A targeted rehabilitation plan
Clarify the loading and activity advice with your treating team.
Hip replacement / Patient guide
Gluteal or hip-abductor tendon injury after hip replacement
Review outer-hip pain or weakness and whether the tendons that support walking are involved.
A planned, non-urgent second opinion with Professor Paul Lee
Start with your experience
Making sense of the concern
The muscles and tendons around the outer hip help control the pelvis during walking. If you have been told that an abductor or gluteal tendon is injured, you may be trying to understand how that relates to your replacement, your limp or pain when lying on that side.
A tendon problem and a problem with the implant are different questions, and more than one finding can be present. The consultation should make the diagnosis and its level of certainty clear. Do not assume that a mention of “tendinopathy” means a full tear or that every tear requires an operation.
Connect the evidence
Three parts of the picture
- Step 1
Location
Is the main pain at the side of the hip or elsewhere?
- Step 2
Function
What happens when you walk, climb stairs or get up?
- Step 3
Tendon finding
What does imaging establish, and what remains uncertain?
A discussion framework, not a diagnostic test or a predicted recovery timeline.
Your clinical second opinion
What the review can explore
Bring any ultrasound or MRI report and the images if available, alongside your hip-replacement records. The review can explore whether the reported tendon finding matches the location of pain, the examination and the walking difficulty you describe. Explain how symptoms changed with therapy or after an injury.
If repair or reconstruction has been discussed, ask what tissue is involved, what makes the proposal suitable and what restrictions would follow. If rehabilitation is advised, ask how it will be tailored to the actual diagnosis. The aim is a coherent plan rather than treating an isolated scan phrase.
From explanation to a plan
Possible next steps to discuss
These are directions the conversation may take. They are not a treatment recommendation for every person with these symptoms.
Better diagnostic definition
Resolve uncertainty about the tendon, muscle or implant.
Discuss a tendon procedure
Understand suitability, limitations and protected recovery.
Make the appointment yours
Questions worth bringing
- Is this tendinopathy, a partial tear or a more extensive injury?
- How well does the scan finding fit my symptoms?
- What are the realistic goals of repair, if considered?
- What support would I need during rehabilitation?
If the explanation uses an unfamiliar term, ask what it means for your own decision. Before leaving, check who is arranging any next step and how you will receive the results.
Further reading
General patient information supporting the background to this guide. Your individual advice depends on assessment.
Related questions
Explore hip replacement →Limping after hip replacement
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Explore why your legs feel unequal and how that difference has been assessed.
Read guide →Painful, loose or infected hip replacement
Understand the evidence behind a suspected implant problem and the questions that need resolving.
Read guide →Second Opinion Clinic
Talk through your next step.
£100 · 45 minutes · Monthly clinic sessions
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