Why Does Your Hip Pop During Hip Flexor Exercises — And How to Fix It.

The most common cause, according to Dr. Aaron Horschig, is the iliopsoas hip flexor tendon snapping over a bony prominence in your pelvis whenever the hip moves. This is a mechanical event — the tendon catches and releases as the hip flexes and extends, producing an audible or felt pop.

One of Dr. Horschig's patients came to him with hip pain and this exact popping sensation every time he lowered the weight during a hip flexor exercise. He couldn't figure out why it was happening, which is what prompted Dr. Horschig to dig into the underlying mechanics of the hip.

No — if the popping isn't associated with pain or discomfort, it's usually not a big issue, according to Dr. Horschig. Plenty of hips snap or pop without any underlying dysfunction that needs correcting.

It only becomes worth addressing when the popping comes with pain, discomfort, or a sense that something isn't moving right. In those cases, Dr. Horschig notes there are things you can do about it, starting with figuring out what's driving the mechanical snap.

Dr. Horschig used a side plank with the top leg lifted, small squat, and pause to fix his patient's painful hip popping. The exercise retrains how the muscles surrounding the hip work together to control movement, specifically targeting a weak link in lateral hip stability.

1. Set up in a side plank position.
2. Lift the top leg.
3. Perform a small squat with the bottom leg and pause at the bottom.
4. Feel the downside lateral glutes working hard to keep the pelvis off the ground.
5. Return to the starting position and reset.

After training this movement, the patient had no more pain or popping during the hip flexor exercise that originally triggered his symptoms — a sign, in Dr. Horschig's words, that he was 'finally on the right track.'