High Prevalence of Lumbosacral Pathology in Patients with Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome

Purpose: To establish prevalence of lumbar and lumbosacral pathologies in patients with hip abductor tendon disorders. Methods: A retrospective review of patients' charts was conducted over a 5-year period, January 2013 to October 2018, using the S76 and M76 International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes. Patients with symptomatic and radiologically confirmed hip abductor tendon disorders (partial and full-thickness tear of the gluteus medius tear with or without gluteus minimus tearing) were included in the study. No exclusion criteria were applied. Patient medical history was examined for concurrent diagnoses of lumbar and lumbosacral pathologies (radiculopathy, lumbar stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and neurogenic claudication). Results: One-hundred and three patients with hip abductor tendon disorders were identified. Forty-seven (45.6%) patients had low-grade partial abductor tears, while 56 (54.4%) of patients had a high-grade partial or complete abductor tear. Fifty (48.5%) patients carried a concomitant lumbosacral diagnosis, with 20 (19.4%) patients being diagnosed with lumbar stenosis and 45 (43.7%) being diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. Conclusion: Patients with hip abductor tendon disorders were associated with a high prevalence of underlying lumbar and lumbosacral pathologies. Nevertheless, a causal relationship between these conditions cannot be established.