The Article in Brief
Corticosteroid Injections for Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Primary Care
Aaltien Brinks , and colleagues
Background Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), also known as trochanteric bursitis, is a common cause of hip pain. This study compared usual care (analgesic pain medicines as needed) and corticosteroid injection in primary care patients with GTPS.
What This Study Found For patients with GTPS, corticosteroid injections offer better short-term pain relief than pain medicines. At the 3-month follow-up, 34 percent of patients in the usual care group had recovered compared with 55 percent in the injection group. At 3 months, pain severity at rest and on activity decreased in both groups, but the decrease was greater in the injection group. At the 12-month follow-up visit, the differences in outcomes were no longer present.
Implications
- Although local corticosteroid injections are frequently given for GTPS, this study is the first to examine the additional value of injection therapy, providing physicians with a more evidence-based rationale for offering it to patients.