Clinical Features That Predict the Need for Operative Intervention in Gluteus Medius Tears

BACKGROUND: Gluteus medius tears are a common cause of lateral hip pain. Operative intervention is usually prescribed for patients with pain despite physical therapy and/or peritrochanteric injections. PURPOSE: To identify clinical features that predict operative intervention in gluteus medius tears. STUDY DESIGN: Case control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A matched-pair controlled study was conducted on patients who underwent endoscopic gluteus medius repairs from June 2008 to August 2014 for full-thickness tears. The exclusion criterion was previous hip disorders (eg, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, avascular necrosis). The control group contained patients with full-thickness gluteus medius tears on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) who did not require operative intervention. Both groups had a minimum trial of 3 months of nonoperative management. Matching criteria included age within 5 years, sex, and body mass index (BMI) class. The following clinical parameters were analyzed: presence of lateral-sided hip pain, duration of symptoms, power of resisted hip abduction, gait deviation (antalgic or Trendelenburg), greater trochanter tenderness, and hip passive range of abduction. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients who underwent isolated endoscopic gluteus medius repairs were identified; all patients were females, with a mean age of 65 years (range, 52-82 years) and mean BMI of 29.2 kg/m(2) (range, 21.55-44.398 kg/m(2)). The matched control cohort contained 12 females treated nonoperatively for gluteus medius tears with mean age of 66 years (range, 52-81 years) and mean BMI of 29.9 kg/m(2) (range, 20.20-43.59 kg/m(2)). There were significant differences between the groups in power of resisted abduction and presence of gait deviation. The operative cohort had a mean power grading of 3.63 (95% CI, 3.28-3.98) compared with 4.58 (95% CI, 4.29-4.87) for the matched cohort (P < .05). Abnormal gait was found in 75% of the operative cohort, compared with 33% of the matched cohort (P < .05). Specifically, 83.3% of the surgical cohort had a Trendelenburg gait, compared with 25% of the matched cohort (P = .002). The odds of requiring surgical intervention was 14-fold higher for patients with a gluteus medius tear and gait deviation compared with those without gait deviation. There were no significant differences in the other parameters. CONCLUSION: Reduced power of resisted abduction and the presence of gait deviation on initial evaluation of patients with gluteus medius tears increases the likelihood of surgical intervention.