Snapping Hip: Why Your Hip Clicks and When It Matters

Why Does My Hip Click, Pop, or Snap? What It Means and When to Get It Checked

Key Takeaways

1. A clicking, popping, or snapping hip is common. About 5 to 10% of people have a snapping hip, and most never have pain from it.
2. There are three main causes: a band of tissue sliding over the outside of the hip, a tendon flicking over a bony ridge at the front of the hip, or a problem inside the joint itself.
3. A painless snap usually isn’t a concern. A snap that comes with pain, catching, locking, or your leg giving way is worth getting assessed.
4. Painful snapping is often driven by how the muscles around the hip are working, not just the spot that clicks. Weak glutes, tight hip flexors, and old injuries can all play a part.
5. Most painful snapping hips improve without surgery. Strength work, hands-on care, and shockwave therapy for irritated tissue around the hip may help. Results vary between individuals.

You swing your leg out of the car, step up onto a stair, or push into your skating stride, and your hip goes clunk. Sometimes you hear it. Sometimes you only feel it. Maybe it’s been doing that for years without a problem, or maybe it’s started to hurt. A snapping hip is common, and most of the time it’s harmless. When it isn’t, there’s usually a clear reason, and it tends to respond well to the right care.

This article draws on our podcast episode on the hidden connection between your hips and the rest of your body, where Uran Berisha, founder of Unpain Clinic, explains why the hip so often pays for problems elsewhere.

What is a snapping hip?

A snapping hip is a clicking, popping, or clunking feeling in the hip when you move it. The medical name is coxa saltans, or snapping hip syndrome when it causes pain. About 5 to 10% of people have a hip that snaps, and most of them never have any pain from it [1]. It becomes a problem when the snap starts to hurt or limits what you can do.

The snap happens when a tendon, a band of tissue, or something inside the joint catches and then slides over a bony bump as you move. Think of a rubber band flicking over the edge of a table. On its own, the flick doesn’t do much harm. Repeat it thousands of times with a lot of tension behind it, and the band and the edge start to get irritated.

What’s causing the snap in my hip?

There are three main causes of a snapping hip, and where you feel the snap is the best clue to which one you have. Snapping on the outside, the front, or deep inside the hip each point to different structures, and each tends to need a slightly different approach.

Outside of the hip (external snapping)

Where you feel it: on the side of the hip, over the bony point you can feel at the top of your thigh. When it happens: walking, climbing stairs, or turning your leg in and out. You can sometimes see or feel it under your hand. What’s usually behind it: the IT band or the edge of the large glute muscle sliding over that bony point. It can irritate the tendons and bursa underneath, the same area involved in outer hip pain and hip bursitis.

Front of the hip (internal snapping)

Where you feel it: deep in the front of the hip or groin. When it happens: bringing your leg from a bent position to straight, like lowering your leg after lifting it, getting up from a deep chair, or the end of a skating or running stride. It often sounds and feels like a deep clunk. What’s usually behind it: the iliopsoas, the main hip flexor tendon, flicking over a ridge at the front of the pelvis. This is the most common type in dancers. In one study of elite ballet dancers, 91% reported a snapping hip, and the hip flexor tendon was the cause in 59% of the hips scanned [2].

Inside the joint (intra-articular snapping)

Where you feel it: deep in the groin. When it happens: twisting, pivoting, or deep squatting. It often feels more like a click with a sharp pinch, catching, or locking than a smooth snap. What’s usually behind it: a problem inside the joint itself, most often a tear in the labrum, the rim of cartilage around the hip socket. In a study of 100 people with clicking, locking, or giving way in the hip, two in three had a labral tear on imaging [3].

Is a clicking hip something to worry about?

A clicking hip that doesn’t hurt usually isn’t a concern. Many people have one their whole lives. The snap is worth a closer look when it starts to hurt, happens more often, or comes with other symptoms that suggest something more than a tendon sliding over bone.

Get your hip assessed if you notice any of these:

• The snap or click is painful, or the pain is getting worse.
• Your hip catches, locks, or gets stuck for a moment.
• Your leg gives way or feels unstable.
• You have a sharp pinch deep in the groin with twisting or deep squats.
• The hip aches at night or after activity.
• You’re avoiding movements or sports because of it.

See a doctor promptly if the clicking started after a fall or hard impact, if you can’t put weight on the leg, or if the hip is hot, red, and swollen, or you have a fever.

Who gets a snapping hip?

Anyone can have a snapping hip, but it’s most common in people whose sport or work asks the hip to move through a big range again and again. Dancers, runners, hurdlers, soccer players, and hockey players all fit that pattern. People who sit for long hours and then jump into intense activity are also prone to it.

Hockey is a good example. The skating stride drives the hip from deep bend to full extension, over and over in every shift, under a lot of load. That’s exactly the motion that can make a hip flexor tendon snap at the front of the hip. If you play in Edmonton’s rec leagues and your hip has started to clunk or ache, you’re far from alone.

Why does a snapping hip start to hurt?

A snapping hip usually starts to hurt when the tissue doing the snapping is under too much tension, too often. Each snap rubs the tendon or band over bone. With enough repetition, the tendon and the bursa next to it can become irritated. The reason for that extra tension is often found in how the muscles around the hip are working, not in the hip itself.

A few common drivers:

Weak or underactive glutes

When the glutes aren’t doing their share, the hip flexors and the IT band often pick up the slack and stay tight.

Tight hip flexors from sitting

Long hours in a chair keep the front of the hip shortened. Then a hard skate, run, or workout asks those tissues to stretch and fire quickly.

Poor core control

If the pelvis tips or rotates too much as you move, the tendons around the hip have to work harder to keep things steady.

Old injuries and surgeries

An old ankle sprain, a knee injury, or an abdominal scar can change how you move, so the hip ends up compensating.

On our podcast, Uran describes the hip as the transmission of the body. It connects the upper and lower halves and transfers power from your core and glutes to your legs. When something up or down the chain isn’t working well, the hip is often where it shows up.

He also points out that many people are told to stretch their IT band, when the real issue is usually the muscles controlling it. Stretching the band that snaps rarely fixes the reason it’s under tension.

How is a painful snapping hip treated?

Most painful snapping hips get better without surgery. Reviews of the research report that most cases settle with conservative care over 6 to 12 months, and surgery is only considered when pain continues despite a good trial of treatment [1][4]. The goal is to calm the irritated tissue and fix the movement pattern that’s putting it under strain.

Hands-on care and exercise from a physiotherapist are the foundation. Shockwave therapy can be a helpful addition when the tissue around the hip has become irritated. The strongest research is on outer hip pain, the same area involved in external snapping hip [5]. In a well-known trial, 68% of people treated with radial shockwave rated themselves much improved or recovered at four months, compared with 41% of people doing home exercise alone and 51% of people who had a cortisone injection [6]. A 2024 review of eight trials found shockwave reduced outer hip pain more than other treatments at two to four months, and that focused shockwave gave more pain relief than radial [7].

There’s less research on shockwave for snapping at the front of the hip, and none for problems inside the joint. Shockwave works best as one part of a plan, not on its own. Results vary between individuals.

How does Unpain Clinic treat a snapping hip?

At Unpain Clinic, treatment for a snapping hip starts with finding out exactly where the snap is coming from and why the tissue is under so much tension. From there, the plan calms the painful area and rebuilds how your hip, core, and legs work together. Here’s what that usually looks like.

1. A full history. We ask what you do for work and sport, when the snap started, what makes it worse, and about old injuries and surgeries, even ones that seem unrelated.
2. Finding the snap. We move your hip through specific positions to pinpoint whether the snap is on the outside, the front, or inside the joint. If anything points to a problem inside the joint, we tell you and help arrange imaging or a referral.
3. Checking the whole chain. We look at how your glutes, core, low back, knees, and feet are working, since the cause is often away from the snap.
4. Calming the irritated tissue. Focused or radial shockwave, hands-on work, and acupuncture may be used to settle the tendon and surrounding tissue.
5. Rebuilding strength and control. A progressive program for the glutes, hip, and core helps take the tension off the snapping tissue. Our AI-guided robot trainers can help with precise strength work.
6. Getting you back to your sport. We build up the movements that used to trigger the snap, like skating, running, or deep squats, step by step.

What can I do at home for a snapping hip?

A few simple habits can help a painful snapping hip settle while you work on the cause. This is general education, not personal medical advice. If something makes your pain worse, stop and get it assessed.

• Stop snapping it on purpose. It can feel satisfying, but each snap can keep the tissue irritated.
• Break up long periods of sitting. Stand up and walk for a few minutes every 30 to 45 minutes.
• Ease off the movements that trigger painful snapping for a while, rather than pushing through them.
• Keep moving in comfortable ranges. Walking, cycling, or swimming often feel fine.
• Work on glute strength with gentle exercises your clinician has shown you.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for my hip to click or pop?

Often, yes. Many people have a hip that clicks or pops now and then, and if it doesn’t hurt, it usually isn’t a problem. It’s worth getting checked if the click is painful, keeps getting worse, or comes with catching, locking, or your leg giving way.

Why does my hip click when I walk or climb stairs?

A click on the outside of the hip when you walk or take the stairs is often a band of tissue sliding over the bony point at the side of your hip. A deeper clunk at the front, especially when you straighten your leg from a bent position, is more often a hip flexor tendon flicking over a ridge on the pelvis.

Can a snapping hip turn into arthritis?

There’s no good evidence that a painless snapping hip leads to arthritis. A clicking hip that also catches, locks, or causes sharp pain in the groin can point to a problem inside the joint, like a labral tear, which is worth having assessed.

Can shockwave therapy help a painful snapping hip?

Shockwave therapy may help when the tendon or tissue around the hip has become irritated from repeated snapping. Research on outer hip pain shows it can reduce pain, though studies on snapping hip specifically are limited. It works best alongside exercise that fixes how the hip is moving.

Do I need an MRI for a clicking hip?

Usually not at first. A careful hands-on assessment can often tell where the snap is coming from. Imaging may be helpful if your clinician suspects a problem inside the joint, or if the pain isn’t improving with care.

Do I need a referral to see someone at Unpain Clinic for hip pain?

No. In Alberta you can book directly with a physiotherapist or chiropractor without a doctor’s referral. Some extended health plans ask for one before they reimburse treatment, so it’s worth checking your plan.

“I was suffering from hip pain for 15 years. I turned to shock wave therapy and the pain is almost gone. When I play hockey everyone asks why I’m faster.” Tim P., Google review

About the author

Written by Uran Berisha, Founder of Unpain Clinic and the Medical Shockwave Institute. Medically reviewed by Uran Berisha. Last reviewed October 22, 2026. Uran has spent more than 20 years in rehabilitation, with over 13 years focused on shockwave therapy. Unpain Clinic is located in Edmonton, Alberta. unpainclinic.com

Is your hip snapping more than it should?

If your hip has started to click and hurt, or it’s keeping you off the ice, the trail, or the dance floor, the next step is a one-on-one assessment. At Unpain Clinic in Edmonton, we find where the snap is coming from, look at the whole chain around it, and build you a clear plan. No referral needed. If we don’t think this approach is a good fit for you, we’ll tell you honestly.

Book your assessment!

References

1. Sugrañes J, Jackson GR, Warrier AA, Allahabadi S, Chahla J. Snapping hip syndrome: pathoanatomy, diagnosis, nonoperative therapy, and current concepts in operative management. JBJS Reviews. 2023.
2. Winston P, Awan R, Cassidy JD, Bleakney RK. Clinical examination and ultrasound of self-reported snapping hip syndrome in elite ballet dancers. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2007.
3. Neumann G, Mendicuti AD, Zou KH, et al. Prevalence of labral tears and cartilage loss in patients with mechanical symptoms of the hip: evaluation using MR arthrography. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2007.
4. Walker P, Ellis E, Scofield J, et al. Snapping hip syndrome: a comprehensive update. Orthopedic Reviews. 2021.
5. Marín-Peña O, Papavasiliou AV, Olivero M, et al. Non-surgical treatment as the first step to manage peritrochanteric space disorders. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 2021.
6. Rompe JD, Segal NA, Cacchio A, et al. Home training, local corticosteroid injection, or radial shock wave therapy for greater trochanter pain syndrome. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2009.
7. Rhim HC, Shin J, Beling A, et al. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for greater trochanteric pain syndrome: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. JBJS Reviews. 2024.
8. The Unpain Podcast. From prehab to rehab: the ‘hip’ new way patients are crushing their joint replacement surgeries. Unpain Clinic. https://www.unpainclinic.com/en/podcast/the-hidden-connection-between-your-hips-and-the-rest-of-your-body