Hips feeling tight? If your day is spent mostly at a desk, in your car and on the couch (that’s most of us — the average daily sitting time for adults is 9.5 hours), then your hips are likely feeling it. That much sitting can make your hips stiff and less mobile, factors that can contribute to chronic low back pain. Working a few active breaks into your routine with deskside activity and the best foam roller exercises for your hips could make a big difference in how you feel, especially when you consistently start incorporating them into your routine.
Physical therapist and orthopedic specialist Trudy Messer explains that simply stretching out your tight hips may not release the tightness you’re feeling. She says it’s much more common that the tightness is a result of tense muscles that are having a hard time relaxing. “Foam rollers help to release muscle tightness and tension through self-massage, or more specifically, self-myofascial release techniques, which help decrease the stiffness in the muscle fibers and connective tissue, restoring the muscle to a relaxed or resting position,” she says. This is why foam rolling after stretching out your hips and legs can help improve your flexibility and ease any tightness-associated pain.
But there’s some lingo that gets tossed around about foam rolling that’s not quite right. This form of exercise won’t “break up” tight tissues or knots, but it can help release muscle tension, boost blood flow, and increase your range of motion, making movements feel more comfortable. Physical therapist Dr. Tanya Goodrich notes that rolling out your hips targets the deep rotator muscles, which often require a gentle reminder from the brain-body connection to engage and perform their job. “After a few minutes, movement feels smoother and more fluid,” she says.
As a personal trainer and conditioning coach, I use and recommend foam rollers to prep for or cool down after a workout, or after a long stretch of sitting. I tried a few physical therapist-recommended foam roller exercises and am sharing three of the best you can use to loosen your hips whenever you’re feeling tight.
Tips for foam rolling your hips
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Aim for firm pressure, but you should never feel sharp pain. Use your arms and legs to help “lift” your hips or legs away from the roller to reduce pressure when it’s feeling too intense,
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Avoid placing direct pressure on the IT band (the thick band of tissue that runs along the outside of your thigh between your hip and knee). Focus on targeting the softer muscle tissue of your glutes, hip flexors, quads and adductors around the hip joint.
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Follow up your foam rolling routine with simple muscle-activating exercises like hip thrusts or windshield wipers. Adding exercises like these can help solidify your improved range of motion.
3 Best foam roller exercises for hip mobility
The title “IT band roll” is a bit misleading — you want to focus on hitting the muscles on either side of the IT band, not the IT band itself.
IT Band Roll
If tightness at the IT bands is stealing the joy from your squats or runs and contributing to knee pain, Messer suggests adding this quick IT band roll to your daily routine (especially before workouts) so your hips feel looser and more ready to move. The key to this move is where you roll. Instead of grinding directly on the IT band itself — which isn’t intended to “loosen up” the way muscle tissue is — you should target its neighbors. The outer quad muscles and the tensor fasciae latae (the TFL, a small muscle at the front of your hip) are the real targets of this movement. Gentle passes in this region can dial down tension and make the knee feel happier, without needing to hammer the band itself.
How to do it
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Lie on your side with the roller placed under the outer thigh. Use your elbow and forearm to offer support, aligning them under your shoulder.
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Place your top foot on the floor in front of your body for support. As needed, use this foot and your supporting forearm to help “lift” your body up to reduce any excess pressure on your targeted hip.
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Start near the top of the outer thigh and make short, slow rolls toward mid-thigh.
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Shift slightly forward and backward to target the TFL and outer quad. Avoid placing too much pressure on the IT band itself (the thick band of tissue that runs along the outside of your thigh between your hip and knee). Also, avoid rolling too far down the quad toward the bony area around your knee joint.
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Keep your abs gently braced and breathe steadily.
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If you find any tender spots that feel particularly tight, pause for 10-20 seconds to further target those areas, then continue rolling.
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Try 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds per side.
You may be surprised at how “ahhh”-mazing it feels to roll out your glutes.
Figure-4 Glute Roll
This move targets the glutes and deep hip rotators, which often stiffen with prolonged sitting. Physical therapist Dr. Alex Anderson recommends using this exercise as an easy entry point to foam rolling your hips: “The figure-4 glute roll and hamstring roll are simple options to ease hip tension and improve comfort… Move slowly, breathe, and spend 30-60 seconds per area.”
How to do it
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Sit on the roller with your hands behind you for support. Your knees should be bent with your feet flat on the ground.
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Cross your right ankle over your left knee to form a figure-4.
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Shift your weight slightly to your left glute, and make small, controlled rolls, using your hands and feet to help propel the movement, focusing most on the outside of your left glute.
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Keep your chest up, ribs aligned with your pelvis, and breathe slowly.
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Shift as needed to hit all areas from your sit-bone to the outer hip, pausing to offer moments of added pressure to tighter spots for 10-20 seconds.
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Try 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds per side.
Your hip flexors get used to remaining flexed due to prolonged periods of sitting. Foam rolling can help remind them that they’re meant to extend and move.
Front Hip Roll
This foam roller exercise “wakes up” your hip flexors (the muscles at the front of your hips) so extension feels smoother, explains Goodrich. “Small, slow rolls prep your hip flexors for squats or lunges,” she says. I also find this move to be deeply relaxing after working at my desk.
How to do it
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Lie face down with the roller placed under the front of your left hip. Prop yourself up on your forearms and the balls of your feet. Make sure your core is lightly braced and your ribs are aligned with your pelvis.
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Use your forearms and feet to help propel short rolls from the top of the thigh (just under the bony part of your hip — avoid the bone itself) to mid-thigh.
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Use a small range of motion so your lower back doesn’t engage. Breathe through any mild discomfort.
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If you find a tender spot, hold pressure for 10-20 seconds while breathing deeply.
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Try 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds per side.
Our favorite foam rollers
Here are two of our top picks. See our full list for the best foam rollers here.
TriggerPoint
Firm, multi-density ridges and nodules deliver a deep, compression-like massage that targets tight hips, quads and glutes. The compact length makes it easy to maneuver, and the durable EVA foam over a hollow core withstands frequent use. It also comes in neutral and bright colors. With over 12,000 5-star Amazon reviews, many users highlight noticeable improvements in mobility and post-workout relief. Not to mention, in our in-house testing of a range of foam rollers, this one came out on top.
$40 at Amazon
TRX
This option is a straightforward, budget-friendly choice with expanded polypropylene, which offers a slightly softer feel that helps reduce discomfort while still providing necessary pressure. It is lightweight, durable and available in 18-inch and 36-inch lengths to match your needs. It lacks extras like ridges or vibration, but if you’re looking for a simple roller that gets the job done, this is a solid value.
$23+ at TRX
FAQs
Does foam rolling help with tight hips?
Foam rolling can help with tight hips in the short term. Rolling can create a temporary increase in range of motion and reduce next-day soreness, which helps the hips feel more easily movable during workouts and general activity. Additionally, foam rolling doesn’t decrease performance, making it an effective tool to use during warm-ups. Goodrich says that the roller acts like a “reset,” waking up sleepy glutes and calming overworked hip flexors. Anderson adds that the firm, tactile pressure you feel while rolling can sharpen postural awareness during exercise, leading to better alignment when you hinge, lunge or run.
How do you loosen super-tight hips?
To loosen super-tight hips, combine foam rolling with simple activation and mobility exercises. Use a front-hip roll and figure-4 glute roll for 30 to 90 seconds per area. “Once you’ve rolled and “woken up’ the hips, it’s the perfect time to add movement that reinforces that new mobility,” says Goodrich. Try some hip thrusts, glute bridges, or lie on your back and drop your knees from side to side, so the new range of motion shows up in your movement. Research indicates that foam rolling helps improve the short-term range of motion and comfort, especially when you stretch afterward.
What are two areas of your body you should avoid while foam rolling?
Skip direct pressure on the IT band. Goodrich notes it is painful and not the best path to looser hips. Work the muscles surrounding it instead, such as the glutes, TFL region, quads, and adductors. Also, avoid bony landmarks and joints such as the outside of the knee or the front of the hip bone. Evidence for direct low-back rolling on the spine is limited and mixed, so prioritize targeting the surrounding muscle tissue and focus on improving core control if your back feels tight.
How to foam roll hips and glutes?
Start with the figure-4 glute roll. Sit on the roller, cross one ankle over the opposite knee, lean into the “side butt,” and make small, slow rolls for 30-60 seconds. Andersen recommends following with a front-hip roll: lie face down, place a roller under the front of one hip, and make tiny passes from the top of the thigh to the mid-thigh for 30-60 seconds, keeping your core lightly braced.
Is it OK to foam roll every day?
It’s OK to foam roll every day if you keep sessions short and purposeful. Daily rolling can help manage perceived tightness and soreness, and typical protocols show no negative impact on strength or speed when used before training. Aim for 30-90 seconds per muscle group with slow breathing. Messer prefers foam rolling as a pre-workout warm-up activity, but for cool-downs, light rolling can still help reduce soreness the next day.
Meet Our Experts
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Alex Anderson, P.T., D.P.T., C.O.M.T., Cert. M.D.T., Regional Supervisor of Therapy Services at OrthoArizona in Phoenix, Ariz.
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Tanya Goodrich, PT, DPT, founder of Healthy Pelvis Physical Therapy in the San Francisco Bay Area
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Trudy Messer, PT, OCS, CKTP, CFMT, physical therapist and Relax The Back Wellness Council member
Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.