Tendinopathy

What is Adductor Tendinopathy?

Adductor tendinopathy is an inflammation of a muscle group found on the inside of the upper leg. In most cases the adductor longus is affected. It can be strained in sports like football, rugby, running, hurdling and hockey etc. If this inflammation is not treated properly it may become chronic and could ultimately mean that the patient will no longer be able to participate in sport. Complaints related to this condition are pain on the inside of the leg, difficulty stretching, when actively moving the leg inwards and when kicking a ball or during explosive acceleration.

Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy

Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy is an inflammation of the muscle that manifests in pain at the outer side of the upper leg. This muscle is the hip joint’s main stabiliser when walking. There is often an overlap in this case with an inflammation of the bursa at the greater trochanter. The complaints are pain when lying down and often pain at night too, pain when walking, limping and pain when moving the leg sideways.

Treatment

Treatment for an adductor tendinopathy and gluteus medius tendinopathy starts with rest and avoiding the trigger movements. Physiotherapy will also begin, during which an initial attempt will be made to lengthen the adductors by progressively stretching them. In a second phase muscle strengthening exercises can begin as part of an exercise programme. A one-off local infiltration using corticosteroids may be administered depending on the severity of the inflammation. If the above measures fail a surgical procedure may be considered whereby a selective release is performed.

This content was written by : Dr. Yves Devlies, Dr. Pieter-Jan De Roo, Dr. Paul Gunst, Dr. Jan Noyez, Dr. Luc Van den Daelen, Dr. Jan Van OostDr. Philip Winnock de Grave

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