Editorial Commentary: It Is Imperative to Fix Symptomatic Hip Gluteus Medius Tears at Time of Femoroacetabular Impingement: Why Ignore This Pain in the Butt?

Abstract

The hip can have a multitude of different pathologies leading to different symptoms. Greater trochanteric pain syndrome, historically attributed to bursitis, has been largely found to be associated with lesions of the gluteus medius and minimus tendons, and the prevalence of gluteus medius pathology in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is as high as one-third of the FAI population. If a patient is found to have significant clinical symptoms of both FAI and a gluteus medius tear, it is imperative to fix both pathologies. The most important diagnostic predictor in hip arthroscopy is not magnetic resonance imaging but a well-executed history and physical exam. We use a quadrant approach: the medial quadrant accounts for adductor bursitis, adductor tears, pudendal neuralgia, or sports hernias. The posterior quadrant may account for a hamstring tear, lumbar radiculopathy, ischiofemoral impingement, or in rare cases piriformis syndrome. The anterior quadrant accounts for more intraarticular pathologies including FAI, Labral tears, osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, or iliopsoas bursitis. The lateral quadrant would include greater trochanteric pain syndrome, gluteus medius and minimus tears, external snapping hip syndrome and iliotibial band syndrome. By using this systematic approach and using the magnetic resonance imaging to confirm the diagnosis, we may accurately determine patients' hip pathologies.