Hip muscle strength and static balance in patients with snapping hip syndrome - a pilot study

Introduction
Snapping hip syndrome (SHS) occurs in 5-10% of the global population. A back and forth skip of the tendon of the dysfunctional muscle across the osseous prominence is the most common symptom of this condition. Mainly young generation suffers from SHS. Depending on the structures that cause an audible snap, snapping hip syndrome may be classified into intra-articular and extra-articular types. The main aim of the research was to assess the strength of the major hip muscles and static balance in patients with snapping hip syndrome.

Material and methods
The research was carried out on 10 untrained females and 10 untrained males with extra-articular snapping hip syndrome. An average age was approximately 25 years. The research was conducted with the use of interview questionnaire, clinical examination, balance assessment on the JBA Staniak 4P dynamometric platform and measurements of the hip muscle strength on the JBA Staniak SPB2 set.

Results
Patients with SHS manifested an increased tension in iliotibial band, while significant weakening of internal and external rotator muscle strength was noted in women and significant weakening of external rotator muscle strength was observed in men. No correlations between hip muscles strength and stabilographic test results in patients with snapping hip syndrome were found.

Conclusions
Individuals with SHS and healthy persons demonstrate similar balance levels. The treatment of snapping hip syndrome should include: 1) restoring internal rotator muscle strength in women, 2) restoring external rotator muscle strength both in women and in men, as well as 3) restoring iliotibial band flexibility.