Do your hips pop when you exercise? Every time you lift you leg up or bring your leg forward? Does it pop in the front or on the side? Is it painful? Do you avoid certain exercises because of it?
In therapy, we usually call this a “snapping hip.” It can either occur on the front side of the hip because of your hip flexor muscles or on the side of the hip because of the side hip muscles “snapping” over the greater trochanter which is a bony prominence on the upper femur(thigh bone).
Typical Western medical advice is rest and anti-inflammatory medicine. And, while I’m not against Western medicine, I’d like to offer a different approach.
Is there anything to do to get them to stop popping? The front of my hips used to pop when I would try to do double leg raises. They would pop mainly as I was lowering my legs, but sometimes on the way up, too. I noticed that my back was also arching as I was lifting and lowering my legs. My pelvis was in an anterior tilt(tilted forward) with a lot of arch in my lower back. I worked on improving my core engagement by keeping my back in a more neutral position. I also varied my knee position to help take some of the stress off my hips by bending my knees. I tried lifting one leg at a time instead of both. I gave my pelvis support to make up for core weakness by placing my hands under my lower pelvis to help keep my lower back and pelvis in a neutral position. Lastly, I used my breath to help me engage my core. I would inhale, then exhale and lift my legs. I’d pause my legs at the top and take another inhale. Then, I’d exhale as I lowered my legs. This did two things for me. One, I didn’t use momentum to swing my legs up and down. Two, I became more intentional with my movement and went at a pace that felt good for my body.
What happens when the popping is on the side of your hip? I see people doing iliotibial band (IT band) stretching and foam rolling the side of the thigh. While these may feel good, the underlying problem here is usually weakness in the gluteus medius on the side of the hip. Because of weakness, either the IT band or the gluteus Maximus snaps over the greater trochanter. The gluteus medius is responsible for lifting the leg out to the side away from the body when the leg is not bearing weight. When the leg is bearing weight, the gluteus medius on that side is helping to keep the pelvis level when you lift the opposite leg. If the gluteus medius is not able to keep the pelvis level, then the pelvis drops on the non-weight bearing side. This changes the angle of the IT band or the gluteus Maximus as it passes over the greater trochanter. They will snap or pop over the greater trochanter. Strengthening the hip, specifically the gluteus medius, can help reduce this snapping. An easy way to strengthen this muscle is to stand in front of a mirror. Engage your core and lift one leg in a marching position. Lift the knee level to the up keeping your spine upright. No leaning back! Watch your pelvis in the mirror. Keep your pelvis level and hold your knee up for 5 seconds. Alternate each side and focus on control and pelvis positioning.
I want you to know that these suggestions are not a substitute for medical care. Please seek medical care if you are not sure what is causing this popping. The suggestions here are for extra-articular snapping which means snapping that occurs outside of the joint. There can be intra-articular reasons for snapping that can be related to labral tears, loose bodies, or problems with articular cartilage within the joint.
I hope this has been helpful to you! Instead of rest, anti-inflammatory medicine, stretching or foam rolling, try strengthening the core or the gluteus medius depending on where your hip is popping. Try neutralizing your lower back and pelvis when lifting your leg forward or to the side. Try keeping your pelvis neutral as you lift one leg when standing. Notice how your hip feels if you decrease momentum to lift the leg and instead become intentional with your breath and movement.
Take good care,
Sharon