Chiropractor Active Release Technique: Snapping hip Syndrome

Your friendly Chiropractor in Chandler AZ, Dr. Dan Rae, is back at the computer this morning trying to fit this article in prior to seeing patients today.  In keeping with the hip theme I am going to review a condition called Snapping Hip Syndrome.  A question that I get asked several times each day is why is my hip popping or snapping.  Well, today you will find out one of the main reasons for this.

In the images above by MendMeShop, we are able to see the structures involved in Snapping Hip Syndrome as well as a little bit of how it happens.  Snapping at the hip is most often due to tendons that are tight and snap over a bony prominence or or a fluid-filled sack called bursa.  In some cases, moving the leg away from the body may cause a suction effect similar to joint gapping with manipulation, and even less frequently, a loose body may be found in the joint.  However, with loose bodies, there are also signs of mechanical movement blockage.

These patients are generally in my office for something else when they ask about there hip snapping because it does not generally cause them pain.  The location of the snapping is a good indication of the offending tendon.

Usually this is not a problem, and it is typically position dependent.  If painful or irritating strengthening exercises have proven to be more beneficial than stretching.  However, if the irritation persists stretching can be implemented as well as soft-tissue therapies such as Active Release Technique (ART) and Graston Technique.

chiroprator active release technique: Hamstring Strain

Your friendly Chiropractor in Chandler AZ, Dr. Dan Rae, is back at the computer as we are starting to warm up outside to talk about Hamstring Strains as runners start to get back out on the roads and so forth.  This is a condition that I see a lot in the spring months as people begin to become more active to try and get those beach bodies

In the image above by MendMeShop, we are able to to clearly see a Hamstring Strain of the biceps femoris muscle.  This condition call also occur in the semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles.  The reason this injury occurs is from an overcontraction of the hamstring while it is in a position of being stretched.  Tearing occurs most often at the junction of the muscles and aponeurosis (A sheet of pearly-white fibrous tissue that takes the place of a tendon in sheetlike muscles having a wide area of attachment). An Avulsion Fracture (An avulsion fracture is a bone fracture, which occurs when a fragment of bone tears away from the main mass of bone as a result of physical trauma) is possible at the ischial tuberosity (sit bone) in younger athletes whose growth plates haven’t closed yet.

These patients are usually what we would call “weekend warriors” all the way to the serious athlete who feels a sudden pull or pop at the back of the thigh following some sort of forceful knee extension maneuver.

Treatment for this condition consists of rest, ice, use of crutches for several days, gentle stretching as soon as possible as well as soft-tissue treatments such as Active Release Technique (ART) and Graston Technique, and a long-term goal of restrengthening beginning when 75% of the normal range of motion is available.  Kinesiology Tape can be applied to decrease the amount of tension being placed on the hamstring.  Prevention of future injury should focus on preevent stretching, maintaining a proper strength ratio between the hamstrings and the quadriceps (0.6:1), and strength balance between the two hamstrings.