A Physiotherapist’s Take: How Hip Foundations Help a Clicking Hip

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Have you ever been doing an exercise, taken a step, or heard that familiar click in your hip – only to wonder, “Should I be worried about this?” You’re not alone. Many Canadians experience hip clicking or popping during everyday movements like walking, squatting, or climbing stairs. 

According to a Canadian consensus statement from the Arthroscopy Association of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Sport & Exercise Medicine, issues like labral irritation and hip joint mechanics are common findings in patients reporting hip symptoms like clicking.

But here’s the encouraging part that click doesn’t have to be permanent. At Vital Performance Care in Calgary, we use a combination of either Physiotherapy, Hip Foundations, or both to help you understand why your hip is clicking and what you can do to fix it. Through targeted exercises, mobility work, and training for better symmetry, you can restore smooth, pain-free hip movement and finally stop wondering what’s going on with your body.

Why Does My Hip Click or Pop?

Hip clicking happens when tissues around your hip joint move or glide in ways that create an audible sound. Sometimes it’s harmless; other times, it signals irritation or changes in how your hip is functioning. Understanding what causes that “click” can help you decide when it’s time to seek hip physiotherapy in Calgary.

Hip Joint Structure and Movement

Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint built for strength and motion. Because so many structures cross the joint, several of them can produce clicking when they’re tight, irritated, or not moving properly.

Key structures that commonly contribute to hip clicking include:

• Labrum: The cartilage ring that deepens and stabilizes the socket. Irritation or small tears can create catching or clicking.
• Muscles: Your glutes, hip flexors, and deep stabilizers guide hip movement. Imbalances between these groups often change how the hip tracks.
• Tendons: The iliopsoas tendon (front) and IT band (outside) can snap over bony edges when tight or when your bone has an elevated surface that it catches on.
• Bursae: Small sacs that reduce friction; when inflamed, they can increase clicking sensations.

When these tissues stop gliding smoothly, even simple movements like standing up or lifting your leg can produce a click.

Types of Hip Clicking and Snapping

Snapping hip syndrome includes several patterns of clicking based on where the sound comes from:

External snapping:
Occurs on the outside of the hip when the IT band or gluteus maximus slides over the greater trochanter. You may notice this during walking, running, or side-leg movements.

Internal snapping:
Happens at the front of the hip when the iliopsoas tendon snaps over internal bone structures. This is common when moving from sitting to standing or lifting your leg.

Intra-articular snapping:
Originates inside the joint and may be related to labral tears, cartilage changes, or joint irritation. This type is more likely to cause pain or a “catching” feeling.

Most snapping is painless, but when it isn’t, the underlying issue usually needs attention.

Common Causes of Hip Clicking

Hip clicking often comes down to how well your muscles and tendons are supporting the joint.

Sitting for long periods tightens the hip flexors, while weakened glutes stop stabilizing your pelvis and hip joint properly. When this imbalance develops, the hip joint loses its smooth, efficient movement pattern. This can result in compression in one area (ie, the front of the hip around the hip flexors), while there is a lack of tightness or pull in another area (ie, the glute). 

Other common contributors include:

• Tight iliopsoas or IT band, causing tendons to jump over bony structures
• Bursitis, which increases friction and irritation
• Previous injuries, where scar tissue affects how tissues glide
• Overuse from running or sports, which overloads the hip stabilizers

When your hip isn’t moving efficiently, clicking becomes much more likely.

Warning Signs and When to Seek Help

Most clicking is harmless, but it’s important to recognize red flags that indicate you should see a physiotherapist in Calgary:

• Clicking that comes with pain or swelling
• A sharp catching sensation, especially inside the joint
• Clicking is becoming more frequent or louder
• Reduced range of motion or stiffness
• No improvement after 2-4 weeks of stretching or rest
• Sudden clicking with pain after an injury

If you notice any of these symptoms, a professional assessment can help identify the root cause and prevent long-term issues like labral damage or chronic hip instability.

Physiotherapy and Hip Foundations Training for Hip Clicking

When your hip keeps clicking, the most effective solution is identifying why it’s happening. Physiotherapy and our Hip Foundations Program can target the underlying causes of muscle imbalances, mobility restrictions, and alignment issues – so your hip moves smoothly and stays stable long-term.

Assessment by a Physiotherapist

A proper assessment is a great first step toward stopping hip clicking or figuring out if it’s an issue that needs tackling. Your physiotherapist looks at how your entire body moves, not just the hip itself, because clicking often comes from movement patterns rather than one isolated structure.

During your assessment, your physiotherapist may:

• Observe how you walk, squat, and stand
• Test hip flexibility and mobility in multiple directions
• Check glute and core strength
• Assess posture and pelvic alignment
• Evaluate joint stability and balance

If needed, they’ll perform special tests to determine whether your clicking is related to a labral issue, hip flexor irritation, or tendon snapping. They’ll also ask about your daily activities, sports, or gym routines to identify the movements most likely triggering your hip popping.

Select physiotherapists on our team are also certified to refer you for imaging if they feel it is needed and if treatment and exercise are not improving your condition. All of our chiropractors can refer for imaging if needed, and ours are unique as there is a lot of overlap between how they treat and how our physiotherapists treat!

Manual Therapy and Chiropractic

Manual therapy helps reduce tension, restore mobility, and prepare your hip for strengthening. Your physiotherapist uses hands-on techniques to release tight muscles, improve joint glide, and reduce mechanical irritation that leads to clicking.

Common techniques include:

• Soft tissue release for tight hip flexors or IT band
• Joint mobilization to improve the range of motion
• Trigger point release for deep muscle tension
• Guided stretching for shortened or stiff muscles

Chiropractic adjustments may also be used to improve pelvic and spinal alignment. When your pelvis is positioned correctly, your hip moves more efficiently – reducing friction and snapping sensations.

Manual therapy creates the foundation for strengthening work by allowing your hip to move the way it’s supposed to.

Targeted Strengthening and Mobility Exercises

Hip clicking often happens because certain muscles – especially the glutes – aren’t doing their job well enough. Physiotherapy focuses on strengthening these muscles so your hip joint stays supported and stable.

Helpful strengthening exercises may include:

• Clamshells or Scissor Slides to build hip stability
• Glute bridges or Hip Thrusts for glute activation
• Side-lying leg lifts or Side Planks for hip abductors
• Single-leg balance work to improve control

Mobility is equally important. Tight hip flexors and restricted joint motion can pull your hip out of alignment, making clicking more frequent. Your physiotherapist will guide you through safe mobility exercises that restore smooth movement and reduce friction.

You’ll learn proper technique for each exercise – because doing them incorrectly can make the clicking worse instead of better. Progression is gradual, allowing your muscles time to adapt.

Preventing Recurrence Through Hip Foundation Training

Our Hip Foundations Training Program can help the clicking from coming back. This long-term approach focuses on consistent strengthening, alignment, and movement retraining.

Key elements include:

• Glute activation
• Posture and pelvic awareness
• Correct movement patterns during daily tasks
• Regular mobility work to prevent tightness
• Working through rotational ranges and not just flexion and extension like a robot

Your physiotherapist will build a program you can follow at home, emphasizing consistency over intensity. Simple adjustments – like improving how you sit, climb stairs, or squat – can dramatically reduce stress on the hip joint.

Ongoing check-ins ensure your program keeps progressing with your strength, mobility, and goals. Over time, hip foundation training gives you a stable, well-aligned hip that moves quietly and comfortably.

Get Your Hip Moving Smoothly Again

Hip clicking may seem harmless, but it often signals muscle imbalances or movement patterns your body can’t correct on its own. With proper assessment, hands-on treatment, and hip foundation training, you can restore smooth, quiet, confident movement – and prevent the clicking from coming back.

If your hip keeps popping or clicking, don’t wait for it to get worse. Book an appointment at Vital Performance Care in Calgary and get personalized hip physiotherapy that targets the root cause and gets you moving comfortably again.