External snapping hip (IT band snapping)
The most common type. A thick band of tissue that runs down the outside of your thigh (the iliotibial or IT band) catches on the bony point on the outside of your hip as you bend and straighten it. You'll usually feel (and hear) this on the outer side of your hip.
Internal snapping hip (iliopsoas snapping)
Your main hip flexor tendon (the iliopsoas) catches on a bony ridge at the front of your pelvis, or occasionally on the top of your thigh bone, as you move your hip. This is felt at the front of the hip or in the groin, and is often louder than external snapping hip.
Snapping from inside the joint
This type comes from inside the hip joint itself. It is usually caused by a loose fragment of bone or cartilage or a tear in the labrum (the ring of cartilage around the hip socket). This is the type most likely to point to a more significant underlying problem, and it's the most important one to get checked.
A snap, click, pop or clunk in the hip
You might hear or feel one of these sensations during certain movements. It usually happens the same way each time. Common triggers include: standing up from a chair, climbing stairs, walking, and certain exercises.
Pain
Some people have pain when their hip snaps, but others have no pain at all. External and internal snapping are often painless, while snapping from inside the joint is more likely to hurt.
Where you feel it
The outside of the hip (external type), the groin or front of the hip (internal type), or deep inside the joint (intra-articular type).
If your snapping or popping hip is painless and isn't stopping you doing anything, you usually don't need to do anything about it. But you should get it checked by a specialist if:
A history and physical examination
Your specialist will ask where you feel the snap, what it feels like and what brings it on. Then they will examine your hip, often reproducing the snap during specific movements to work out which type it is.
Ultrasound
A moving (dynamic) ultrasound scan lets your specialist watch the tendon in real time as it catches, confirming whether it's the IT band or the iliopsoas tendon causing the snap.
MRI
If your specialist suspects the snapping is coming from inside the joint, such as a labral tear or a loose fragment, an MRI, and sometimes an MRI arthrogram (an MRI with contrast dye), gives a detailed look inside the joint.
Simple changes and stretching
If it's painless, no treatment is needed. For mild symptoms, adjusting your activity and stretching, especially the IT band and hip flexors, can help reduce how often it happens.
Physiotherapy
For internal or external snapping that's causing symptoms, a structured physiotherapy programme to correct muscle imbalances and ease tightness in the IT band and hip flexors is usually the first treatment tried.
Corticosteroid injection
If internal (iliopsoas) snapping is causing pain and inflammation, an ultrasound-guided steroid injection can ease the pain and make it easier to get the most out of physiotherapy.
Tendon lengthening or release
If other treatments haven't helped, a keyhole surgical procedure to lengthen or release the tendon may be an option.
Treating the underlying joint problem
If the snapping is coming from inside the joint, (a labral tear, a loose fragment, or FAI) treating that underlying problem is the main focus. See our pages on FAI and hip labral tears for more on these.
