Hip Popping? Here’s What That Sound Could Mean

Does your hip pop when you get out of the car, stand up from a chair, or finish a lunge? When it happens during the same movement again and again, there’s usually a reason.

An estimated five to 10 percent of people experience some form of recurring hip snapping or popping. In many cases, it’s painless and harmless. But when that pop comes with pain, weakness, or a catching sensation, it may be worth a closer look.

Understanding what’s happening inside your hip can help you tell the difference.

Why Hips Pop in the First Place

Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint surrounded by muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue. As you bend, straighten, or rotate your hip, these structures move across and around the joint.

Sometimes, a tendon or band of tissue moves over a bony prominence and creates a snapping sensation or popping sound This is commonly known as snapping hip syndrome.

Where you feel the pop can offer clues about what may be causing it,

• Outside of the hip: This is the most common location. The IT band can move across the bony prominence at the top of the thighbone, called the greater trochanter. You may notice the snap while walking, running or standing up from a seated position.
• Front of the hip or groin: The iliopsoas, one of the primary hip flexor muscles, has a tendon that moves across structures at the front of the hip. That movement can create a snapping sensation during activities such as getting out of a car, rising from a squat or swinging your leg forward.
• Back of the hip: Less commonly, the hamstring tendon can move across the sitting bone, or ischial tuberosity, creating a snap that’s felt more in the buttock than the hip itself. 
• Inside the joint: Not every pop comes from a tendon moving over bone. Problems inside the hip joint, including damaged cartilage or a labral tear, can also cause clicking, catching or popping. These issues are more likely to be accompanied by pain or a locking sensation.

Is it Just a Sound, or Something More?

If your hip pops without pain, swelling, weakness, or loss of motion, it’s usually not a sign that something is wrong. Painless popping is common, particulary in people who are flexible, active, or new to a particular sport or exercise routine.

The sound itself matters less than the symptoms that come with it.

Pay closer attention if you notice:

• Pain that lingers after the pop or gets worse over time
• Swelling or warmth around the hip
• Catching or locking, as though the joint briefly gets stuck
• Weakness or a feeling that the hip might give out
• Less range of motion compared to your other hip
• Popping that began suddenly after an injury or fall

These symptoms may point to an irritated tendon, hip bursitis or a problem inside the joint such as a labral tear. They don’t necessarily mean you have a serious injury, but they are good reasons to have your hip evaluated.

What This Means for You

An occasional or painless pop usually isn’t cause for concern. If the popping becomes painful, happens more frequently or starts interfering with the way you move, it’s worth finding out what’s behind it.

Our hip specialists can identify the source of the popping and determine whether treatment is needed, so you can get back to moving comfortably and confidently. Learn more and request an appointment at OrthoIllinois