hip cracking from training?

muaythaiposer · Yellow Belt

couple of questioins:

1) what really happens with the joint when you crack it

2) what sort of complications does that leave in terms of joint probs later on (voluntary cracking)

3) my hip never used to crack until i trained. it would crack when i do roundhouses, and eventually it would just feel better to crack it before training (fluid pressure build up? feels like that). and it's actually the leg i'm standing on that cracks when i do a kick. now that i'm not training, i can be watching tv and from sitting position, adduct my leg, and slightly anteriorly tilt my pelvis and get a crack.

i don't think i have a bone spur, because it's not clicking. any ways to help me stop cracking and now i'm talking about my hands and toes, because that's a habit i've been doing for ~10 years.

i've tried looking at old posts to see if there has been any thoughts, but i got tired after page 5
greatly appreciate the feedback.

ckdstudent · Green Belt

Anything cracking is bad, although I crack my knuckles myself and am trying to force myself to stop. Essentially what happens (as I understand) is that you damage the seal around the joint, allowing fluid to leak in/out. Slowly this damages the joint, and is a very common cause of arthritis in joints.

How exactly do you do roundhouses, because all I can think of is that somehow you're pulling at the joint. If you stop cracking for around ten months generally you'll find your joints actually won't crack anymore.

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rabid hamster · Purple Belt

Ooh hey I heard this happens to A LOT of martial artist. I forgot who, but this person went to a massage therapist, and the massage therapist heard her hips crack as she was massaging her, so he/she did something and after that, that person's hips didn't crack. So maybe you should go see a massage therapist.. I really don't remember where I read it though, i'll try to find it.

KickChick · Black Belt

Check out this thread http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=1657&forum=19&14
For (martial artists) it is quite common to have some sort of "cracking" either tendon or ligament related of the hip.

The snapping sensation results from the movement of a muscle or tendon (the tough, fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone) over a bony structure. In the hip, the most common site is at the outer side where a band of connective tissue (the iliotibial band) passes over the broad, flat portion of the thighbone known as the greater trochanter (tro-KAN-ter).

When the hip is straight, the band is behind the trochanter. When the hip bends, the band moves over the trochanter so that it is in front of it. The band is always tight, like a stretched rubber band. Because the trochanter juts out slightly, the movement of the band across it creates the snap you hear. Eventually, this could lead to hip bursitis. Bursitis is thickening and inflammation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac that allows the muscle to move smoothly over bone.

Another tendon that could cause a snapping hip runs from the inside of the thighbone up through the pelvis. As you bend the hip, the tendon shifts across the head of the thighbone; when you straighten the hip, the tendon moves back to the side of the thighbone. This back-and-forth motion across the head of the thighbone causes the snapping.

Snapping hip is usually painless and harmless, although the sensation can be annoying. But....

A tear in the cartilage or some bone debris in the hip joint can also cause a snapping or clicking sensation. This type of snapping hip usually causes pain and may be disabling. A loose piece of cartilage can cause the hip to catch or lock up.

Most people don’t bother seeing a doctor unless they’re feeling some pain. The doctor will first want to determine the exact cause of the snapping. Try the glucosamine supplement ... it has alleviated some of the "snapping" for some of us here. (see the post above) also:

If your snapping hip is painless, no treatment is needed.

If it bothers you, reduce your activity levels and apply ice.

Stretching exercises prescribed by your physician or a physical therapist can help.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, may reduce discomfort.

If you’ve developed hip bursitis, your physician may recommend an injection of a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation.

Modify your sport or exercise activities to avoid repetitive movement of the hip. For martial arts this may be impossible!

In the very rare cases that do not respond to conservative treatment, surgery may be recommended. The type of surgery will depend on the cause of the snapping hip.
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[ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2002-05-29 09:32 ]

muaythaiposer · Yellow Belt

thanks for the input guys and girls. kickchick, it's not on the greater trochanter because at times i've felt like i've had a weird IT band; feels like the acetabulum socket. it's not a clikcing, and i know what that's like (my knees click, and i know the complications of that). there isn't any pain, but it's just that i can do it so effortlessly (and unconsciously) like what i do to my knuckles, that i'm worried for long term effects (hip replacement is expensive!). i don't think it's tendon or ligament because the crack if very similar to that of my knucles, and it doesn't feel like an adductor tendon flipping out on me.

as for how i do my roundhouses, ckdstudent, gosh, i hope i do them properly like everyone else! sure looks and feels right. it's at the pivot point on the standing leg durign a roundhouse that i guess creates the jerk in the synovial capsule, displacing it and making the sound.?

now in terms of trying GS, i dont' know if it'll do anyhting, because i'm not feeling anypain, but what i want to stop is this unconscious cracking (too many times during the day...i've lost count when i cracck)

any other suggestions?

monkeygirl · KF VIP

I had some problems with my hips because I'm very flexible. I went to a phsyical therapist and she told me that my hips were "subluxing", or popping out of joint and then right back in. I was basically dislocating my hips, and it hurt pretty bad. I'm pretty loose-jointed all around. She told me that when you crack your knuckles you're popping them back into joint, so it's actually a good thing. The bad time is when you force them to pop.

Also, I find that whenever I do a sidekick, if I'm in a quiet room, I can hear my hip make this loud "thud". It's kinda creepy.
Anyway, that's all I know.

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