Lateral Hip Pain

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and analgesic performance of the ReneuRx™ device in subjects with moderate to severe chronic lateral hip pain compared to subjects receiving treatment with corticosteroid injection in adults aged 22-80 years. Participants will attend study visits and complete quality of life questionnaires. Participants will be followed for approximately 6-12 months after the study procedure.

Pain on the outside of the hip, known as greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), is a common problem. It is caused by irritation of the tendons that attach the buttock muscles to the hip bone. The condition most often affects middle-aged women and makes everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, sitting and lying on the painful side difficult. Many people continue to have pain for years. Today, there is no agreed treatment approach for GTPS in general practice, and it is unclear which of the treatments commonly used works best. This study compares three treatments that are all already used in Danish healthcare. Participants are adults aged 35 or older who have had pain on the outside of the hip for at least 12 weeks and who show typical signs of GTPS on a clinical examination. An ultrasound scan of the hip is performed to rule out a torn tendon. In total, 192 participants will be recruited, mainly through general practice, and also through specialist clinics, a hospital sports medicine department and social media. Participants are assigned by chance (randomised) to one of three groups: 1. Advice: a leaflet explaining the condition and how to manage daily activities, with a brief verbal explanation. 2. Advice plus home exercises: the leaflet plus three simple strength exercises done at home three times a week, with written instructions, online videos and an exercise diary. 3. Advice plus home exercises plus a steroid injection: the same as group 2, plus a cortisone injection given with ultrasound guidance into the painful area of the hip within a week of the first visit. The injection can be repeated once after 6 weeks if pain persists. The main question is how many participants in each group feel much better after 3 months. Participants also answer questions about pain, hip function, quality of life, physical activity, exercise adherence, side effects and use of healthcare. Questionnaires are completed online after 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months, and participants attend three visits with a clinical examination and ultrasound scan: at the start, after 6 weeks and after 3 months. The study takes place at two sites in Denmark: Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen and the Research Unit for General Practice in Aalborg. We expect that adding exercises, and adding exercises and an injection, will lead to greater improvement than advice alone. The results will help guide treatment of GTPS in general practice.