DRY NEEDLING TO STOP HIP PAIN WITHOUT STEROID INJECTIONS

Graham Healy
Oct 25
1 min read

Updated: Oct 25

Graham Healy med science degree ( Chiropractic ) Masters in dry Needling DRY NEEDLING TO STOP HIP PAIN WITHOUT STEROID INJECTIONS Dry Needling for Greater Trochanteric Bursitis – Clinical Approach & Key Muscles

Posted by Dr Wayne on October 10, 2025 at 1:20 pm

In this video, I respond to a clinician’s question about how to approach Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS) using dry needling. Rather than treating the bursa alone, I’ll show you how to assess and treat the underlying muscular and fascial contributors that cause or perpetuate the bursitis.

I’ll also discuss research showing that dry needling is non-inferior to a cortisone injection, meaning it achieves similar results without the need for steroids — great news for those of us who can needle but can’t inject.

I’ll take you through a step-by-step dry needling sequence for:

Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) – my primary target for symptom relief
Gluteus Medius & Minimus – key muscles often contributing to lateral hip pain
Iliotibial Band (ITB) – fascial release techniques for longer-lasting results

You’ll see how I position the patient, identify the landmarks, and apply “level 1–5” fascial winding techniques to achieve an effective release.

This approach is ideal for therapists managing patients — often women aged 50 and above — who experience lateral hip pain or night pain from GTPS. Conclusion Cortisone injections for GTPS did not provide greater pain relief or reduction in functional limitations than DN. Our data suggest that DN is a noninferior treatment alternative to cortisone injections in this patient population PUB MED STUDY https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28257614/