Short Project Description

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is a common cause of lateral hip pain that can limit daily activities and participation. Self-management approaches, emphasizing education, physical activity behavior and symptom management have shown promising results for other musculoskeletal conditions. However, their effectiveness remains uncertain for GTPS. The HIPS project aims to evaluate whether a structured self-management programme is more effective than usual care for adults with GTPS. The study is conducted in the outpatient clinic for physical medicine and rehabilitation at Oslo University Hospital.

Adults with clinically diagnosed GTPS who consent to participate will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. Participants in the intervention group will receive a structured self-management programme with 3-5 individual sessions designed to equip the patients with the necessary skills to actively participate and take responsibility in the management of their GTPS. Participants in the control group will receive usual care and are free to seek further treatment in primary care as wanted. Outcomes will be assessed using patient-reported measures at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. The primary outcome is VISA-G-Norwegian, evaluating pain and function. Secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life, pain related self-efficacy, psychological distress, patient satisfaction with symptom state, global rating of change, and healthcare utilization.

Secondary aims of the HIPS project include cost-effectiveness analyses, evaluation of intervention fidelity, patient expectations, and exploration of patient experiences and acceptability. The findings will inform evidence-based care pathways for managing GTPS across primary and specialist care settings.