Quote: (12-17-2013 02:36 PM)quino_16 Wrote:
I have had snapping hip syndrome for about a year and half now.
Anyway, my questions are:
1. What exercises do you recommend for strengthening the hip? And making it more flexible and mobile?
2. How long should it take for it to recover?
3. Are there any other causes for this condition?
Hey quino,
Sorry to for the delay in the response, have been very busy leading up into christmas.
Great to see you took the initiative to get it sorted (eventually!). I'm assuming you have had no hip problems as a child, and that any intra-articular (labral tears etc) have been ruled out by the orthopaedic surgeon.
Snapping hip can be caused by problems inside or outside the hip. The external type (more common) occurs due to tightness of a band of tissue (ITB) as it rubs across the outside of the hip bone. The snapping is usually not painful. The internal type is caused when the hip flexor snaps over the thigh bone head. This is common in ballet dancers and usually quite painful. The more serious type occurs when the cartilage of the hip joint becomes damaged (e.g. car accident). This requires orthopaedic evaluation.
What exercises has the physiotherapist given you?
What is your main concern, the popping or groin pain?
Are you able to sit in low chairs without any discomfort?
1) The hip flexor stretch adding in a posterior tilt is one of my favourite for isolating the iliopsoas, but keeping the back in a good position.
Also I would work on recruiting gluts while switching off hip flexors - because (more than likely) your hip flexor is over-active, you really want recruit muscles that inhibit this faulty pattern. Below is a good start, and you should always be squeezing your gluts while you gently lift up (below is actually a hamstring strengthening one, so bring the knees closer to the chair to get glut max firing).
I would also incorporate some glut med strengthening, perform clams (as below), however make sure as you seperate the top leg, you are gently pushing against a wall to switch off the hip flexor.
2) Unfortunately because you have had the problem for a year and a half, you would have developed faulty patterns of recruiting muscles. When we are in pain, we use adaptive strategies, to unload the painful tissues (in your case the hip flexor). However in saying that, in my experience it usually takes about 6 weeks to re-learn the right patterns moving again.
3) Yes there are many causes of hip pain, however I'm assuming your orthopaedic surgeon ruled out the nasty ones! Some of these are:
* Referred from the lumbar spine (back)
* Labral tears
* Avascular necrosis (nasty one that usually people who have been on long term steroids are susceptible to)
* Hip flexor dysfuntion
*Snapping hip
*Arthritis
* Hernia
* Quad strain
* osteoitis pubis (inflammation of pubic symphysis where groin muscles attach to) - common following poorly managed groin strains and common in any sports requiring quick change of direction