Pediatric hip tendinitis

What is hip tendinitis?

Hip tendinitis is an overuse injury that occurs when there’s irritation in the tendon (band of tissue) that connects the hip flexor muscles to the thigh bone. The tendons and hip flexor muscles (iliopsoas) work together to pull the knee upward when an athlete runs, kicks or jumps. Repeatedly performing these motions can wear on the tendon, causing painful swelling in the tendon known as tendinitis.

Hip tendinitis is also called hip flexor tendinitis and iliopsoas tendinitis. Our orthopedic and sports medicine specialists diagnose and treat this sports injury in athletes.

What are the signs and symptoms of hip tendinitis?

• Gradual onset of musculoskeletal pain in the hip joint or groin area that worsens with activity, including walking

• Grating or snapping sensation when kicking, running or jumping

• Muscle stiffness in the hip after periods of inactivity

• Tenderness and mild swelling in the hip or groin area

How is hip tendinitis diagnosed?

Different conditions can cause hip pain, including hip tendinitis, hip dysplasia and torn cartilage (acetabular labral tears). Our specialists provide athletes with the correct diagnosis, which is critical to proper treatment and recovery.

To diagnose hip tendinitis, our team:

• Performs a physical exam

• Evaluates symptoms

• Reviews images from an X-ray, ultrasound or MRI to determine the extent of the tendon injury and check for other conditions

What causes hip tendinitis?

Hip tendinitis typically occurs from overuse. When an athlete does a lot of running, jumping or kicking, the hip flexor muscle repeatedly pulls on tendons, irritating them.

Another condition called snapping hip syndrome increases the risk of hip tendinitis. This condition occurs when a hip flexor tendon slides over and catches on a part of the hip bone that sticks out. This causes a snapping sensation or sound. The repeated snapping motion can lead to tendon inflammation.

Other causes of hip tendinitis in athletes include:

• Increasing exercise intensity or duration too fast

• Muscle imbalances or weak hip muscles

• Muscle overload (excess weight on a tendon)

• Poor sports conditioning or technique

• Tight muscles and tendons

How is hip tendinitis treated?

Without proper treatment, hip tendinitis can lead to chronic pain and inflammation that affects an athlete’s ability to be active. Our team customizes a treatment plan that accounts for an athlete’s unique injury, anatomy and activity preferences. Our goal is to speed healing and ensure a safe return to exercise as quickly as possible.

At the Andrews Institute, athletes benefit from:

Nonsurgical treatments for hip tendinitis

Hip flexor tendinitis treatments include:

• Applying ice to the injured area

• Limiting activities until symptoms improve

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

• Plasma-rich platelet (PRP) injections

• Therapeutic ultrasound

• Ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injections

Specialized rehabilitation programs

We offer comprehensive rehabilitation programs to help athletes recover from injuries. An athlete with hip tendinitis may benefit from:

• Physical therapy to improve hip flexibility and mobility with stretching exercises.

• Sports rehabilitation to build strength, endurance and agility.

• Bridge training via the Sports Performance powered by EXOS program to safely return to activities at the end of sports rehabilitation or physical therapy.

• Running Program to learn proper running techniques and lower the risk of reinjury.

• Dance Sports Medicine Program to ease the transition back to dance at the end of physical therapy.

Advanced orthopedic surgeries to repair torn tendons

If nonsurgical treatments don’t ease hip tendinitis symptoms, our orthopedic surgeons may perform arthroscopic surgery. This minimally invasive procedure takes place through small incisions using a thin, lighted tube and a camera (arthroscope). Athletes recover faster with less pain and scarring.

Depending on the injury symptoms and severity, surgeries to treat hip tendinitis include:

• Tendon debridement to remove damaged tendon and cartilage.

• Tendon lengthening (tendon release) to surgically cut and lengthen the tendon connecting the hip flexor muscle and bone.