I'm into week 7 of couch25k program. For a while now (years) I have what appears to be Snapping Hip Syndrome. My hip is fine 90% of the time, but there's always an exact motion I can make to make it pop quite loud. That's ok with me, but after a run, it hurts a bit and it can be uncomfortable to sit and walk.
Is there anything I can do to make it any better other than rest? Do some stretches, cool it with an ice pack or something else?
I would recommend a couple of different courses, actually.
Go to a doctor and have it checked out. There are two different types of snapping hip syndromes, and each have different causes and recommendations. You could be trying the cure for one, when it is the other one that is causing it.
Check your shoes and have a gait analysis done.
I had snapping hip in college cross-country caused by uneven wear in my shoes that I didn't switch out properly, and ran too many miles on worn out cushioning. Often you can't tell from a visual inspection that your cushioning has lost its effectiveness, you have to pay attention to how your body feels. When you start feeling more "beat up" or have other small aches/pains, it may be time to change shoes. Also, be cautious of wildly varying mileages from week to week. If you jump from 10 miles to 50 miles to 30 miles and back to 45, it's easy to create injuries where there shouldn't be any.
Ibuprofen, ice baths (although I don't recommend these unless prescribed, easy to do cold damage to personal parts), stretching and massage can all help alleviate symptoms, but unless you address the root cause, it will just come back.
Another method you can try is Active Release Therapy (ART), and foam rolling the area. You can either try this on your own or find an ART therapist locally to show you how at first.
I had something similar, not sure if exactly what you have. I could snap just by pushing a little forward with the hip. I don't have this anymore and solved it keeping my legs stretched (hamstring, calfs), working a little on the abs and with back hyperextensions (cobra position).
Cannot pinpoint which of these worked better but the basic principle is that you are probably inadvertently compensating some defect of your back by keeping some muscles more contracted. I'm not a physician so just double check this with an expert.
Stretching is now part of my daily routine.
I've had the same problem for 4 years now. So far no solutions though I've seen many doctors and chiropractors.
Today I found this: http://evolutionaryathletics.com/blogs/demarco/2011/11/03/how-to-cure-snapping-hip-syndrome/
I'm going to try...
I've read that hip snapping with no pain is not a symptom of anything bad. My snap usually occurs as I get up in the morning and did go away with stretches. I learned this while diagnosing myself for hip muscle problems which turned out to be arthritis (diagnosed by a real doctor based on x-rays). He gave me the stretches. My point is that the snap has your attention but the pain can be from an unrelated cause. Before seeing a doctor again, keep a pain diary that leaves out the snap but includes all pains and your running activity. Get a doctor recommendation from other runners. Remember, trainers, PT's, experienced runners etc can only rule things in, only a doctor can rule things out.
