When you walk, get up from a chair or swing your leg, do you feel or hear a "snapping" sensation in your hip? Snapping hip is usually painless and harmless, although the sensation can be annoying. Young athletes and dancers frequently experience snapping hip.

Causes
The snapping sensation results from the movement of a muscle or tendon (the tough, fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone) over a bony structure. In the hip, the most common site is at the outer side where a band of connective tissue (the iliotibial band) passes over the broad, flat portion of the thighbone known as the greater trochanter (tro-KAN-ter).

When the hip is straight, the band is behind the trochanter. When the hip bends, the band moves over the trochanter so that it is in front of it. The band is always tight, like a stretched rubber band. Because the trochanter juts out slightly, the movement of the band across it creates the snap you hear. Eventually, this could lead to hip bursitis. Bursitis is a thickening and inflammation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac that allows the muscle to move smoothly over bone.

Another tendon that could cause a snapping hip runs from the inside of the thighbone up through the pelvis. As you bend the hip, the tendon shifts across the head of the thighbone; when you straighten the hip, the tendon moves back to the side of the thighbone. This back-and-forth motion across the head of the thighbone causes the snapping.

A tear in the cartilage or some bone debris in the hip joint can also cause a snapping or clicking sensation. This type of snapping hip usually causes pain and may be disabling. A loose piece of cartilage can cause the hip to catch or lock up.

Symptoms
Symptoms may include a snapping sensation in the hip during movement such as sitting or squatting; an absence of hip pain to mild hip tenderness; and in rare instances, limited hip movement.

Treatment
Treatment is not necessary for most people who have a snapping hip. However, a person experiences hip pain or limited hip movement with the snapping sensation, treatment may include medicine to decrease pain and inflammation, physical therapy and, rarely, surgical release of a thickened iliotibial band or tight iliopsoas tendon. In those very rare cases that do not respond to conservative treatment, surgery may be recommended. The type of surgery will depend on the cause of the snapping hip.