Snapping and Popping Hips:

What’s That Clicking and Snapping?

Quite often in class I have one or two hip snappers or poppers so I thought we’d have a bit of a discussion around it.

Often in our class it comes to light on the exercises One Leg Circle or Leg lifts into Table Top. Maybe it happens when you get up from a chair, walk or run. Perhaps you've started wondering: Is something wrong with my hip?

The good news is that a snapping, clicking or popping hip doesn't automatically mean that something is damaged. One possible cause is snapping hip syndrome, sometimes called dancer's hip. It's relatively common, particularly in people who are active and regularly move their hips through a large range of movement.

So, what's actually snapping?

Despite the rather dramatic name, it isn't usually your hip joint literally snapping. Often, the sensation comes from a tendon or band of tissue moving over a bony part of the hip as you move.

There are a few different types of snapping hip.

Internal snapping tends to happen at the front of the hip. The iliopsoas tendon — one of the main hip flexor tendons — can move over structures around the hip joint and create that familiar snapping sensation.

External snapping happens around the outside of the hip. The IT band or another tendon can move over the bony prominence on the outside of your thigh.

There is also intra-articular snapping, where the source is actually within the hip joint itself. This can sometimes be associated with things such as a labral injury or cartilage problems, so persistent pain or catching inside the joint is worth having assessed.

What about a popping hip?

“Popping” is another word people often use to describe a noise or sensation around the hip, and it can have several explanations. Sometimes a pop is simply the sound or sensation of a tendon moving over a bony area, much like snapping hip.

You might also notice a pop when you deliberately move your hip in a particular way, stretch, or change position. If it's occasional and painless, it isn't necessarily something to worry about.

The important thing is not so much the noise itself, but what comes with it.

A painless pop is very different from a painful pop accompanied by catching, locking or a feeling that something isn't moving properly.

Does a snapping or popping hip mean something is wrong?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the things I think is important to understand.

If your hip clicks, snaps or pops but isn't painful and isn't stopping you doing the things you enjoy, it may simply be something that happens when your tissues move in a particular way.

The sound itself isn't necessarily the problem. It's more useful to pay attention to what comes with the clicking or popping.

Is there pain?

Does your hip feel stiff?

Are you losing movement?

Does it catch or lock?

Has it started after an injury?

Is it getting progressively worse?

Those things are more relevant than the noise alone.

Is it just a tight muscle?

This is where I think it gets interesting.

It's very tempting to assume that if your hip is snapping or feels tight, then something must be tight and needs stretching. But our bodies aren't always quite that simple.

A muscle can feel tight without actually being short and in need of more stretching. Sometimes a muscle is working hard because it is trying to provide stability or control, or because other muscles aren't contributing as effectively as they could.

So rather than simply asking:

“What can I stretch?”

I think it's worth asking:

“Why is this area working this way in the first place?”

That means looking at the way the hip, pelvis and trunk work together rather than treating the hip as if it operates completely on its own.

Your hip doesn't work in isolation

Your hip is part of a much bigger movement system.

Your pelvis, trunk, glutes, deep hip muscles and core all contribute to how your hip moves and how you control that movement.

Sometimes improving strength, control and coordination can be more useful than simply trying to make a muscle longer.

This is one reason I don't think there is a single stretch or exercise that can be recommended for everyone with a snapping or popping hip. Two people can have exactly the same clicking sound but have very different reasons for it happening. That's where looking at the individual becomes important.

What can you do about it?

If your snapping or popping hip is pain-free, you may not need to do anything at all.

If it is uncomfortable or is affecting your activities, though, it can be worth looking at how the hip is moving and what you're asking it to do.

That might include:

• Building strength around the hip and pelvis

• Improving control of the hip during movement

• Looking at how the pelvis and trunk are contributing

• Gradually increasing activity rather than doing too much too quickly

• Looking at movements or exercises that repeatedly provoke the snapping

• Improving movement quality rather than simply stretching the area

• Giving irritated tissues a chance to settle

There isn't one magic exercise for a snapping hip.

What helps one person may not be appropriate for another, depending on where the sensation is coming from, how they are moving and whether there is any associated pain.

Do you need to stop exercising?

Not just because your hip clicks or pops.

If a particular movement causes a painless click or pop, you don't automatically have to stop doing it.

If a movement is painful, however, it's sensible to modify it rather than repeatedly pushing through the pain.

You might reduce the range of movement, decrease the load or frequency, or choose another exercise temporarily.

The aim isn't necessarily to avoid movement forever. It's to find a level that your body is happy with and gradually build from there.

When should you get it checked?

I'd recommend getting your hip assessed if the snapping or popping is accompanied by:

• Persistent or increasing pain

• A feeling of catching or locking

• Significant stiffness or reduced movement

• Weakness

• Symptoms following an injury

• Pain that is affecting your walking, sleep or everyday activities

• Symptoms that aren't settling despite modifying your activity

A Physiotherapist, Osteopath or Chiropractor can help work out where the sensation is coming from and whether anything else needs investigating.

And finally...

A clicking, snapping or popping hip can sound much more alarming than it actually is.

So if you've noticed a little click when you stand up, walk, exercise or move your leg, don't immediately assume you've damaged your hip.

Instead, look at the whole picture.

Is it painful? Has your movement changed? Is it affecting what you want to do?

Those are much more useful questions than simply asking whether your hip makes a noise.

And perhaps rather than immediately reaching for a stretch, think about why your body might be moving in that particular way.

Our bodies are clever and adaptable. Sometimes the answer isn't about stretching something that feels tight, but about improving strength, control and how everything works together.

This blog is for general information and isn't intended to diagnose or treat an individual condition. If you're experiencing persistent pain or other concerning symptoms, please seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.