Snapping Hip Syndrome

Snapping hip syndrome is when you can hear or feel a snap or pop in your hip joint when you move. Its medical name is coxa saltans. Healthcare providers sometimes call it dancer’s hip.

If you have this condition, you’ll hear or feel a snap almost every time you move your hip. You might notice it when you:

• Walk or run
• Stand up from a seat
• Rotate your legs away from your body (like when you get out of a car or step over a baby gate)

Everyone’s joints crack or pop sometimes. It’s usually nothing to worry about. And snapping hip syndrome isn’t typically a cause for concern either. But you should visit a healthcare provider if your hip hurts or you’re worried about the sound or feeling.

Types of coxa saltans

Healthcare providers classify snapping hip syndrome as one of two types:

• External snapping hip: This happens when you hear or feel the snap on the outside of your hip. The feeling or sound may seem like it’s coming from the top of your outer thigh muscle or near your butt. It’s also known as iliotibial coxa saltans. The iliotibial band is a tendon that runs from your pelvis to your knee.
• Internal snapping hip: This type is when the sound or feeling comes from inside your hip, near your groin. Providers call this iliopsoas coxa saltans. This refers to the iliopsoas muscles that connect your spine to your hips and legs.

Symptoms of dancer’s hip

The sound or feeling in your hip is the most common snapping hip syndrome symptom. It may sound or feel like a:

• Snap
• Click
• Pop

Which kind of feeling or sound you experience doesn’t usually matter. What’s important is that it happens a lot when you’re moving.

Many people only experience a painless snap. But you might notice other symptoms, like:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Trouble moving your hip, also known as a loss of mobility

Some people experience symptoms in both hips at once. But you might only have a snap in one.

Snapping hip syndrome causes

Tight muscles or tendons around your hips are the most common cause. It’s often an overuse injury. Training for a sport or practicing something like dance puts a lot of pressure on your hips. Over time, the extra stress can irritate muscles and tendons. This can lead to inflammation that makes your tissue tighten up.

Other causes can include:

• Natural variations in your hip joint: Your hip might snap if your pelvis or thighbones have a different shape than usual. Your bones may be wider or narrower than usual. Or you might have a bone spur. These issues are usually something you’re born with. They can make your hip snap when muscles or tendons get caught on them during movement.
• Naturally tight or short muscles and tendons: It’s possible that the muscles and tendons around your hip aren’t as flexible as they should be. This can make them snap as they move across your bones.
• Cartilage issues: Your hip joint is lined with a cartilage cushioning. Issues like hip impingement or labral tears can damage this cartilage and cause snapping. You’ll be more likely to have pain or other symptoms if you have a torn labrum or impingement.
• Injuries: This is similar to how the irritation from an overuse injury causes snapping. Instead of building up over time, sudden damage can cause snapping. If there’s swelling in your hip, it might snap because there’s not as much space for your tissue to move.
• A complication from another treatment: Your hip might snap after a surgery. Some people notice snapping after getting an injection into muscles in their butt or near their hip.

Some people have idiopathic snapping hip syndrome. This is the medical term that means there’s no known cause for an issue. It’s possible that you have one of the issues listed above. But if it’s not causing other symptoms or making it hard to use your hips, you might never get the specific reason diagnosed.

Risk factors

Athletes, who can put extra pressure on their hips and the tissue around them, are often at risk. You might have a higher risk of this condition if you’re a:

• Dancer
• Gymnast
• Weight lifter
• Soccer player
• Runner

Snapping hip syndrome is called dancer’s hip because of how often it affects them. Experts estimate that as many as 9 in 10 ballet dancers have had it at some point.

Females are more likely to have snapping hip syndrome. This may be because females have a higher natural risk of conditions like hip dysplasia. Anything that affects the way your hips fit together can lead to snapping.

How doctors diagnose this condition

A healthcare provider can usually diagnose snapping hip syndrome with a physical exam. Tell your provider when you first noticed the noise or feeling. Also, tell them if it happens more during any movements or activities. Let your provider know if you have any other symptoms, too, especially if you have any pain.

Your provider will usually be able to feel or hear the snap. They might ask you to move your hips or hold them in certain positions. This will help them check your range of motion on top of listening or feeling for it.

You may need imaging tests to take pictures of your hip. This can also help your provider check for inflammation, injuries or natural differences. You may need:

• MRI
• X-ray
• Ultrasound

Your provider may inject a small amount of local anesthetic into your hip to numb it. The medication might temporarily relieve the snapping. This can help them determine if you have external snapping hip or internal snapping hip.

How doctors treat this condition

You may not need any treatment. If the noise or feeling doesn’t bother you and you don’t have any other symptoms, you can live with it. Your healthcare provider will make sure your hip is stable and strong enough to do all of your usual activities. If you have pain or it’s hard to move, your provider might recommend:

• Rest and modifying activities: You may need to take a break from practice, training or competing. Your provider will tell you which activities you should avoid and for how long. You might need to change your posture or technique for some movements.
• Physical therapy: Strengthening your muscles and increasing your hip flexibility might make the snapping go away. A physical therapist will give you exercises and stretches to help your hips move smoothly.
• At-home treatments: Your provider might suggest the RICE or MEAT methods. These can help relieve pain, stiffness and other symptoms. You may be able to take over-the-counter NSAIDs or other pain relievers. Ask your provider which medications are best for you.
• Corticosteroids: An injection, like a cortisone shot, can reduce inflammation. Especially if you have a short-term injury.
• Surgery: It’s rare to need surgery for this condition. Your provider might recommend surgery if you have severe snapping hip that’s affecting your ability to move. It’s more common to treat internal snapping hip. Arthroscopy is the most common surgery.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Visit a healthcare provider if you hear or feel anything in your hip that makes you uncomfortable. Even if you don’t need treatment, it’s a good idea to get a snapping hip examined.

See your provider if you have new or changing hip pain. Let them know if it feels like your treatments aren’t managing symptoms as well as they used to.

Your provider will let you know if you’ll need follow-up visits or tests.

What can I expect if I have this condition?

Coxa saltans can be a temporary issue. Or it can be something you live with for a long time. It depends on what causes it and if you need any treatments. Sometimes, the snapping goes away on its own.

Don’t resume training or intense physical activities too soon. Follow the guidelines from your provider or physical therapist. If you have a hip injury, using it too much too soon can re-injure it.