How To Alleviate Your Snapping Hip Symptoms Until You See An Orthopedic Doctor

If you experience swelling and pain in your hips, you need to see an orthopedic doctor for treatment. You may have snapping hip syndrome. But until you see an orthopedic doctor, you may want to find relief for your symptoms now. Here are some things you should know about snapping hips and ways you can keep the symptoms at bay until your orthopedic appointment.

Why Do You Have Snapping Hips?

Snapping hip syndrome typically occurs when the ligaments and muscles around your hips become tight and inflexible. These problems may cause your hips to pop or crack as you lift your legs, sit down or stand up. You may even feel or hear a snapping sound coming from your hips as the soft tissues forcibly slide over them.

A number of things can cause snapping hip syndrome, including these:

• Performing repetitive activities like running or playing tennis that require you to bend at the waist
• Placing too much stress on the hipbones, such as sitting at your computer all day at work, being bedridden due to an illness, or driving in a vehicle for long periods of time
• Gaining too much weight and not exercising to lose it

Regardless of the reason for your snapping hips, you can experience swelling on a regular basis because of the tension in your hips. You can use ice or cold packs as a home remedy for your swollen tissues.

When Should You Use Cold or Ice Packs?

In order to keep the swelling down until you see a bone and joint specialist, you may want to place ice or cold packs on your hips for at least 20 minutes one or two times a day. However, you may want to choose a time of the day when the swelling is at its worse for the best results. The coolness of the ice packs may alleviate the inflammation in your hip joints by helping the blood in those tissues circulate better.

The cold packs may help soothe the sore muscles and tendons around your snapping joints. These tissues generally become tender when the spaces between the hip joints fill up with too much fluid and press up against the tendons and muscles. You may have trouble moving your legs or walking because of the pressure. The cool temperatures of the ice packs may help break up the fluid so that it coats your swollen joints better.

Another way to ease the swelling in your hips and reduce pain at the same time is to keep your hip joints lubricated. A good way to do this is to stretch the hip joints.

What Type of Stretching Exercises Work for Tight Hips?

You can do hip raises at home to loosen up your tight hip joints. These exercises may release the tension in the tendons that move the joints, as well as help the fluids between the joints move more freely around them. Here's what you can do:

Get Your Supplies

Hip raises don't require any special equipment other than a comfortable yoga or Pilates mat to lie on. If you have lower back pain, you may place a rolled up bath towel under your lower back for support. This may prevent pressure or strain in this area as you do the hip raises. Now, you're ready to move to the next step.

Perform Your Hip Raises

• Lie flat on your back – you may wish to place the towel between your lower back and the mat at this time
• Place your arms at your side and keep your head and neck relaxed on the mat
• Pull your lower legs toward your buttocks until they form a 45° angle
• Tighten your abdominal muscles to support your back
• Lift your hips off mat and hold this position for 5-10 seconds and then slowly lower your hips to the mat
• Repeat the exercise 5-7 times more

You can do these exercises daily until you see the doctor. You should discontinue the exercises if you experience discomfort or pain anywhere in your body.

With the right home care tips and follow up care from an orthopedic specialist, you can find pain relief for your ailing hips. Be sure to consult with your doctor at a center like Town Center Orthopaedic Associates as soon as you can for treatment.