Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), or lateral hip pain, is associated with muscle weakness, altered movement patterns and painful daily activities. The disability associated with GTPS is comparable to end stage hip osteoarthritis, primarily affecting young and middle aged women. Few non-operative treatments have demonstrated long-term lasting or satisfactory results. For those who do improve, recurrence rates of pain and disability can be as high as 50%. Gluteal tendinopathy is the most common condition associated with a GTPS diagnosis. High compressive loads of the gluteal tendons during common activities like walking, stair-climbing, and running are the theorized mechanism for GTPS. These compressive loads are exacerbated with postures and movement patterns that involve the lateral tilting of the pelvis or movement of the thigh across the midline of the body. There is recent evidence that load modification through education and exercise is superior to a corticosteroid injection for reducing pain in these patients. However, it is unknown whether the possible effects of the load modification program were due to exercise alone or the reduction in compressive loads. As current physical therapy interventions for GTPS commonly incorporate high load postures and exercise activities, there is an urgent need to compare outcomes of standard of care physical therapy to load modification. The goal of this study is to evaluate the short-term effects of load modification education on pain and function in individuals with GTPS. Participants will be randomized to receive either standard exercise education or load modification education. Both groups will complete a series of questionnaires about their pain and function, and undergo a brief 2-dimensional assessment of their posture and movement. Between follow-up sessions, participants will be asked to respond to brief weekly online surveys to document their home program compliance, pain, and function. It is hypothesized that the group of participants receiving load modification will have the highest proportion of individuals with significant improvements in pain and function, and will demonstrate improved posture and movement.
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Global Rating of Change
Timeframe: 4 weeks after enrollment
Change in Numeric Pain Rating Scale
Timeframe: at the time of enrollment and 4 weeks after enrollment