Bursitis in left knee, trochanter bursitis tendonopathy right hip. Connected?

Yes, they are likely connected through a single mechanical chain: your gait is probably altered, and the iliotibial (IT) band is the common link.

The IT band runs from the hip (near your trochanteric bursa) down to the outside of the knee. When the hip is tight or weak, the IT band pulls abnormally, and that tension can inflame the bursa at the hip and also cause friction and pain at the knee [3, 4]. A 2022 study of trochanteric bursitis found that pain radiating to the knee was very common: 14 out of 85 patients reported knee radiation, and another 36 reported pain in both the buttock and knee [1]. This is not a coincidence; it is a predictable pattern.

The evidence also shows that problems in one joint predict worse outcomes in the other. A 2016 study found that patients with trochanteric pain who also had knee osteoarthritis got less relief from hip injections than those without knee issues [2]. This suggests the knee problem is driving the hip problem, or both are driven by the same faulty movement pattern. The most likely driver is a gait abnormality—perhaps from leg-length difference, weak gluteal muscles, or tight hip flexors—that overloads the IT band at both ends.

My call: Your left knee bursitis and right hip trochanteric bursitis/tendinopathy are almost certainly linked through a biomechanical chain involving the IT band and altered gait. The treatment should address the whole chain, not just each painful spot separately. Confidence: moderate — the mechanism is well-documented, but no study in this retrieval directly examined both sites in the same patient to confirm the link.