{"id":26275,"date":"2025-11-10T12:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/?post_type=research&p=26275"},"modified":"2025-11-09T11:39:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T10:39:32","slug":"diagnosing-gluteus-medius-tendon-tears","status":"publish","type":"research","link":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/research\/diagnosing-gluteus-medius-tendon-tears\/","title":{"rendered":"Diagnosing Gluteus Medius Tendon Tears in Clinical Practice Using the Broken Wing Sign"},"featured_media":26282,"template":"","featured-tag":[],"tracking_tag":[2200,2196,2201],"class_list":["post-26275","research","type-research","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tracking_tag-diagnosis-imaging","tracking_tag-hip","tracking_tag-muscle-tendon"],"acf":{"sections":[{"acf_fc_layout":"page-header-small","background":{"background_image":26283,"background_image_alt_text":""},"heading":"Diagnosing Gluteus Medius Tendon Tears in Clinical Practice Using the Broken Wing Sign","subheading":"Sierra et al. (2025)","benefits":[{"benefit":"The Broken Wing Sign is a simple, prone-position test for detecting hip abductor weakness \u2014 perfect for patients who can\u2019t tolerate standing exams"},{"benefit":"The degree of external rotation strongly matched MRI and surgical findings, linking what you see in the clinic to real muscle damage and fatty degeneration"},{"benefit":"The study was done in a high pretest probability group (patients already suspected of tears), likely inflating diagnostic accuracy, a key point for interpreting results in general practice."}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","background_color":"none","content_alignment":"left","content_editor":"

Introduction<\/h2>\r\nGluteus medius pathology spans a spectrum from tendinopathy and partial tears to full-thickness and massive ruptures with fatty muscle degeneration and is common in older women and in post-hip arthroplasty or post-trauma patients. Symptoms are reported in the lateral hip and may lead to gait disturbances and functional loss. Early recognition is crucial to prevent irreversible atrophy. Therefore, this study examines the Broken Wing Sign, a simple prone clinical test to detect gluteus medius insufficiency when conventional standing tests or MRI are unavailable. This study was necessary since accurate diagnosis of gluteus medius tears remains challenging. Missed or delayed identification of gluteus medius pathology can lead to chronic pain, weakness, and irreversible muscle degeneration. Existing clinical tests, such as the Trendelenburg sign, often lack sensitivity or cannot be performed in patients with pain, balance issues, or postoperative restrictions, while MRI - the current gold standard - is costly and not always accessible. By introducing and validating the Broken Wing Sign, this study provides a simple, reliable, and non-weight-bearing test to detect hip abductor insufficiency early, and its accuracy is examined here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Methods<\/h2>\r\nA prospective study was conducted between 2022\u20132025, and included patients referred to specialized care for suspected abductor insufficiency. The patients underwent a clinical assessment by the lead author and surgeon. The assessment consisted of detailed history taking (identifying pain characteristics, prior hip trauma or surgery, and signs of abductor weakness) and standard physical examination tests of hip abductor function. Conventional assessments, such as the Trendelenburg sign<\/a> and resisted hip abduction<\/a>, were performed where possible. The authors noted that many patients could not tolerate these assessments due to pain, instability, or postoperative limitations. The Broken Wing Sign was then applied as a non-weight-bearing alternative.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Broken Wing Sign is described as follows:<\/span>\r\n