“Snapping hip syndrome”

Some of you may experience a “cracking” sensation in your hips when you laugh in the gym, usually when doing Sidekicks or One Leg Circles. 

First and foremost, you should know that there is nothing dangerous or wrong happening. Snapping hip is a condition that can last a lifetime without ever causing problems. 

However, if you feel pain during training, you should let your instructor know so that we can start a targeted programme.

What actually happens is that a structure in the hip joint, a muscle or tendon that is a little tight, “slips” over the bone when the joint is moved in larger, often circular movements... There are many different theories about why and how this happens and exactly which muscles and tendons are involved. But it's actually not that important which structure is involved. The main cause is almost always an imbalance across the pelvis that causes one hip to be slightly tighter than the other.

The treatment is: movement, and especially what you do in Pilates classes. Exercise builds strength, mobility, stability and balance, and it is likely that the syndrome will become less pronounced with regular exercise. 

If you find your snapping hip syndrome annoying and want to work on it specifically, you can book a private lesson and talk to the instructor about a possible targeted programme, but otherwise just know that it's not a serious problem, it's just a condition, an imbalance that can be improved with the right training.