Snap, Krackle, Pop Sounds Good…but not in the Hip
Does your hip make a noise or click when you are doing a certain exercises? Can you lay on your back or bring your knee to your chest and hear a repeated click in the hip each time that you do this? This could be a sign of snapping hip syndrome. Sounds serious right?
The good news is that Snapping Hip Syndrome could be just a result of some muscle tightness and chances are it could be a fixable problem. There are other causes of a snapping hip but many causes are changeable. Here are a few reasons why the hip could be make some noise and a few stretches to remediate it.
1. Tight Hip flexors—sometimes the psoas and the iliacus muscles (that together compromise the hip flexor complex) can cause some friction and tightness over the hip joint.
2. Tight IT (Iliotibial) Bands—The same applies for friction under the tissue on the outside of the hip. Again, try this for about a minute.
3. Core Muscles that aren’t stabilizing you correctly through your trunk. Sometimes misfiring of our core muscles causes us to compensate with our hip muscles when we are working on core strengthening. Diaphragmatic breathing to help control your core during exercises like the ones below helps you to compensate less at your hip. Start by trying to control 3-5 on one side without a click then work up and advance the exercise by alternating sides.
Remember, these exercises can get you jump started. If they don’t seem to solve the problem, schedule an appointment with a Rebalance therapist so they can determine if you need an exercise adjustment or if you are looking at a larger problem.
This article was written by Stephanie Muntzer
Physical therapist, certified pilates and ertified functional movement trainer
