Does exercise help greater trochanter pain syndrome?
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN33399646 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN33399646 |
| Protocol serial number | 1810689 |
| Sponsor | Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust |
| Funder | Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust |
- Submission date
- 18/06/2018
- Registration date
- 25/07/2018
- Last edited
- 05/11/2019
- Recruitment status
- Stopped
- Overall study status
- Stopped
- Condition category
- Musculoskeletal Diseases
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Greater Trochanter Pain Syndrome (GTPS) is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the outer side of the hip.The most common symptom is pain over the outer thigh, particularly felt when the muscles contract during walking or climbing steps and slopes, but also when lying on the affected side at night. The pain can affect normal daily activities such as walking and sleeping.
Treatment is usually a corticosteroid injection or physiotherapy but we do not know which treatment works best long term. Research into other tendon problems has shown that some types of exercise can ease pain and improve daily activity. This study is to see whether exercise can help patients with GTPS. It is a pilot study that will help us to plan a larger research trial.
Who can participate?
Men or women between the ages of 35 and 70 can take part if they have been referred to physiotherapy for GTPS by their General Practitioner (GP).
What does the study involve?
All participants will have a corticosteroid injection and advice. Half the participants will be randomly selected to do exercises at home and attend five group classes held in a physiotherapy department.
All participants will fill in questionnaires about their activity level and pain at the beginning of the study, after 3 months and 1 year. We will compare the pain and activity of participants having injection and advice with participants who also did exercise.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There is no extra benefit from taking part. Research like this helps to improve the treatment and care provided to patients with GTPS now and in the future.
The normal risks of treatment apply. Exercise can cause soreness for up to 48 hours but the exercises in the study are designed to reduce the risk of this.
Possible side-effects of corticosteroid injection are a temporary increase in pain, a change in skin colour or a dimple where the injection has been given. These side effects happen occasionally. Less common but more serious side effects include infection, muscle damage or unwanted reaction to local anaesthetic or steroid.
Where is the study run from?
The study is run by the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Devon, UK. Three physiotherapy departments will provide the exercise groups and advice sessions.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study is expected to start in October 2018 and run for 2 years
Who is funding the study?
The study has been funded by a Physiotherapy Research Foundation project grant. This is part of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust.
Who is the main contact?
Alison Smeatham
Alisonsmeatham@nhs.net
Contact information
Scientific
Hip Research Unit. Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. Barrack Road.
Exeter
EX2 5DW
United Kingdom
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Pilot single-centre single-blind interventional randomised controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Does the addition of an exercise programme improve outcomes in Greater Trochanter Pain Syndrome compared to corticosteroid injection and advice? A pilot study |
| Study objectives | To inform the design and methodology of a future randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing an exercise programme with routine care on the symptoms of greater trochanter pain syndrome (GTPS). |
| Ethics approval(s) | To be submitted July 2018 to South West UK Research Ethics Committee |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Greater trochanter pain syndrome |
| Intervention | Intervention group: Corticosteroid injection and 5 sessions of group exercise and advice supervised by a physiotherapist plus a home exercise programme Routine care group: Corticosteroid injection and a single physiotherapy session providing advice on self-management of the condition. |
| Intervention type | Mixed |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Change in GTPS-related disability assessed using VISA-G questionnaire score at 3 and 12 months |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Change in quality of life assessed using EQ-5D questionnaire at 3 and 12 months |
| Completion date | 01/05/2021 |
| Reason abandoned (if study stopped) | Ethics approval not received. |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 48 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged 35-70 years 2. Unilateral or bilateral trochanteric pain for greater than 3 months 3. Pain on walking and climbing slopes or stairs and/or lying on the affected side 4. Absence of groin pain 5. Tenderness on palpation of the greater trochanter 6. At least one of the following tests provocative of lateral hip pain: Combined hip flexion, abduction and external rotation (FABER); Active derotation test; Combined hip flexion, adduction and external rotation; Modified Ober test; 30 second single leg stance; Active hip abduction at end range adduction in side lying 7. Hip osteoarthritis excluded radiologically |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Evidence of osteoarthritis on X-ray (over grade 1) 2. Previous lower limb surgery affecting gait 3. Arthroplasty of the affected hip 4. Other neuromuscular or musculoskeletal conditions affecting gait or ability to exercise 5. Corticosteroid injections/physiotherapy/extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ECSWT) for GTPS in the last 3 months 6. Range of hip flexion <90 degrees 7. Significant lumbar pathology/pain 8. Previous lumbar nerve root entrapment or spinal surgery 9. Unable or unwilling to comply with study protocol 10. Unable or unwilling to offer written consent to the study 11. Unable to understand written or spoken English 12. Adverse reaction to steroid |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/10/2018 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/10/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Exeter
EX2 5DW
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| IPD sharing plan | The data sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
05/11/2019: The trial's status has been changed to 'stopped'.
