First IT band issues, and now my hip pops, what gives???

[RC @ HSP]

The snapping/popping could be the proximal end of the ITB slipping over the grater trochanter of the femur (bony part on the outside of your thigh). While that isn't always painful initially, it WILL increase risk of a repetitive stress injury. So it should be address. Now, tightness and adhesions may be contributing. Without a complete physical evaluation, this is all speculation. So stretching and use of a foam roller would be encouraged. Try performbetter.com for a good foam roller. Also, hip and ankle stability play an important roll, as well. Internal rotation of your femur will slide the Trochanter back and forth under the ITB as you exercise. So hip strength, specifically ER rotators (glute medius, minimus, etc), is very important. Other contributing factors could be pronation of your feet, or pelvic instability. Who to see? There could be many qualified experts. I wouldn't say to only see a MD, DO, or PT. I would recommend doing a search for a local expert with good feedback from prior clients to do an eval. Likely this is an issue of biomechanics, muscle balance, and flexibility. So looking for a DO or PT might be the first place to look, but there are some good MDs and ever personal trainers that can address these things. Or if you have the resources, look nationally for an expert in the field.

Best of luck,

RC

[Zen]

I bought my foam rollers from my Phys.therapist but mainly use them for my quads, hams, and back.
You probably don't need that much pt for the tight hip flexors, just enough for them to show you the right way to do those stretches. Three appointments should be more than adequate.