Evidence-Based Treatment of Gluteal Tendinopathy (For Rehab Professionals)

By dpope2020

December 19, 2025

dan pope, fitnesspainfree, glute med tendinopathy, glute med tendinopathy exercises, glute med tendinopathy rehab, gluteal tendinitis, gluteal tendinitis exercises, gluteal tendinopathy, gluteal tendinopathy diagnosis, gluteal tendinopathy exercises, gluteal tendinopathy rehabilitation, gluteal tendinopathy test, gluteal tendinopathy treatment, gluteal tendinosis, gluteus medius tendinopathy, hip pain, hip tendonitis, lateral hip pain, tendinopathy, trochanteric bursitis

Evidence-Based Treatment of Gluteal Tendinopathy (For Rehab Professionals)

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In today's video we go over, Evidence-Based Treatment of Gluteal Tendinopathy (For Rehab Professionals) - FPF Show Episode 186:

There’s a lot of outdated and conflicting advice around gluteal tendinopathy — and much of it isn’t supported by current research.

In this video, I break down:

  • What the research actually supports for rehab

  • Why complete rest and passive care often fail

  • How progressive loading fits into tendon recovery

  • Practical implications for real-world patients

  • What to do when convervative treatment fails

This isn’t a research lecture — it’s a clinically relevant breakdown designed to help rehab professionals apply the evidence more effectively.

  • 0:00 Introduction
  • 1:54 Does gluteal tendinopathy go away with time alone?
  • 6:15 How important is education and education in the treatment of gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 9:01 Does education and exercise outperform corticosteroid injections in gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 10:28 What does education look like for patients with gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 12:09 What are evidence based exercises for the treatment of gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 16:45 What load management strategies can you use for patients with gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 27:24 Is direct loading for the gluteal musculature more effective then SHAM exercise?
  • 40:35 Are corticosteroid injections helpful in patients with gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 41:37 Are PRP injections helpful for patients with gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 53:03 Is extracorporeal shockwave therapy effective in patients with gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 1:00:24 Is hormone replacement therapy helpful in the treatment of gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 1:10:03 Is TENEX (ultrasound guided percutaneous tenotomy) effective in the treatment of gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 1:16:20 Is surgery effective in the treatment of gluteal tendinopathy?
  • 1:23:57 What Physical Therapists Need to Know About Femoral Acetabular Impingement Syndrome

My hips feel better!

- Dan Pope DPT,OCS,CSCS

Show Notes / Relevant Articles:

  1. Want to earn some CEUs for physical therapists, physical therapy assistants & ATCs for watching this content?  Click HERE to sign up for FPF "Insiders Academy" for just a dollar. You can earn CEUs for watching this content.  Plus, you'll gain access to over 14 MASTER courses, 50+ cheat sheets, 100+ webinars, e-books and complete guides.  You'll also get private access to the "Insiders Academy" community where you can have all of your questions answered by me.  

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Thank you!

Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS

References: 

  1. Bremer T, Nicklen P, Fearon A, Morrissey D. The efficacy of gluteal tendinopathy treatments: A systematic review. Clinical Rehabilitation. 2025;39(5):600-617. doi:10.1177/02692155251327298
  2. Grimaldi A, Mellor R, Nasser A, Vicenzino B, Hunter DJ. Current and future advances in practice: tendinopathies of the hip. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2024 Apr 10;8(2):rkae022. doi: 10.1093/rap/rkae022. PMID: 38601140; PMCID: PMC11003818.
  3. Alison Grimaldi, Charlotte Ganderton, Anthony Nasser, Gluteal tendinopathy masterclass: Refuting the myths and engaging with the evidence, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, Volume 76, 2025, 103253, ISSN 2468-7812, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2025.103253.
  4. Segal NA, Felson DT, Torner JC, et al. Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: Epidemiology and Associated Factors. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2007;88(8):988-92. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2007.04.014.
  5. Sunil Kumar KH, Rawal J, Nakano N, Sarmento A, Khanduja V. Pathogenesis and Contemporary Diagnoses for Lateral Hip Pain: A Scoping Review. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy : Official Journal of the ESSKA. 2021;29(8):2408-2416. doi:10.1007/s00167-020-06354-1.
  6. Mellor R, Bennell K, Grimaldi A, Nicolson P, Kasza J, Hodges P, Wajswelner H, Vicenzino B. Education plus exercise versus corticosteroid injection use versus a wait and see approach on global outcome and pain from gluteal tendinopathy: prospective, single blinded, randomised clinical trial. BMJ. 2018 May 2;361:k1662. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k1662. PMID: 29720374; PMCID: PMC5930290.
  7. Grimaldi A, Mellor R, Hodges P, et al. Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Review of Mechanisms, Assessment and Management. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 2015;45(8):1107-19. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0336-5.
  8. Cowan RM, Ganderton CL, Cook J, Semciw AI, Long DM, Pizzari T. Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Exercise, or Both Improve Pain and Function in Postmenopausal Women With Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome? A 2 × 2 Factorial Randomized Clinical Trial. Am J Sports Med. 2022 Feb;50(2):515-525. doi: 10.1177/03635465211061142. Epub 2021 Dec 13. PMID: 34898293.
  9. Docking SI, Cook J, Chen S, Scarvell J, Cormick W, Smith P, Fearon A. Identification and differentiation of gluteus medius tendon pathology using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2019 Jun;41:1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2019.01.011. Epub 2019 Feb 7. PMID: 30763889.
  10. Kinsella, Rita, et al. "Diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests for assessing greater trochanteric pain syndrome: a systematic review with meta-analysis." Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 54.1 (2024): 26-49.
  11. Fitzpatrick J, Bulsara MK, O'Donnell J, Zheng MH. Leucocyte-Rich Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment of Gluteus Medius and Minimus Tendinopathy: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial With 2-Year Follow-up. Am J Sports Med. 2019 Apr;47(5):1130-1137. doi: 10.1177/0363546519826969. Epub 2019 Mar 6. PMID: 30840831.
  12. Fitzpatrick J, Bulsara MK, O'Donnell J, McCrory PR, Zheng MH. The Effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections in Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial Comparing a Single Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection With a Single Corticosteroid Injection. Am J Sports Med. 2018 Mar;46(4):933-939. doi: 10.1177/0363546517745525. Epub 2018 Jan 2. PMID: 29293361.
  13. Longstaffe R, Dickerson P, Thigpen CA, Shanley E, Kissenberth MJ, Folk J, Pill SG. Both open and endoscopic gluteal tendon repairs lead to functional improvement with similar failure rates: a systematic review. J ISAKOS. 2021 Jan;6(1):28-34. doi: 10.1136/jisakos-2020-000474. Epub 2020 Sep 24. PMID: 33833043.
  14. Patricio Cordeiro TT, Rocha EAB, Scattone Silva R. Effects of exercise-based interventions on gluteal tendinopathy. Systematic review with meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2024 Feb 9;14(1):3343. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53283-x. PMID: 38336959; PMCID: PMC10858207.

Images:

  1. Coxa Valga: Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Coxa-valga-norma-vara-000.png  Attribution: Addingrefs, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

  2. Trendelenburg: File: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Trendelenburg_gait.jpg Attribution: S. Bhimji, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

  3. Glute Med: Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Gluteus_medius_muscle.PNG   Attribution: Häggström, Mikael (2014). "Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.008. ISSN 2002-4436. Public Domain.orBy Mikael Häggström, used with permission., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons  Edited by Fitness Pain Free LLC

  4. Glute Med: Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Gluteus_medius_muscle05.png   Attribution: Anatomography, CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons Edited by Fitness Pain Free LLC

  5. Glute Min: Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Gluteus_minimus_muscle04.png Attribution: Anatomography, CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons Edited by Fitness Pain Free LLC