My older aunts used to always complain about hip bursitis when the weather changed. I have pain alongside my hip in the same place they always rubbed when complaining. It doesn’t seem to be related to the weather. Is it bursitis or something else?

Hip bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa located between layers of tissue over the hip. The bursa is a round or oval-shaped, gel-filled protective pad. There are several bursaes located throughout the body, usually over a bony prominence.

With inflammation, there are usually symptoms of warmth, redness, or swelling over the painful area. A closer look at many women with hip pain suggests a different problem called greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS). There is no inflammation with this problem. The person experiences pain or tenderness with pressure along the outside of the hip. It’s worse when lying on that side.

Women seem to be affected by this condition more than men but men are not immune to it. The cause of the problem remains unknown. With the gender differences, there may be hormonal or anatomic issues. But since nine per cent of the adult male population also report this problem, it’s likely there are other factors.