Snap hip (Latin: coxa saltans) is a rare orthopedic disease of the hip. In some cases it is also referred to as “Amon’s snapping hip”, although it is the same clinical picture. As a sign of a snapping hip, movements in the hip usually result in a palpable and audible “snapping” with possible additional pain. The diagnosis is often made by examining the hip. The therapy consists mainly of pain-relieving therapy and strengthening exercises to strengthen the muscles.
Causes
According to the distinction between an “internal” and an “external” snapping hip, there are two known causes for the disease in the hip area. The original cause usually remains unknown. Occasionally a “coxa saltans” occurs as a result of overstrain or after an injury.
- Internal coxa saltans: Here, irritation occurs in the region of the edge of the acetabulum or at the head of the femur because the tendon of the psoas muscle slides along it.
- External coxa saltans: Here the symptomatology is caused by a tendon plate (tractus iliotibialis), which jumps over a bony protrusion on the thigh bone (trochanter major = large rolling mound). This can be triggered in particular by thickening of the tendon plate and especially by rotation when the hip is bent.
Symptoms
Patients who suffer from a snapping hip complain above all about snapping in the hip area, which is both audible and palpable. Sometimes this causes additional pain. When the symptoms occur varies from patient to patient.
It often occurs during hip flexion or extension, but sometimes also during normal walking. The patients are mostly middle-aged. The symptoms of a snapping hip are not always the same.
Thus, although some patients suffer from the unpleasant feeling of Cox saltans, they do not feel any pain. Others, on the other hand, have a very high level of suffering with severe pain when a hip snaps. Frequently, patients suffer from pain only at certain strains or situations, while at other times there is no pain.
The type of disease is also decisive in determining whether pain exists or not. For example, an external cox saltans is very often pain-free, while an internal cox saltans is more often associated with pain. A so-called bursitis, the inflammation of the bursa trochanterica, the bursa between the thigh bone and the muscles that attach to it, can also lead to pain in the context of the snapping hip syndrome. Particularly in the case of prolonged pain, other diseases that could be responsible for the symptoms should be excluded. Taking pain-reducing medication, as well as exercises to build up muscles in the thigh, can help to reduce the pain.
