606 - Characterization of patients presenting with proximal gluteal tears: a retrospective case series

Friday, February 20, 2026

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM AST

Co-Author(s)

CK

Caitlyn Ko, MD, MA

Resident Physician
NYP - Cornell and Columbia
New York, New York, United States
JC

Jennifer Cheng, PhD

Research Manager
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York, United States

Presenting Author(s)

JW

James Wyss, MD, PT

Spine and Sports Medicine Physiatrist
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York, United States

Co-Author(s)

OL

Olivia Leupold, BA

Research Assitant
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York, United States
SP

Sophia Perez, BA

Research Assistant
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York, United States

Submitter(s)

CK

Caitlyn Ko, MD

NYP - Cornell and Columbia
New York, New York, United States

Case Diagnosis: Proximal gluteal tears are a less common etiology of lateral hip pain, especially compared to distal gluteal tears. The prevalence of tears in the gluteus minimus or medius muscles at the iliac origin is unknown but is often misdiagnosed since it presents clinically like distal gluteal tears. This retrospective study aims to characterize clinical presentation and imaging results of proximal gluteal tears.

Case Description: Patients (18-65 years) diagnosed with proximal gluteal tears from 1/1/20216-3/26/2025 were included. Exclusion criteria were history ipsilateral hip replacement surgery and unavailable imaging. Clinical presentation, sports participation, and imaging findings were collected from electronic medical records.

Discussions: Enrollment is ongoing. Of the 12 patients included so far, 9 were female. At initial diagnosis, 8 patients reported sports participation; running was the most common (50%). Patients presented with lateral hip pain ranging from 6-9/10 with weight-bearing activities. Out of 12, 6 had proximal gluteal tears concurrently involving the fascia lata/proximal iliotibial band (pITB). One patient had bone marrow edema at the origin site of the proximal gluteal tear. No patients had radiographic signs of iliac avulsion fractures.

Conclusions: Distal gluteal tears predominate in incidence compared ot proximal gluteal tears for lateral hip pain. However, advances in ultrasound and MRI technology allow providers to increase diagnostic accuracy and potentially reveal proximal gluteal tears as a source of lateral hip pain etiologies. Study conclusions thus far demonstrate female runners are more likely to present with proximal gluteal tears that often occur together with pITB injury and without avulsion.