Case report: imaging and surgical treatment of a snapping hip due to ischiofemoral impingement

An association between hip pain and quadratus femoris MRI abnormality with concurrent narrowing of the ischiofemoral space has been reported in a number of patients to date, raising the possibility that the muscular damage observed is due to ischiofemoral impingement [1]. Possible impingement has been noted primarily in middle-aged females either with or without a history of trauma or surgery, and associated snapping of the hip is a rarely described feature [1-3]. We report here on a 17-year-old girl who presented with post-traumatic hip pain; she later developed evidence of ischiofemoral narrowing and quadratus femoris edema on MRI in addition to an audible snapping. Surgical resection of the lesser trochanter was performed, relieving both her hip pain and the snapping. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of non-iatrogenic ischiofemoral impingement with surgical confirmation. The diagnosis of ischiofemoral impingement should be considered in patients complaining of a snapping hip.