Treatment is only required for painful snapping and usually non-operative management is successful
- non-operative modalities
- include rest, avoidance of movements that produce the snap, NSAIDs, steroid injection and physiotherapy
- physiotherapy involves stretching of the ITB for external type and for the internal type, hip flexor stretching and strengthening, pelvic and peripelvic mobilization and alignment exercises.
In the rare case where non-operative management is unsuccessful, surgical options include
- Z-plasty of the ITB, for external type
- for the internal type, release or lengthening the iliopsoas muscle is worthwhile
- intra-articular type snapping may require the removal of large loose bodies or excision of synovial chondromatosis.
Arthroscopy is used for the debridement of acetabular labral tears and removal of small loose bodies
- also been shown to be successful in the treatment of internal and external types of snapping, where iliopsoas tenotomy, release of the tensor fascia lata and trochanteric bursectomy can be performed