When the outside of your hip has been sore for a while, some of your favourite training can become a source of worry. Running, lunges and side-lying exercises all seem to set it off. Choosing exercises that suit sensitive glute tendons, and building up over weeks, can help you stay active and get stronger.

Why glute tendons can stay sore

Persistent pain on the outside of your hip often involves the tendons that attach your buttock muscles to the top of your thigh bone. These tendons are sensitive to two things in particular. One is being squashed, which happens when your leg crosses towards or past the middle of your body. The other is sudden increases in load.

In a large trial of people with this kind of outer hip pain, those who had education about daily habits plus a gradual strength programme did better over the following year than those who had a steroid injection or waited to see. Strength and smart habits work together.

Positions to ease for now

The tendons tend to dislike positions where your leg crosses your body, especially under load. Options to ease include:

• Stretches that pull your leg across your body.
• Side-lying leg lifts where your top leg drops behind or across you.
• Standing with your weight shifted onto one hip.
• Sitting with your legs crossed or in very low chairs.
• Resting a child or heavy bag on one hip.

Feeling tight does not mean the tendon needs stretching. Strength sometimes tends to help more.

Exercises that suit sensitive glute tendons

A good programme starts with holds, then builds to movement and heavier work. Something to try three or four times a week:

• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly. Progress to single-leg bridges.
• Sit to stand or box squats, keeping your knees in line with your toes.
• Step-ups onto a low step, keeping your pelvis level.
• Reverse lunges, going only as deep as feels comfortable.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of sit-to-stands, bridges and reverse lunges you can use at your own pace.

Building up over weeks

Tendons adapt slowly, so steady progress over weeks works better than big jumps. Once an exercise feels easy, you could:

• Add a few repetitions or a little weight.
• Slow down the lowering part.
• Move from both legs to one leg.

Changing one thing at a time, every week or two, gives the tendon time to adapt. Check how your hip feels the next morning. If it is sorer, drop back to the previous level for a week.

Running and other training

Running can usually continue, with a few adjustments:

• Take slightly shorter, quicker steps.
• Avoid running with your feet crossing the midline, like on a tightrope. A slightly wider step can ease the tendon.
• Run on flatter routes and avoid running on the slanted edge of a road.
• Build distance gradually, leaving hills and speed work until your hip feels settled.

Cycling and swimming are good ways to keep your fitness up on days your hip prefers less load. In classes, you could swap moves that cross your legs, like curtsy lunges or crossover steps, for straight-line versions.

Looking after your nights

Glute tendon pain often feels worse at night, especially when lying on the sore side. A pillow between your knees when lying on your other side stops your top leg dropping across your body. A soft topper can help if you prefer lying on the sore side. Your VIDA pain check-in can help you see how your hip responds to different weeks of training.

What to take away

• Ease positions where your leg crosses your body.
• Start with holds, then build to bridges, squats and step-ups.
• Add one change at a time, every week or two.
• Run with slightly shorter steps and avoid crossing your feet.
• Put a pillow between your knees at night.

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