Hip popping during hanging leg lift

[Jacob Primeaux]

During the Half tuck hanging leg lift, I have some crunchiness and popping around my right hip. Typically as I lower my legs toward the ground, somewhere between 90-120 degrees, there will be a non-painful popping or clicking preceded by a very slight pulling sensation. This isn't 100% though; in my most recent workout the popping occurred at the bottom of the movement as I began to lift my legs. This is not causing me any pain, but there is a little discomfort and obviously it is distracting and disconcerting. I have not been able to figure out exactly where it is occurring as I have not successfully reproduced the same pop during any other movements and it is hard to feel exactly where it is. It feels mostly as though it is in my front hip flexors, but I can subtly feel it all the way up into my right midback.

 

Any ideas and/or suggestions for addressing this would be greatly appreciated.

[Tristan Curtis]

I had the same thing on my outer-rear hips for about 6 months, with any moment that opened my hips. I found increasing my hip internal rotation mobility stopped this from happening.

 

In your case, maybe a bent-leg hamstring stretch would open up your hip flexors and illiopsoas, and stop the hip from popping.

[Keilani Gutierrez]

same here. hip popping is mad annoying. 

 

I can't really isolate what exactly has been helping or not helping with it because it will leave and come back every so often, so lately i've been toying with the idea that maybe it's also caused by movement mechanics(like facilitating a posterior of the femur in the socket + engaging my glutes seem to keep it in check, but since im not a professional, i wouldn't endorse that idea and only share it as speculation more than anything. 

 

what does your mobility currently look like? 

 

I'm rocking some Thriller grade mobility in some areas, so i feel your pain! 

[Jacob Primeaux]

My hamstring mobility is a bit questionable. I can easily bend my legs and bring my knees to my chest, but straight leg flexibility is awful. Also my hip flexors cramp hard anytime I'm trying to open up into a straddle. I've had some success fixing some ongoing shoulder problems by slowing down my progression. In particular, side lever pe1 was always hard for me, so I started working more on it and it is helping me find my scapula which is helping me keep my shoulders in place, which has been an issue; so I do have some hope that by just taking my time through all the progressions this hip thing will go away too.

[Jake Lawrance]

Hmm, I once had this. 

 

Are you using posterior pelvic tilt before lifting your legs? That seemed to help me an awful lot and made the exercises much more effective.

 

Also, with bringing your knees into your chest, can you do it without your butt 'tucking' tightly underneath? If your butt tucks underneath a lot, it may be a lack of hamstring and adductor flexibility <-- I believe adductor flexibility plays some role in limiting pike flexibility, which could also prevent that sweet posterior pelvic tilt. 

 

A video of you performing these leg lifts would help a good bit. Some of us might be able to correct it. 

 

[Jake Lawrance]

Second thoughts.. What you described sounds like snapping hip syndrome, really easily fixed from what I've come across.

 

It's just the case of the IT band and glutes being too tight and roll over the trochanter causing a snap or pop sensation when the femur flexes at the the hip. 

 

SImple glute stretches, IT rolling and some glute activation work might fix it. <-- As with any advice, don't take my word for it, I'm no professional. 

[Afiya Zia]

Stretch the hip flexors. I only alleviated this problem by stretching my hip flexors, and it has returned ever since I stopped...