Trigger hip syndrome
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It is essential to have an orthopedic doctor specializing in hip to treat syndromes such as spring hip. Dr. Jose Felix Castillo is an orthopedic surgeon with years of experience helping patients improve.
What is Trigger Hip Syndrome?
A spring hip is the condition of this joint that presents with a characteristic symptom, a clicking or jumping that accompanies the movement, this is because the tendon has the need to jump a bone piece that protrudes from the regular level of the hip.
This jump of the tensor muscle occurs when moving the hip, in some cases it is not painful, however, in the long term it can cause wear and tear on the tendon.
Trigger hip can occur more often in athletes who frequently employ hip-separating movements such as hurdles jumping and/or dancing. Although, during everyday life it is not exempt.
Symptoms of Hip Spring
As we mentioned before, the hip in spring has a characteristic symptom, a clicking sound that occurs just when making specific movements.
This clicking, which can be both involuntary and, in other cases, reproducible, is the general reason why patients go to a consultation with the orthopedic doctor. Noticing the constant friction, they are convinced to go for a check-up.
In other cases, the snapping is accompanied by lateral pain since the constant jump of the tendon produces inflammation producing a condition called trochanteritis.
We encourage you to go with a professional check-up if you feel that you maintain a frequent clicking sound in your joint when performing any activity in your daily routine. Ideally, the condition should be treated before tendon damage or a more painful situation occurs.
Causes of Hip Spring
There are several situations that can lead the patient to suffer from a trigger hip, here we tell you about them.
Biomechanical alterations: They can occur due to traumatic injuries or congenital conditions that create an irregular anatomy that develops a bone unevenness that causes the tendon to jump. This alteration, added to the repetitive and extreme movements to which the joints of athletes are subjected, can be the cause of the syndrome.
Changes in bone structure: For example, a hip anteversion, i.e. the tilt of the hip forward, causes muscle tension to increase and the snapping occurs.
Free bodies inside the hip: It is the least common cause, it can occur after a labral rupture. It is considered the most serious cause as it can develop in hip osteoarthritis.
Whatever the cause of the hip in spring must be addressed by a specialist orthopedic doctor, since with a specialized diagnostic process the best treatment to heal the joint as soon as possible will be defined.
You can trust Dr. Jose Felix Castillo to fix a hip spring in Panama
Diagnostic Process for Spring Hip
To verify suspicions about a patient’s triggering hip, the orthopedic doctor will rely on a physical review of the joint’s condition. After knowing the summary of the symptoms by the patient, the doctor will apply a series of techniques that seek to reproduce the tendon jump or snap.
The physical examination begins with a palpation of the affected joint, for this the patient lies on the side of the healthy hip, at this point signs of pain are sought. Subsequently, with the patient in the same position, the doctor requests the flexion and extension movement of the hip, if the protrusion is felt or heard, then the diagnosis of affection on the fascia lata is checked.
On the other hand, in the case of an internal spring hip, which affects the iliopsoas muscles, the examination is different. The patient lies on their back with the hip flexed with external rotation, then the extension movement that should produce the snap is proposed.
An X-ray in this type of condition is not necessary, they can be requested when the doctor requires to rule out other conditions in the joint that may generate similar symptoms.
Treatments for Hip Spring
The ideal treatment for spring hip syndrome should be indicated by an orthopedic doctor who knows the patient’s particular case and can identify the most effective solution.
With this in mind, we can tell you about the treatment options available to heal the hip in spring or coxa saltans.
Recommendation of physiotherapeutic exercises:
Specific exercises can be used to stretch and strengthen the affected tensor muscle in order to avoid long-term injury. Even if there is no discomfort with this syndrome, it is important to improve it to avoid wear and tear on the joint.
Change in exercise routine:
It is likely that, temporarily, it will be recommended to change physical activity for a lower impact activity in order to avoid overexertion on the tendon, this in order to create a strengthened muscle prepared to prevent the progression of the syndrome.
Surgery:
If the hip syndrome in spring becomes chronic, that is, it does not improve with any of the previous techniques, a surgical treatment should be applied to help solve the jump and avoid damage to the tendon.
By means of a hip arthroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure, the tendon can be lengthened with the help of specific cuts and in this way try to heal the condition.
Is a trigger hip dangerous if left untreated?
Yes, even if you do not suffer from any type of pain in the hip, the tendon can wear down, causing a degeneration in the function of the joint in the long term. In other cases, this overstretching of the tendon can affect the bursa of the hip and generate a painful inflammation called trochanteritis.
Count on the support of Dr. José Felix Castillo, an orthopedic doctor specializing in hip and knee, to help you solve your condition as quickly as possible.
