Snapping Hip Syndrome

This is the injury that has plagued Joan Benoit Samuelson, the famous track star. Snapping Hip Syndrome is a clinical entity that causes pain and snapping in the hip joint. There are several known causes, the most common being the iliotibial band snapping over the greater trochanter (at the top of your thigh bone). It can also be caused by snapping of the iliopsoas tendon over the iliopectineal line (in general the pubic area of the hip bone), the iliofemoral ligaments over the femoral head (where the thigh bone connects to the hip bone), as well as other places on the hip bone.

The gluteal muscles can also make a snapping sound as they go over the greater trochanter. The psoas tendon can also cause snapping hip as it passes over the hip joint, producing pain with hip flexion. The question to ask is why is this happening? The psoas tendon is in the front of the hip joint, the gluteal muscles are over the hip joint, and the iliotibial band (tensor fascia lata) is on the side of the hip joint, yet all of these structures are considered part of the problem? We don't think so.
 

Hip joint ligament weakness causes excessive movement of the hip joint and thus the greater trochanter, since they are connected. This excessive movement of the greater trochanter would then encroach on the iliotibial band or gluteal muscles, causing a snapping sound. If the hip joint laxity caused the hip to move forward it would encroach on the psoas muscle, causing hip snapping with movement of this muscle (hip flexion). It is easier to explain Snapping Hip Syndrome as one hip problem versus three separate muscle problems. This also explains the dramatic results seen with treating Snapping Hip Syndrome with Prolotherapy.

In my opinion, Prolotherapy is the treatment of choice for Snapping Hip Syndrome because it gets at the root cause of the problem, which is hip ligament laxity. Prolotherapy to the posterior hip capsule and ischiofemoral ligaments generally resolves the problem if the condition involves snapping of the iliotibial band or gluteal muscles, because posterior hip laxity is involved in these conditions.

In psoas-muscle-related Snapping Hip Syndrome, the hip joint is moving anteriorly, encroaching on the muscle. Prolotherapy to the anterior hip ligaments, namely the iliofemoral ligament (Y ligament of Bigelow), will tighten the joint and stop the anterior protrusion of the hip.

Prolotherapy is extremely effective at permanently resolving Snapping Hip Syndrome because it repairs the underlying etiology of the problem, hip Ligament laxity.

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Snapping Hip Syndrome is a clinical entity that causes pain and snapping in the hip joint. There are several known causes, the most common being the iliotibial band snapping over the greater trochanter (at the top of your thigh bone). It can also be caused by snapping of the iliopsoas tendon over the iliopectineal line (in general the pubic area of the hip bone), the iliofemoral ligaments over the femoral head (where the thigh bone connects to the hip bone), as well as other places on the hip bone. The gluteal muscles can also make a snapping sound as they go over the greater trochanter. The psoas tendon can also cause snapping hip as it passes over the hip joint, producing pain with hip flexion. The question to ask is why is this happening? The psoas tendon is in the front of the hip joint, the gluteal muscles are over the hip joint, and the iliotibial band (tensor fascia lata) is on the side of the hip joint, yet all of these structures are considered part of the problem? We don't think so. Hip joint ligament weakness causes excessive movement of the hip joint and thus the greater trochanter, since they are connected. This excessive movement of the greater trochanter would then encroach on the iliotibial band or gluteal muscles, causing a snapping sound. If the hip joint laxity caused the hip to move forward it would encroach on the psoas muscle, causing hip snapping with movement of this muscle (hip flexion). It is easier to explain Snapping Hip Syndrome as one hip problem versus three separate muscle problems. This also explains the dramatic results seen with treating Snapping Hip Syndrome with Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy is the treatment of choice for Snapping Hip Syndrome because it gets at the root cause of the problem, which is hip ligament laxity. Prolotherapy to the posterior hip capsule and ischiofemoral ligaments generally resolves the problem if the condition involves snapping of the iliotibial band or gluteal muscles, because posterior hip laxity is involved in these conditions. In psoas-muscle-related Snapping Hip Syndrome, the hip joint is moving anteriorly, encroaching on the muscle. Prolotherapy to the anterior hip ligaments, namely the iliofemoral ligament, will tighten the joint and stop the anterior protrusion of the hip. Prolotherapy is extremely effective at permanently resolving Snapping Hip Syndrome because it repairs the underlying etiology of the problem, hip Ligament laxity.

See our research study Chronic Hip Pain at prolotherapyresearch.com