Have you been experiencing pain or tightness in your hip flexors? By now, you’re probably tired of the pain and would do anything to rid the tightness. Pain in the hip flexors can cause extreme discomfort and ultimately becomes a nuisance in your everyday life. This is where a foam roller comes in handy. Using foam rollers for hip pain will help alleviate the pain and have you feeling better in no time.
What Causes Hip Pain?
Sitting at a desk, sleeping or even driving can often cause hip pain. Sitting or lying down for too long is unnatural for our hip flexors and causes them to become inflexible, which results in pain. The hip flexors are made up of a group of muscles that help lift your knees and move your waist. Since your knees are bent while you sit, this forces your hip flexors to become shortened and flexed. If you walk somewhere in a hurry or perform any form of exercise, your hip flexors will become suddenly stretched and this may cause strain or pain in your hips.
The good news about hip flexor pain is that it’s almost always completely preventable! The root cause of the pain you are experiencing in your hips may be the lack of strength in your hip flexors. Since there is so much stress being placed upon our hip flexors throughout the day, we must take good care of them and keep them in tip-top shape. If you work a desk job where you are sitting for long periods of time throughout the day, this can negatively affect the strength and flexibility in our hip flexors. The best way to avoid this is to take small breaks from your desk. If you can, walk around for a bit every hour to make sure your hip flexors aren’t staying in the seated and shortened position all day long.
Foam Roller Hip Exercises 
- Place your right hip flexor onto the foam roller.
- Find the tightest spot in your hip and roll slowly back and forth. Your right forearm should be resting in front of you while your weight stays supported by your toes.
- Make sure you refrain from resting your knee on the ground to avoid knee pain.
- If you have a second foam roller, you may place it under your right knee to keep it from lying on the ground.
- Repeat this exercise on your left side.
- Sit on the ground with your knees towards the ceiling and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your foam roller on the ground directly under your knees.
- Now, lay down while keeping your feet flat on the ground and knees pointed straight towards the ceiling.
- Lift your hips up from the ground and slowly roll your foam roller underneath the pelvis area. Make sure there is no arching in your lower back. Your head and shoulders should be lying down on the ground. You should feel your weight being placed on your shoulders.
- Lift your legs from the ground and into a tabletop position.
- Move one knee slowly to your chest while the other leg fully extends.
- Hold the knee that is bent towards your chest and let the opposite leg extend completely until the heel of your foot reaches the ground. You should feel your hip slowly opening.
- Hold this position for about 40 seconds and release. Repeat on the other side.
- Lay on the ground face down placing the foam roller just above your left knee. Rest your forehead on your hands so you keep your neck safe from injury.
- Your left foot should be raised above the ground and you should stay in this position for about 30 seconds.
- Switch the foam roller to your right side and repeat.
Benefits of Using a Foam Roller for Hip Pain
If you don’t exercise or stretch your hip flexors regularly, there is a good chance they may become weak. Weakness in the hip flexors can cause a limited range of comfortable motion in your hips. Using the foam roller for your hip flexors will help prevent current or future pain and weakness.
Stretching your hip flexors on the foam roller helps 
strengthen your hips and can add flexibility to your hip joints. Strengthening your hip flexors can simultaneously strengthen your lower back as well. For all the athletes out there, you know how important it is to maintain flexible hips and a strong lower back!
Taking good care of your hip flexors will result in the prevention of injuries. Hip flexors also contribute to our balance and posture. If you don’t stretch your hip flexors, you could experience trouble while standing for a long period of time and pain from bad posture. Staying on top of your hip flexor health with help from our foam rollers will assist us in achieving great balance and beautiful posture.
When Should you Foam Roll your Hip Flexors?
You should use the foam roller on your hip flexors every single day! If you are experiencing pain and/or discomfort in your hip flexors, maintaining a daily hip routine with your foam roller will be extremely beneficial to your health. Pick a time of day that foam rolling your hips will be the most convenient for you and make it a daily habit. Consider putting an alarm on your phone to remind you it is time for you to foam roll your hips.
Whenever you exercise, make sure to use the foam roller on your hips before you workout so that your hip flexors can warm up before any physical activity. It will be helpful to foam roll your hips once more after you’re finished with your workout to help prevent any future injuries or pains.
Keep in mind, if you experience any pain from the stretching, stop and evaluate your execution of the stretch. Make foam rolling your hip flexors a top priority during your day so that you can maintain great hip health. With the help of your foam roller, soon you will have strong and healthy hips! Also check out our Ultimate Guide for the Best Foam Rollers on the Market.
