What is trochanteric bursitis?
Trochanteric bursitis occurs with inflammation of the bursa over the hip’s greater trochanter, and it is a common cause of hip pain in many patients. In cases where the pain does not improve after conservative treatments, surgical intervention may be necessary to remove the irritated and inflamed bursa. Removal of the bursa does not hurt the hip, and the hip can function normally without it.
What happens during a trochanteric bursectomy?
As with many other conditions in the hip, trochanteric bursitis can be treated with minimally-invasive hip arthroscopy. During this procedure, a small camera is inserted into a tiny incision while the bursa is removed with surgical instruments through a separate incision. Hip traction is not needed for the bursectomy portion of an arthroscopic hip surgery.
At the time of the bursectomy, a close inspection of the abductor tendons is performed to ensure there is no tearing or detachment of the gluteus medius. If the incidental abductor tear is not repaired, removal of the bursa alone will make little or no difference to the symptoms. It is important to address all potential causes of lateral hip pain in order to restore normal function.
