Hi, dlydailyhope and arcuri24 -

I'm sorry you folks are also dealing with this pesky affliction.
For me, it came on immediately after my first bout of COVID last October. If one Googles, "Musculo-skeletal sequelae of CoviD, up pop lots of tendon and muscle issues. I can't prove that this waas a long COVID phenomenon for me, but the timing is surely suspicious: COVID 19-27 October, 2024, and my first trochanteric pain, in early November. By Thanksgiving, I couldn't climb stairs without excruciating pain.
I recently had an L-S MRI, which showed only mild degeneration at L5-S1, so I don't think that's contributing much to my leg pain, except perhaps to the lateral lower leg when I walk.
It's important to find a knowledgeable physical therapist and a good physical medicine doc (physiatrist), who ideally is also a sports medicine doc. Though I have an acupucturist whom I adore, I'm not sure how much acupuncture helps. Deep tissue massage may help, though really, who knows?
I just finished my second round of "shock therapy" (EPAT: Extracorporeal Pulse Activation technology), which in the UK has an 80% efficacy rate. It's also done at Mayo and Cleveland Clinics. I had mine at Stanford in Emeryville, CA. Six weeks after the first round (3 app'ts, each separated by a week) I was able to walk much farther with no or minimal pain. Having finished my second round, I'm having to wait a few more weeks to see if there will be further improvement.
Next step will be PRP, Platelet Rich Plasma injections. There's a regenerative M.D. in Phoenix whom I might see if all that fails to improve. Since I'm a hiker (had even gone to Mt. Everest Base Camp in my younger days), not being able to walk around my block in the hills is depressing.
It's really important to do strengthening exercises for the gluts: single leg bridges, side lying leg raises, squats, curtsies, side lunges. But be careful! Don't overdue and be patient. This will not go away in a few weeks. Find a knowledgeable, compassionate physical sports therapist.
Good luck and let me know how you're progressing.