Hip clunking/clicking with leg raises#440

Hello,

I get uncomfortable clunking/clicking around my left hip when I try to do any leg raises. It even happens sometimes when i left my leg to put a sock on.
Is this due to muscle weakness? How can i stop it from happening?

Many thanks
Heather

Try isometric holds like the 6 inch hold. This will not only work the muscle but strengthen the weak connective tissue issue.

Hey there Heather :)

I’ve answered a similar question in the past so I’ll copy paste the answer here - back then they had asked about snapping/discomfort in the hip during knee raises so I feel there’s a very good chance it would apply here too

This could be a couple of things; it could be your IT band popping over the side of your femur, the sensation could come from your Iliopsoas, or it could have to do with the labrum of the hip joint, as well as the sacroiliac joint.

Commonly it has to do with either the Iliopsoas or the IT band, so I’ll tell you how you can potentially address those areas through a mix of stretching and strengthening :)

Stretches:
90/90 Stretch - to work on hip rotation in case that plays a factor too - in case it’s too easy, you can work on lifting the back knee while maintaining the position to strengthen the end range of motion
Hip Flexor stretch - focus on posterior pelvic tilt to keep the tension on the hip flexors rather than the lower back
TFL stretch
Glute max stretch (both the TFL and the glute max stretch are to address issues with the IT band)

Strengthening:
Knee raises (leg raises whence that becomes doable without discomfort) - specifically with a focus on keeping your lower back on the floor (as also described on the website) - but potentially starting with a single leg variant and focusing on the negative part of the motion (just the lowering of the leg while focusing on maintaining that torso position) to help ease into the motion in a way that doesn’t cause discomfort

In terms of how long to hold the stretches: aim for 2-3 sets of 30 seconds, about 5 times a week, it should not be painful - if it is, lessen the intensity

I hope that helps you out, keep in mind that it may take a couple of weeks to months for it to completely resolve, and that if the issue lies outside of those 2 mentioned points, this may not help and you might be best of being evaluated and helped by a physical therapist. Best of luck!