Hip popped

my right hip has been tight lately. i would say for approx 2 months plus at this point. this does not necessarily concern me too much but on two occasions while driving in my car my hip has
"popped". it instantly relieves a large amount of pressure but it does not do much else. that pressure only occurs right before the hip pops. that pressure only occurs when my right leg swings to the right also. (whether that is just while sitting w/my leg opened wide or moving it during some activity)
-i did have my acl in my left knee replaced and both bones in my lower leg broken with screws put in them approx 3 years ago. it has taken awhile to get the left leg up to par. i was wondering if anybody may have any suggestions on this as far as seeing a chiro or doctor, or even some basic exercises that may be appropriate to work on if it is an alignment issue.
-and i have been a rugby player for years and army infantryman a few years ago so i was already out of alignment before the knee surgery. at least according to one chiro.
*thanks for any input

[Roger Harrell]

Occasionally my hips pop (though actually come to think about it it's been quite some time). It's a pretty loud, but muffled pop. Doesn't hurt, and I've never had any hip problems or pain whatsoever. This may or may not relate to your specific situation, but in general if popping isn't painful, it's nothing to worry about.

[Brian McCarrie]

I have a simular problem/issue. Over the past year I have developed some pain in my hip when I run. Recently it got so bad that I finally went to the doctor about it. I had an Xray and an MRI. Both came back negative. So I went to physcial therapy about it. I described the same hip pop that you're talking about to the therapist. They said that the pop was probably a tight tendon or ligament sliding across my hip and back into place. They pretty much said it's no big deal.

Other things they recommended for me. Stretching, mobility and strengthening.

Stretching: Yoga is great. Samson stretch. IT band stretch.

Hip Mobility: Again, yoga, tai chi, or hacky sack really works the hip.

Stengthening: Squats make my hip feel better.

I'm not a trainer or physical therapist so take all of this for what it's worth. Hope it helps.

thanks for the comments roger and brian.
the tight tendon or ligament sliding across the hip and back into place sounds about right. i probably should work the stretching a bit more.
i would also agree that squats (or any big lifts) have been fine, no pain at all.

[James Hall]

Good pop, bad pop? If it's a bad pop, see your doc. My left hip pops occasionally and gives great relief. I don't stretch/strengthen any more than what's in the w/o, and I don't worry about it, any more than my left elbow popping frequently. BTW, I am a PT and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

[David Besachio]

Sounds like "snapping hip". Very common . . . can't rule out something more sinister like a labral tear w/o an exam/imaging. Paste in the thread below for more info. When I've had this happen it's usually my psoas insertion and not my ITB.

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_r...opcategory=Hip

snapping hip-yes. bursitis of the hip, definitely not. thanks for the link david, very informative.

[Craig Van De Walker]

Sometimes my hips will pop. They get a tight feeling and I will move them out to the side while bent, sometimes one or both will pop, a solid deep sound that actually makes my mouth water (have no idea why) then tight feeling goes away and does not come back for some times months. Don't much worry about it has happened for about 25yrs.

[David Besachio]

No prob.