Condition
Gluteal tendinopathy treatment in TorontoSide-of-hip pain that wakes you up at night?
Gluteal tendinopathy often hurts when you lie on your side, climb stairs, or stand on one leg. The first visit confirms where the pain is coming from, then the plan reduces what irritates the tendon and rebuilds what it can tolerate.
What gluteal tendinopathy is
Gluteal tendinopathy treatment in Toronto at Endura Chiropractic starts with a simple question: is the pain on the side of your hip actually coming from the gluteal tendons? These tendons attach the gluteus medius and minimus to the bony point on the outside of the hip. When they are loaded more than they can currently handle, or squeezed against that bone for long periods, they become painful and less tolerant of load.
It is common in runners, especially after a build in mileage or hills. It is also common in active adults in their 40s to 60s, and in anyone who spends a lot of time standing on one leg, crossing their legs, or sleeping on their side.
Why it keeps coming back
Two things usually drive it: compression and load. Compression comes from positions that press the tendon against the bone, like crossing your legs, standing with your weight hanging on one hip, lying on your side, or stretching the outside of the hip. Load comes from training. More kilometres, more hills, or a narrow stride where the feet cross toward the midline ask the hip stabilisers to work harder.
Rest settles the pain, but it doesn’t make the tendon stronger. So the pain comes back when running or normal life picks up again. Stretching often makes it worse, because the stretch itself compresses the tendon.
How Endura approaches it
The first visit confirms the source. Side-of-hip pain can also come from the hip joint, the lower back, or, in runners, a bone stress injury. So Dr. Devon checks all of these before settling on a plan.
From there, the plan has three parts:
- Reduce compression. Simple changes to sleeping, sitting, and standing positions, and stopping the stretches that aggravate it.
- Rebuild tendon capacity. Strength work that starts with holds the tendon tolerates and progresses to heavier, single-leg, and running-specific loading.
- Adjust the training, don’t just stop it. Volume, hills, and stride width are modified so you can keep running where it’s safe to.
Hands-on treatment and adjustments are used where they help with pain and movement, but the long-term change comes from the loading work. Progress is retested at each visit, and if the picture doesn’t fit, Dr. Devon refers for imaging or a medical opinion.
Sources
Short Answer
How Endura treats gluteal tendinopathy
Endura Chiropractic treats gluteal tendinopathy by first finding out why this specific pain pattern keeps showing up. Common drivers can include A recent jump in running volume, hills, or speed work, Positions that compress the tendon: crossing the legs, hanging on one hip, side-lying, Hip abductor strength that hasn't kept up with training load, but Dr. Devon Savarimuthu, DC, CSCS confirms the likely source through history, physical tests, and movement screening. Assessment and treatment begin in the initial appointment when appropriate. Care may include chiropractic adjustments, hands-on treatment, corrective exercise, and changes to the positions or loads that keep aggravating the problem. Progress and visit frequency are reviewed; the plan continues, changes, steps down, or refers out when needed.
"Dr. Devon Savarimuthu, DC, CSCS, says: 'The first job is to find why the gluteal tendinopathy keeps getting loaded. Once we know that, the treatment gets much simpler.'"
Reviewed By
Dr. Devon Savarimuthu, DC, CSCS
Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at Endura Chiropractic. This page is written for patients comparing treatment options in Lawrence Park, North York, and nearby Toronto neighbourhoods.
How Endura Helps
Dr. Devon checks single-leg control, hip strength, the lower back and hip joint, and the positions that reproduce the pain, and screens for signs that point elsewhere. Care usually starts with changing the positions that compress the tendon, then progressive strength work that is retested, with hands-on treatment where it helps. Running is modified rather than stopped when symptoms allow, as part of a plan that is reviewed at each visit.
Common Questions
Is gluteal tendinopathy the same as hip bursitis?
They often get used for the same problem. Imaging studies suggest most side-of-hip pain once labelled trochanteric bursitis involves the gluteal tendons, and the bursa is often not the main source. The umbrella term is greater trochanteric pain syndrome. The label matters less than the plan: reduce compression, then rebuild tendon capacity.
Should I stretch it?
Usually not the way most people do. Stretches that pull the leg across the body, like the figure-four or ITB stretches, press the tendon against the hip bone and can keep it irritated. Early on, the plan focuses on avoiding those positions and building strength instead.
Can I keep running?
Often, yes, with changes. Shorter runs, fewer hills, flatter routes, and a slightly wider step can keep the tendon calm while strength builds. Pain that lingers into the next day is the signal to back off. Dr. Devon sets clear limits at the first visit.
How long does gluteal tendinopathy take to settle?
Tendons adapt slowly. Many people notice easier sleeping and stairs within a few weeks once compression is reduced, but rebuilding full capacity for running usually takes a few months of consistent loading. Progress is retested so you can see whether it is working.
Do I need an injection or imaging?
Not usually to start. In a well-known randomized trial (the LEAP trial, 2018), education plus exercise did better than a corticosteroid injection at 8 weeks and 1 year. Imaging is considered if the picture doesn't fit, symptoms don't change with care, or red flags appear. Groin or deep front-of-hip pain in a runner can mean a hip stress injury, which needs prompt medical assessment.
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