Hip & Glute · Chula Vista · South Bay
Hip Pain, Gluteal Tendinopathy & “Bursitis” Treatment In Chula Vista
Pain on the outside of the hip that stops you lying on that side, hurts on stairs and after sitting. It’s usually called bursitis. It usually isn’t.
✓ Non-surgical ✓ No injections ✓ No downtime ✓ 20–30 min visits
Start Here
What This Actually Is
Pain on the bony point at the side of your hip is now described as greater trochanteric pain syndrome. For decades it was labelled trochanteric bursitis and treated as an inflamed sac of fluid.
The evidence changed. In the large majority of cases the primary problem is gluteal tendinopathy — degeneration of the gluteus medius and minimus tendons where they attach to the bone. Bursal involvement is usually secondary, if it’s there at all.
That reframing changes the treatment completely. Tendinopathy needs a healing stimulus and progressive load. It does not need repeated injections into a bursa that isn’t the main culprit.
The Real Problem
Why It Hasn’t Gone Away On Its Own
The tendons are compressed against the bone whenever the hip is adducted — sitting cross-legged, standing on one leg, lying on your side, sleeping. The provocative position is one you hold for hours.
Because it gets called bursitis, the common treatment is cortisone into the bursa. That can help short-term while doing nothing for a degenerated tendon, and repeated injections around tendon are not benign.
The classic advice — stretch your IT band, roll it out, pull your knee across your body — puts the tendon into exactly the compressed position that irritates it. Many people arrive having made it worse by following instructions carefully.
The Treatment
How Shockwave And EMTT Address It
Shockwave delivers high-energy acoustic pressure waves into the tissue. The body reads that controlled stimulus as a fresh injury and reopens the healing process that stalled out. Here’s what that means for this specific problem.
Treats the tendon, not the bursa
Shockwave is applied to the gluteal tendon insertion, which is where the pathology actually is. There is reasonable literature on shockwave for greater trochanteric pain syndrome, and it’s one of the better non-injection options.
Reaches a deep insertion
The gluteus medius and minimus attach deep, under a layer of soft tissue that varies a lot between people. Focused shockwave puts energy at that depth.
Calms the pain that's stopping you loading
Gluteal tendinopathy responds to progressive abductor loading — but only if you can tolerate it. Reducing the pain signalling is what makes the exercise possible.
EMTT for the surrounding tissue
Useful where the whole lateral hip is irritable and the bursa genuinely is inflamed alongside the tendon.
What To Expect
What A Course Of Treatment Looks Like
Lateral hip cases typically run four to six sessions weekly. They tend to be slower than an elbow and faster than an Achilles.
The first thing we change is usually not the exercise — it’s the positions. How you sleep, how you sit, how you stand. Removing the compression is often worth more in week one than anything else.
Then progressive abductor strength, built carefully, because this tendon does not like being rushed.
Straight Talk
Are You A Candidate?
Shockwave is genuinely good at a narrow set of problems. It is not good at everything, and candidacy is determined by examination, not by a website.
Shockwave Is Usually A Good Fit If
✓ Pain on the bony point at the side of the hip, lasting more than three months
✓ You can’t lie on that side at night
✓ Pain on stairs, on standing from a chair, or standing on one leg
✓ You’ve been told it’s bursitis and had an injection
✓ Stretching and foam rolling have made no difference or made it worse
When It Isn’t The Answer
✗ Deep groin pain, or pain with rotating the hip — that suggests the joint itself, or a labral problem
✗ A suspected femoral neck stress fracture, particularly in a runner — imaging first
✗ Pain radiating down the leg with numbness or weakness — think lumbar spine
✗ Advanced hip joint osteoarthritis, which is a different conversation
✗ Active infection, open wound, tumour in the area, or pregnancy
If you’re in this column we’ll tell you on the first visit and point you where you should actually go. We’d rather lose the case than sell you sessions that won’t help.
Not Just A Machine
What We Do Besides Point A Device At You
Most clinics that own a shockwave device deliver shockwave. You’re seeing a Doctor of Physical Therapy, so you also get a diagnosis and a plan for why the tissue failed in the first place.
Abductor loading, progressed
Isometric then progressive gluteus medius work in positions the tendon tolerates. The order matters here more than in most tendons.
Removing the compression
Sleep position, sitting habits, standing posture, and stopping the stretches that are feeding it.
Gait and single-leg control
If your pelvis drops every step, the tendon gets compressed every step. We look at how you actually walk.
Weighing Your Options
Already Been Offered Something Else?
If you have a cortisone shot, an injection or a surgery on the table, these compare them honestly — including where the alternative is the better choice.
Your Next Step
Find Out If This Is Your Problem
Ask What Shockwave Costs
— And Whether You're A Candidate
One short form. A real conversation with our team, not a sales script.
On that call you'll get
✓ A straight answer on whether shockwave is likely to help your specific problem
✓ What a typical course involves — how many sessions, how far apart
✓ Exactly what it costs, with no packages pushed on you
✓ Whether something else would serve you better — including a referral elsewhere if that's the honest answer
✓ A time that works, if you decide to come in
No insurance required. No obligation. We'll come back to you within one business day.
Prefer to just ask? Call and we’ll answer the same questions on the spot.
Sports Performance Physical Therapy
861 Harold Place, Unit 307 · Chula Vista, CA 91914
(619) 397-1391
Mon–Thu 9:00am–6:00pm · Fri 8:00am–5:00pm
Serving Eastlake, Bonita, Otay Ranch, National City, Imperial Beach and San Ysidro. Kearny Mesa location also available.
Shockwave Therapy Chula Vista is a service of Sports Performance Physical Therapy. The information on this page is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Individual results vary and no outcome is guaranteed. Shockwave therapy is not appropriate for every patient or every condition — candidacy is determined by examination. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your specific condition.