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

Background: Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is a debilitating chronic condition, most prevalent in postmenopausal women. A positive association between high estrogen levels and tendon health may exist, and postmenopausal women have reduced estrogen. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) may reduce the incidence of tendon abnormality, particularly when combined with exercise. Purpose: To determine the effect of MHT and exercise on tendon pain and function in postmenopausal women with GTPS. Study Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: Postmenopausal women (N = 132; n = 12, lost to follow-up) with GTPS were randomized into MHT and placebo transdermal cream groups combined with tendon-specific or sham exercise. All groups received education about avoiding gluteal tendon compression and load management throughout 12 weeks of intervention. The primary outcome was the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment for gluteal tendinopathy (VISA-G), and secondary outcomes were measured at baseline and at 12 and 52 weeks. The Global Rating of Change was assessed at 12 and 52 weeks. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess differences. Body mass index (BMI) was included as a covariate. Results: All participant groups improved over time (baseline vs 12 weeks, P < .001; baseline vs 52 weeks, P < .001). There was no difference among exercise groups measured by all outcomes (VISA-G: baseline, P = .97, mean difference [MD] = 0.10; 12 weeks, P = .49, MD = 2.15; 52 weeks, P = .32, MD = −3.08). There was a significant interaction effect between cream and BMI; therefore, the population was stratified by BMI levels (<25, <30, ≥30). The MHT groups (with exercise and education) had significantly better VISA-G outcomes (baseline, P = .04, MD = −11.20, 95% CI = −21.70 to −0.70; 12 weeks, P < .001, MD = −20.72, 95% CI = −31.22 to −10.22; 52 weeks, P = .002, MD = −16.71, 95% CI = −27.21 to −6.22) and secondary measure scores as compared with placebo at all time points when BMI was <25. Conclusion: MHT or placebo combined with tendon-specific or sham exercise plus education reduced pain and increased function for this population. For women with a BMI <25, MHT with any exercise plus education was better than placebo. A targeted exercise or sham exercise strategy is effective when prescribed with education about avoiding gluteal tendon compression and load management. Registration: ACTRN12614001157662 (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry).

The natural history of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: an 11-year follow-up study

Background Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is a musculoskeletal condition which can cause disability and reduce quality of life. However, limited evidence is available on the long-term outcomes of people with GTPS. Our aims were to determine the long-term prevalence of GTPS; to calculate the proportion of people with GTPS who had developed hip osteoarthritis (OA); and to determine the level of function and quality of life, 11-years after initial GTPS diagnosis. Methods A prospective 11-year natural history study. Two groups [GTPS group (n = 24), asymptomatic control (ASC) group (n = 20)] were evaluated at baseline, 12-months and 11-years. At 11-years all participants completed the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Assessment of Quality-of-Life questionnaire. At 11-year follow-up 20/24 GTPS and 19/20 ASC participants were clinically assessed for GTPS and hip OA, completed the 10 metre-walk-test, timed up and go, and hip abduction and external rotation strength testing. Results At 11-year follow-up 45.0% of GTPS participants had GTPS compared to 5.3% of ASC participants (p = 0.008), OR [95% CI]: 10.19 [1.95, 104.3], and 35.0% of GTPS participants were clinically diagnosed with hip OA compared to none of the ASC participants (p = 0.002), OR [95% CI]: 21.6, [2.3, 2898.0]. GTPS participants reported more pain and disability than ASC participants via the ODI, mean difference [95% CI]: 6.1 [0.7, 11.6] but not the modified Harris Hip Score, mean difference [95% CI]: -3.3 [-10.3, 3.7]. Both groups had similar levels of quality of life and measures of function. Conclusions GTPS is a chronic condition: people with GTPS at baseline had twice the odds of being clinically diagnosed with GTPS or hip OA than the control group at 11-years. Further, there appears to be a temporal relationship between GTPS and the development of hip OA. This finding highlights the need to identify effective treatments that address the underlying impairments associated with GTPS. Pain and function results varied depending on the assessment tools used. Between group differences in quality of life seen at baseline are not found at the 11-year follow-up. The small sample size means the results must be considered with caution. Level of Evidence Level II Natural history Study.

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome: focused shockwave therapy versus an ultrasound guided injection: a randomised control trial

Background: Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is a common problem with an incidence of 1.8–5.6 per 1000 population. Physiotherapy, anti-inflammatories, corticosteroid injections and surgery have all been described in the management of GTPS, with limited, temporal success. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been proposed as a potential non-invasive management option for this difficult presentation. Method: We ran a prospective, 2-arm, single-blinded, randomised control trial comparing focused shockwave therapy (f-ESWT) to an ultrasound guided corticosteroid injection. Primary outcome measure was the visual analogue pain score. Secondary outcome measures included the Harris Hip Score (HHS) and Trendelenburg test for function; SF-36 for quality of life (QoL); and a Likert scale question for subjective assessment of symptom improvement. Results: 104 patients (10 males and 94 females), of mean age 61.5 years were recruited. 53 were randomised to receive ESWT and 51 to receive an image-guided injection. 11 patients were lost to follow-up. There were no significant differences in baseline scores between groups. At 3 months, pain, function and QoL scores had improved in both groups but were not statistically significant. The Trendelenburg test was significantly improved in the f-ESWT group with 80% patients being negative compared to 20% at baseline ( p < 0.001). At 12 months, across all outcomes, the ESWT group had significantly improved scores compared to the injection group; VAS 37.1 versus 55.0 ( p = 0.007, 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3–30.8), HHS 69.7 versus 57.5 ( p = 0.002, 95% CI, −20.0 to −4.6) and SF-36 52.4 versus 47.7 ( p = 0.048, 95% CI, −9.31 to −0.04). The improvement in Trendelenburg test was maintained in the ESWT group, but the injection group had reverted to baseline ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: We have shown f-ESWT is an effective treatment for patients with GTPS. We would advocate f-ESWT as an effective non-invasive treatment modality for this challenging patient population. Trial Registration No. ISRCTN8338223

Pertrochanteric Calcifications in Patients With Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: Description, Prevalence, and Correlation With Intraoperatively Diagnosed Hip Abductor Tendon Injuries

Background: Pertrochanteric calcifications can be found in patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS). A systematic description of the types and prevalence of these calcifications has not been undertaken. Furthermore, there is conflicting evidence regarding their association with abductor tendon injuries. Purpose: (1) To describe the various types and prevalence of pertrochanteric calcifications in patients presenting for the surgical management of recalcitrant GTPS. (2) To evaluate the association of the various calcifications with intraoperatively diagnosed hip abductor tendon injuries, including tendinosis, partial-thickness tears, and full-thickness tears. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients undergoing surgical management for GTPS, in isolation or as an ancillary procedure during hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement, between April 2008 and February 2020 were included. Of these, 85 procedures were isolated treatment of GTPS and the remaining 628 were ancillary to hip arthroscopy. Radiographs were scrutinized for the presence of pertrochanteric calcifications. The hip abductor tendon status was intraoperatively classified as intact, partial-thickness tear, or full-thickness tear. The prevalence and correlation of the various radiographic findings in relation to the intraoperatively classified tendon condition were analyzed via the odds ratio (OR). Results: Surgery was performed on 713 hips with recalcitrant GTPS. No tear was found in 340 hips (47.7%), 289 hips (40.5%) had a partial-thickness tear, and 84 hips (11.8%) had a full-thickness tear. Radiographically, 102 hips (14.3%) demonstrated proximally directed enthesophytes, and 34 (4.8%) had distally directed enthesophytes. In addition, 75 hips (10.5%) had amorphous calcifications, 47 (6.6%) had isolated ossicles, and 110 (15.4%) had surface irregularities. The presence of any calcification was associated with partial-thickness tears (OR, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.21-2.21]; P = .002) and full-thickness tears (OR, 6.40 [95% CI, 3.91-10.47]; P < .001). Distally directed enthesophytes (OR, 10.18 [95% CI, 3.08-33.63]; P < .001) and proximally directed enthesophytes (OR, 8.69 [95% CI, 4.66-16.21]; P < .001) were the findings with the highest OR for the presence of any type of tear. Distally directed enthesophytes were the findings with the highest OR for a full-thickness tear (OR, 15.79 [95% CI, 7.55-33.06]; P < .001). Isolated ossicles were the findings with the highest OR for a partial-thickness tear (OR, 1.73 [95% CI, 0.96-3.13]; P = .070). Conclusion: Pertrochanteric calcifications were common radiographic findings in patients with GTPS and can help guide management in these patients. Proximally and distally directed enthesophytes were strong predictors for the presence of a hip abductor tendon tear, and specifically a full-thickness tear, and increasing size of the findings was associated with more severe tendon injuries.