Management of acute calcific tendinitis around the hip joint

Although the natural history of calcific tendinitis within the rotator cuff of the shoulder is established, the natural history of calcific tendinitis around the hip joint remains unknown.

To examine the duration of symptoms including pain, the location of calcific tendinitis around the hip joint, the radiologic course of calcium phosphate crystals, and the proportion of patients who required surgical treatment.

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Thirty hips (29 patients) with acute calcific tendinitis were treated between January 2010 and December 2012. Level of subjective hip pain using the visual analog scale pain score, radiologic type, and the location and size of calcium deposits were measured during a follow-up period of 12 to 32 months.

The 29 patients included 7 men (24%) and 22 women (76%) with a mean age of 51.5 years (range, 28-78 years). All visual analog scale pain scores significantly improved from a mean of 7.1 to 0.8 at the latest follow-up (P < .001). The most common site of calcium deposition was the tendon of the gluteus medius. During follow-up, calcium deposition completely resolved in 5 of 20 hips. Symptoms in 23 patients (24 hips) responded to nonoperative treatment. Two patients (2 hips) were treated with ultrasound-guided local anesthetic and steroid injection. Four patients (4 hips) with long duration (>3 months) of severe pain, solid type, and large size (range, 96-416 mm(2)) were treated with arthroscopic excision.

Nonoperative treatment in patients with acute calcific tendinitis of the hip joint might be successful in most patients. Surgical treatment is of value for patients experiencing prolonged severe pain, solid type, and large size.