Progressive Resistance Training for Adults With External Snapping Hip (Snappy Hip)

August 28, 2026 updated by: Aarhus University Hospital

Snappy Hip Trial: A Randomized Crossover Trial Comparing the Clinical and Cost-effectiveness of Progressive Resistance Training Compared to Usual Care on Pain for Adults With External Snapping Hip

External snapping hip is characterised by an audible and painful snap during hip movement among physical active people around 15-40 years old. Progressive resistance training has been suggested as a new potential treatment path in treating patients with external snapping hip. The investigators conducted a feasibility study and found that patients reported less pain and improved their physical function, quality of life and muscle strength after 12 weeks of progressive resistance training. The overall aim of the project is to compare hip pain in patients with external snapping hip treated with progressive resistance training to a wait-and-see approach, in a randomised controlled trial. This study has the potential to establish a new and specific treatment option for patients with external snapping hip, to be used nationally and internationally.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This trial is an international multicentre randomised controlled trial, following the CONSORT guidelines. The intervention is a 12-week progressive resistance training programme, and the trial is designed with three follow-up time points. After the baseline test, the patients will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention or the control group using the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) source hosted at Aarhus University. For both groups, the first test will be the baseline test, conducted before the randomisation. The second test will be conducted 6 weeks after randomisation, the third test will be conducted 12 weeks after randomisation and the fourth and last test will be conducted 24 weeks after randomisation. The primary outcome will be the change from baseline to the third follow-up, and the trial will be powered based on this period. The lasting effect of the intervention will be evaluated from baseline to the fourth follow-up test for the intervention group.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Denmark
      • Aalborg, Denmark, 9000
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Aalborg Universitetshospital
        • Contact:
          • Jens Kristinsson
          • Phone Number: 004597660000
          • Email: hjk@rn.dk
      • Aarhus N, Denmark, 8200
        • Recruiting
        • Aarhus University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Lisa U Tønning, MHSc
      • Copenhagen, Denmark, 2400
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Bispebjerg og Frederiksberg Hospital
        • Contact:
      • Copenhagen, Denmark, 2100
      • Herning, Denmark, 7400
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Regionshospitalet Gødstrup
        • Contact:
          • Christina F Frandsen
          • Phone Number: 004578430000
          • Email: chrifroe@rm.dk
      • Hillerød, Denmark, 3400
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Nordsjællands Hospital - Hillerød
        • Contact:
      • Horsens, Denmark, 8700
        • Recruiting
        • Regionshospitalet Horsens
        • Contact:
      • Hvidovre, Denmark, 2650
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Hvidovre Hospital
        • Contact:
      • Køge, Denmark, 4600
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Sjællands Universitetshospital - Køge
        • Contact:
      • Næstved, Denmark, 4700
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Næstved, Slagelse og Ringsted Hospital
        • Contact:
      • Odense, Denmark, 5000
      • Randers, Denmark, 8930
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Regionshospitalet Randers
        • Contact:
          • Daniel Wæver
          • Phone Number: 004578420000
          • Email: DANWAE@rm.dk
      • Vejle, Denmark, 7100

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion criteria:

  • Age 18-40 years (10)
  • Experienced lateral hip joint "snapping" with pain discomfort within the last 14 days
  • Able to demonstrate the audible and/or visible lateral "snapping" during lateral hip joint movementor popping sound when the hip joint moves
  • Capable of commuting to the training facility
  • Proficient in reading and understanding Danish or English

Exclusion criteria:

  • Previous surgery on the affected hip
  • Planned surgery on lower extremities within the trial period
  • Anterior or medial hip discomfort that substantially exceeds the lateral hip discomfort
  • Any contraindication to exercise
  • Neurological, rheumatoid, or mental conditions affecting the hip function
  • Ongoing active cancer treatment
  • Planned vacation for more than 14 days within the intervention period
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Control group: Wait and see approach
The control group are randomized to 12 weeks of waiting time followed by 12 weeks of progressive resistance training.
Other: Progressive resistance training
The progressive resistance program consist of a five-minute aerobic warm-up on either an ergometer bike, treadmill or rowing machine followed by six resistance training exercises: landmine twist, walking lunges, leg press, hip abduction, hip adduction and hip flexion. All training sessions (three per week) will be supervised for the first two weeks. After that, there will be one weekly supervised training session and two self-directed sessions. The subjects will be scheduled for 36 training sessions over 12 weeks, of which 16 will be supervised. Each training session is designed based on the findings from the feasibility study and is expected to last approximately one hour. If a subject cannot perform all scheduled sessions in a week, additional sessions will be planned for the following week to obtain the 16 supervised sessions.
Other Names:
  • Exercise therapy
Behavioral: Waiting time
12 weeks of waiting time
Other Names:
  • Waitlist
  • Wait
Experimental: Intervention group: progressive resistance training
The intervention group are randomized to 12 weeks of progressive resistance training followed by 12 weeks of self guided exercise
Other: Progressive resistance training
The progressive resistance program consist of a five-minute aerobic warm-up on either an ergometer bike, treadmill or rowing machine followed by six resistance training exercises: landmine twist, walking lunges, leg press, hip abduction, hip adduction and hip flexion. All training sessions (three per week) will be supervised for the first two weeks. After that, there will be one weekly supervised training session and two self-directed sessions. The subjects will be scheduled for 36 training sessions over 12 weeks, of which 16 will be supervised. Each training session is designed based on the findings from the feasibility study and is expected to last approximately one hour. If a subject cannot perform all scheduled sessions in a week, additional sessions will be planned for the following week to obtain the 16 supervised sessions.
Other Names:
  • Exercise therapy
Behavioral: Self guided exercise
12 weeks of self guided exercise
Other Names:
  • Wait
  • Self training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
HAGOS Pain
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 24
The HAGOS is a patient-reported questionnaire consisting of six different subscales. The pain subscale consists of 10 questions, which are all answered using standardised answer options following a 0-4-point Likert Scale. The scores are transformed into a subscale score ranging from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). A minimal clinically relevant difference of the HAGOS pain subscale has been reported to be 9.7 points among a group of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement.
Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 24

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
UCLA-AS
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The patient-reported questionnaire: the University of California Los Angeles Activity Scale. There is only one question with 10 answers, ranging from 1 (worst) to 10 (best).
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
GPE
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The patient-reported questionnaire: the Global Perceived Effect, where the participant answers four questions about the effect of the treatment received. Each question has 7 possible answers, ranging from 1 (best) to 7 (worst).
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
Single leg hop test
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The objective measures include the single-leg hop for a distance test to test hip function. The hop distance is measured in cm.
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
30 second unilateral sit-to-stand test
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The unilateral 30 second Sit to Stand test (unilateral 30STS) is a clinical test of lower extremity function. The unilateral 30STS tests how many correct repetitions of a sit to stand from a chair, a participant can complete in 30 seconds.
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
Number of training sessions the participant participated in
Time Frame: Throughout the study, summed in week 24
Adherence to the exercise protocol will be evaluated based on information from the physiotherapists and a self-reported training diary. Good adherence will be defined as participation in more than ≥70% of all training sessions (both supervised and self-training).
Throughout the study, summed in week 24
Adverse events
Time Frame: Throughout the study, summed in week 24
The physiotherapist will record any adverse events occurring during the study period.
Throughout the study, summed in week 24
HAGOS
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 24
The remaining five subscales of HAGOS: symptoms, function in daily living (ADL), function in sport and recreation (Sports/Rec), participation in physical activities (PA) and hip and/or groin-related quality of life (QOL). The scores are transformed into a subscale score ranging from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).
Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 24

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
EQ-5D-5L
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The patient-reported questionnaire: the European Quality of life 5 Dimensions with 5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) where the participant answers six questions in relation to health-related quality of life
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
iPCQ
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The patient-reported questionnaire: the Productivity Costs Questionnaire, where information on productivity is collected .
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
HUQ
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
Health Utilisation Questionnaire (HUQ) where information on healthcare and medicine is collected.
Baseline, week 12 and week 24
Usage of analgesics due to hip-related pain
Time Frame: Baseline, week 12 and week 24
The participants will be asked if they take any analgesics due to hip-related pain. If yes, they will be further asked what type of medicine (Paracetamol/NSAID/Morfin/Other) and how often (Never/Monthly/Weekly/Daily).
Baseline, week 12 and week 24

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Aarhus University Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Aarhus

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Stig S Jakobsen, PhD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, DK
  • Principal Investigator: Lisa U Tønning, MHSc, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, DK
  • Study Director: Inger Mechlenburg, DMSc, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, DK
  • Study Director: Ulrik Dalgas, PhD, Department of Public Health, Sports, Aarhus University, DK
  • Study Director: Troels Kjeldsen, PhD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, DK
  • Study Director: Cara Lewis, PhD, Department of Physical Therapy, Boston University, Boston, US
  • Study Director: Martin Lamm, MSc, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, DK
  • Study Director: Joanne L Kemp, PhD, La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 4, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 11, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 28, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Snappy Hip Tirial
  • 4308-00012B (Other Grant/Funding Number: Independent Research Fund Denmark)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Anonymized patient-level data will be made available if required by the scientific journal, in which the results of the trial are published. Additionally, researchers presenting a justified cause for receiving the data can obtain it after a data access agreement has been signed.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be available after publication of the trial upon reasonably request.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Applications for data access will be reviewed by the author group. The applicant will be required to sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings