Worst Advice For Gluteal Tendinopathy Part 3
Advice I HATE for gluteal tendinopathy (pain on the outside of the hip) PART 3
This advice is so close to being right.
It’s a bit of old info, without much nuance, and it’s so good until it’s not.
Just add heavy load and see what happens
Some people are given advice that is almost right — they are told to strengthen. Tendons love load they are told.
However, many are told to go straight to heavy loading – single leg work, squats, lunges, step downs.
Unfortunately, when we jump straight into heavy load, it can be beyond the current capacity of the glute tendon.
Instead of doing its intended job — strengthening and making it less painful — it can simply be too much for the body to keep up with, and then everything feels worse.
Progressive overload is not “throw everything at it”.
If the load is too much, too soon, there is no opportunity for the tendon to gradually build tolerance, recover and adapt.
The result can be worsening pain, poorer sleep, increasing sensitivity around the outside of the hip, and no space for the tendon capacity to improve.
Progressive loading is important — but the progression matters.
This is where I think a lot of people with pain on the outside of their hip get stuck.
They've been told to strengthen — which is good advice.
But then they've been given a handful of big exercises and told to get on with it.
When it doesn't settle, they think:
“Strengthening doesn't work for me.”
But that isn't necessarily the problem.
It may be that the exercise was too much, too soon, progressed too quickly, or simply wasn't the right starting point for that particular hip.
Your glute tendon doesn't know that you've been told you need to strengthen it.
It only knows what you are asking it to tolerate.
And that's why I don't want you to just throw a heap of exercises at a grumpy hip and hope for the best.
I want you to understand what your hip is currently tolerating, find an appropriate starting point, and then gradually build its capacity.
Because the goal isn't just to survive your exercises.
The goal is to get you back to doing the things you actually want to do — walking, running, working, sleeping on your side, getting in and out of the truck, working on the farm, chasing the kids, or whatever your version of a big life looks like.
Got pain on the outside of your hip?
If you're not sure whether you're dealing with gluteal tendinopathy, or you're confused about whether you should rest it, stretch it, strengthen it or push through it, I've put together some information to help you work out what's going on and whether my approach to grumpy hips could be right for you. It's coming out in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled (once you are on the list)
Find out more here:
