more effective than both corticosteroid injection and home training — and at 15-month follow-up, cortisone injection was significantly less successful than either shockwave therapy or home training WorkSafeBC, reinforcing the concern that injections may offer short-term relief at the expense of longer-term outcomes.
86.8% success rate in a large multicenter trial. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of 103 patients with chronic GTPS found that focused shockwave therapy combined with a specific exercise protocol produced an 86.8% success rate at 2 months after treatment, which was maintained through to the end of the 6-month follow-up — with no complications observed. PubMed
Shockwave therapy performs as well as physiotherapy. A prospective randomized trial found that both shockwave therapy and therapeutic exercise produced progressive clinical reductions in pain, recovery from disability, and improved perception of recovery within 6 months — with no significant differences between the protocols, making both valid options for GTPS management. PubMed Central
Meaningful improvement in nearly 80% of patients. In one study of radial shockwave therapy for greater trochanteric pain, 22 out of 28 patients — 78.6% — showed improvement, with an average pain score reduction of over 3 points on the visual analog scale. WorkSafeBC
Is Radial Shockwave Therapy Right for You?
Radial shockwave therapy is an excellent option if you:
- Have had outer hip or lateral thigh pain lasting 3 months or longer
- Have been diagnosed with hip bursitis, gluteal tendinopathy, or greater trochanteric pain syndrome
- Have tried rest, anti-inflammatories, or physiotherapy without lasting results
- Have had cortisone injections that provided only short-term relief
- Want to avoid surgery or are looking for a non-invasive alternative
- Are struggling with sleep, walking, or everyday activity due to hip pain
Get Moving Comfortably Again — Right Here in Denver
Our Denver clinic offers radial shockwave therapy for hip tendinopathy and hip bursitis as part of a personalized, evidence-based treatment approach. We’ll thoroughly assess your hip, review your history, and develop a plan tailored to your specific condition and goals — whether that’s shockwave therapy alone or combined with a targeted rehabilitation program.
Ready to sleep on your side again without waking up in pain? 📞 [Call us at (720)263-0594] | 📍 [6000 E Evans Ave #3-221, Denver, CO 80222] [Book Your Appointment →]
References:
- Furia et al. Am J Sports Med. 2009; PubMed 19439756.
- Rompe et al. Am J Sports Med. 2008; cited in Strathcona Physical Therapy.
- Ramon et al. PubMed. 2020; PubMed 32769596.
- Notarnicola et al. J Pers Med. 2023; PMC10301141.
- Harding et al. Musculoskeletal Care. 2024; Wiley.
- WorkSafeBC Evidence-Based Practice Group. 2024.