Popping or Snapping Hip

Question
Hello,

My name is Mickey.  I have been jogging all of my life.  A few months ago I increased my jogging from every other day to every day.  4 miles.  A couple of weeks ago I noticed my right hip started popping or snapping when I walk.  Its seems to do this only when I walk.  Actually, when I'm jogging, it does NOT do it.  There is little pain associated with this but there is a very slight feeling of soreness.  Not much.  I am very stressed out that this could turn into something really bad?  Will this go away?  I don't want to have to quit jogging.  

Can you tell me what to do?

Thank you.

Answer
First off, I want to preface any advice I give you by first stating that I am not a medical doctor.  It is possible that your hip symptoms may have an underlying problem that cannot be corrected through running technique, stretching, diet, or exercise, and that only a doctor would be able to properly diagnose and treat your condition.

That being said, I have long followed a simple rule when it comes to running : never run two days in a row.  At the cellular level, all forms of exercise are catastrophic.  Free radicals are formed and oxidative damage ensues; micro tears form in muscles and tendons; joints are worn down; bone tissue develops micro-cracks and fissures.  In fact, if all of this stuff were caused by anything else, doctors would be warning us not to do it!  But if course exercise is a normal form of stress human bodies have evolved to cope with.  When stressed by exercises, the body responds through tissue repair and synthesis.  If the damage is not too severe, and proper diet is available, all the damage is quickly repaired, and in the re-built tissues are slightly stronger than before.  In fact, this is the progressive overload principle, which is the basic principle behind all body building : stress a muscle above its normal limits, and it will respond by getting stronger and bigger.

Running is a form of exercise that causes all kinds of cellular damage.  A person who is healthy and well nourished will recover from running.  If they push themselves a little beyond their normal limits, then their body responds by growing stronger than it was before.  This is how you can build up your speed and endurance over time.

The post-exercise repair & synthesis process, however, takes time.  If you have ever lifted weights, then you have likely experienced delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS) a day or two after exercising.  DOMS peaks between 24 and 48 hours after exercise, and then falls off rapidly thereafter.  This 24 to 48 hour window is a good rule of thumb for exercise recovery, including running.  So if you never on consecutive days, you will be giving your body 48 hours to recuperate between runs.

Now, on to your specific symptoms.  The noises you describe are called crepitus.  This medical term is used to apply to any joint noises : cracking, popping, snapping etc.  Crepitus is a general description of the sound, which can be caused by lots of different things.  If there is no pain associated with crepitus, then most doctors will tell you not to worry about it, because it likely only involves soft tissue.  On the other hand, when crepitus is associated with pain it might have an underlying problem best treated by a doctor.  For example, joint deterioration (from something like arthritis) might be causing bone-on-bone articulation, which can cause noise and pain.  However, sometimes crepitus associated with minor pain is simply due to larger structures, such as an overly large joint meniscus.  It can also be caused by weakened or damaged muscles that are not able to constrain the gliding motions of other structures along their proper paths.

My best advice to you would be to first stop running every day, as discussed above.  Next, I suggest you begin performing strength-conditioning exercises that target the muscles surrounding your hip.  Good examples of such exercises are passive leg lowering, active leg lowering, side leg raises, and squats.  (You can look these up online and find plenty of guides and videos on how to do them.)  The goal with these exercises is the build up the strength of the muscles around your hip.  This may reduce or eliminate the crepitus associated with tendicular and joint structures lacking adequate muscular support.  Do these exercises every other day (on days you DON'T go running) for a few weeks.  If you notice your condition improving, then keep up the good work and stop worrying.  However, if your crepitus + pain doesn't go away (or gets worse) then you may have a degenerative joint-related issue that would best be looked at by a doctor.

Good luck!