Something Sounds Wrong.
Snapping hip syndrome, it is an audible sound in the hip, it occurs when a tendon or muscle snaps over a bone. This is usually caused by the iliotibial band (IT band) moving over the greater trochanter (top part of the femur) or the iliopsoas (hip flexor muscle) snapping across bones of the pelvis. Snapping hip syndrome is very common in dancers! In most cases snapping hip is not painful and dancers are told “if it doesn’t hurt, don’t worry about it”. But this is false. Although there is no immediate danger to dancers with non-painful snapping hips, it’s a sign of a much larger problem.
Our transversus abdominis, sometimes referred to as our “corset muscles”, are the muscles that run around our entire core, from our ribs down to our pubic bone. Their purpose is to hold our body in proper alignment. These muscles circle your body from the back all the way around to the front. Think about a weightlifting belt—supportive and holding everything in place. Well that’s the purpose of the transversus abdominis. They are, in my opinion, the most important muscle in our core.
Now what if I told you, when you hear a snapping hip, this is a sign that the transversus abdominis was not engaged to hold your body in alignment. Think about it. They are the muscles that hold everything in place. An easy way to see this is to lay down in supine (on your back) and lifting your legs into a tabletop. Hold a neutral pelvis and maintain the natural curves in your spine, most importantly the lumbar. Now extend one leg out at 45° and begin to lower it to the floor. Did you hear that snapping sound? Now try this exercise again, but this time place your fingers on the insides of your hip bones. Press into your belly, does it feel soft? See if you can tighten it. That is your transversus abdominis! Now try extending the leg without letting those muscles relax. Did the snapping stop?
After performing the above exercise a few times, you may notice the snapping comes back, even when you are trying as hard as you can to tighten your transversus abdominis. That is because they aren’t accustomed to engaging at that magnitude for an extended period. They become fatigued very quickly! But if they are the muscles that hold our body in alignment, don’t we need them to be strong and not fatigue as quickly. Especially for dancers, we aren’t just lying on the floor extending our legs 45°. We are jumping, turning, bending, lifting our legs to our ears! We need those muscles to keep us healthy and doing what we love.
Next time you hear a snapping hip, don’t think “well if it doesn’t hurt…”. Remember that our bodies are a complex system designed with everything we need to keep ourselves active and healthy. Strange sounds and feelings are our body’s way of telling us something isn’t quite right. Some cases of snapping hip can be painful and require surgery to remedy while others may remain pain free for years, but don’t take that chance. Strengthen your core and support your body’s health!
Look for another post soon about more exercises to strengthen your transversus abdominis.
