Hip Pain in Runners in Chillicothe, Ohio

From our “Runner’s Rehab Series, Part 1: Gluteal Tendinopathy”

Hip pain can quickly turn an enjoyable run into something you dread. If you are a runner in Chillicothe, Ohio, dealing with pain on the outside or back of your hip—especially pain that worsens as your run goes on or when you tackle hills—gluteal tendinopathy may be part of the problem.

The good news is that hip pain does not automatically mean you have to stop running completely. With the right plan, many runners can modify training, rebuild strength and tendon capacity, and progressively return to the mileage and performance they want.

What is gluteal tendinopathy?

Gluteal tendinopathy is irritation or reduced load tolerance in the tendons that connect the gluteal muscles to the outside of the hip. The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus are especially important for controlling the pelvis and leg during single-leg activities—something runners do thousands of times during every run.

When the demand placed on these tendons exceeds what they can currently tolerate, they can become painful and sensitive. This is often less about one “bad” run and more about a mismatch between training demands and your current capacity.

A sudden increase in mileage, hill work, faster running, long walks, standing time, strength-training changes, or reduced recovery can all contribute to that mismatch. Hills, stairs, and running on uneven or sloped surfaces may be especially irritating because they can increase demand on the lateral hip muscles and tendons.

Common symptoms in runners

Gluteal tendinopathy often presents as pain around the outer or back portion of the hip. Symptoms can sometimes travel down the outside of the thigh, which may lead runners to assume the issue is only the IT band.

Common signs include:

• Pain or tenderness over the outside of the hip.

• Symptoms that progressively increase during a run.

• More discomfort with uphill running, stairs, prolonged walking, or long periods of standing.

• Pain when standing on one leg, such as while getting dressed.

• Pain lying on the affected side at night.

• Symptoms that are worse the next morning after a harder run or hill session.

• Discomfort with crossed-leg sitting or positions that bring the knee across the body.

Lateral hip pain can have more than one contributor. Gluteal tendinopathy may occur alongside irritation of nearby structures, including the bursa, and it can overlap with other sources of hip, low-back, or lateral-thigh symptoms. A thorough assessment matters because the best treatment plan depends on the actual driver of your pain.

Why hills can make it worse

Running uphill requires more work from the glutes. If the gluteal tendons are already irritated or underprepared for the current training load, hill running can push symptoms past a tolerable level.

That does not mean hills are “bad” or that you must avoid them forever. It means your current exposure to hill training may need to match your present capacity.

For some runners, helpful temporary adjustments include:

• Reducing hill volume or choosing flatter routes for a period of time.

• Shortening long runs.

• Decreasing speed or intensity.

• Spacing harder running sessions farther apart.

• Using run-walk intervals.

• Replacing one run with lower-impact cross-training while symptoms settle.

• Paying attention to how the hip feels during the run and over the following 24 hours.

A useful rule of thumb is to judge a run by both your symptoms during the activity and your next-day response. If pain noticeably escalates, changes your running or walking mechanics, or remains significantly worse the next day, the session may have exceeded your current tolerance.

You may not need to stop running

Complete rest is not always the answer for runners with gluteal tendinopathy. Tendons generally need appropriately dosed loading to regain capacity. The key is finding a level of running and strengthening that is challenging enough to build tolerance but not so aggressive that it causes a meaningful flare-up.

Successful rehab often includes:

• Modifying running volume and intensity to a tolerable level rather than pushing through escalating pain.

• Managing aggravating positions and activities, such as excessive hill running, prolonged single-leg loading, or side-lying directly on the painful hip in the early stages.

• Progressively strengthening the gluteal muscles with exercises matched to your symptoms, strength, and running goals.

• Improving single-leg control and movement capacity for the demands of running, hills, deceleration, and changing direction.

• Gradually rebuilding mileage and speed, rather than jumping immediately back to your previous training plan.

Education, load management, and progressively dosed exercise are central components of contemporary gluteal-tendinopathy rehabilitation. Early programming often begins with tolerable low-load work, then progresses toward higher-load strengthening, functional single-leg exercises, and eventually running-specific drills or plyometrics as symptoms improve.

What rehab should focus on

A runner’s rehabilitation plan should be more individualized than a generic list of hip exercises from the internet. At Atleta Physical Therapy, we look at the bigger picture:

• Your weekly mileage, pace, terrain, and recent training changes.

• Your symptoms during running and in the 24 hours afterward.

• Hip, trunk, ankle, and lower-extremity strength.

• Single-leg control, balance, and running mechanics.

• The role of hills, speed work, long runs, and recovery days.

• Other training demands, including lifting, work, hiking, sports, and time spent on your feet.

The objective is not simply to make the pain disappear for a few days. It is to help you understand why symptoms developed, build the capacity to tolerate your training, and return to running with more confidence.

When to seek an evaluation

Not every case of hip pain is gluteal tendinopathy. Consider seeing a qualified healthcare professional if you have severe pain, pain after a fall or injury, an inability to bear weight, numbness or weakness, fever, unexplained symptoms, significant night pain, or symptoms that continue to worsen despite reducing training.

For runners with persistent outside-hip pain, a physical therapy evaluation can help clarify what is driving the symptoms and create a plan that fits your current training level and goals.

Get back to running stronger

Rehab is not just about getting out of pain. The goal is to get you out of pain, keep you there, and help you return to running stronger and more resilient than before.

If hip pain is keeping you from running the routes, hills, races, or weekly mileage you enjoy, Atleta Physical Therapy can help. We work with runners and active adults in the Chillicothe area to identify the source of symptoms, modify training intelligently, and build a personalized return-to-running plan.

Ready to get out of pain and start performing better? Contact Atleta Physical Therapy today to schedule an evaluation.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for an individual medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment plan.