8 Ways to Roll on the Chirp Wheel for Hip Pain

8 Ways to Roll on the Chirp Wheel for Hip Pain

Back pain and hip pain are often connected to each other. How do you know how to fix your pain if you aren’t sure where it is coming from? Is it arthritis or another issue? A lot of hip pain is referred pain, when pain is felt in one part of the body but comes from another part of the body. One of the best ways to treat this kind of pain is to roll on the Chirp Wheel. Rolling out the muscles surrounding your hips and back is the quickest way to relieve your pain because it relaxes the tension in the muscles most likely causing you pain. Check with your doctor to see if you can try the stretches below with the Chirp Wheel to help relieve your hip pain.

What causes hip pain?

  • Arthritis. There are many types of arthritis that can cause hip pain: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, etc. If your pain is coming from the groin or inside the hip, it is more likely to be arthritis. If your pain is coming from the outside of the hip, it is more likely pain caused by muscle tension or other tissue issues. Check with your doctor to see if you suffer from arthritis.
  • Bruised or inflamed muscles or tendons.
  • A pinched nerve
  • A bulging or herniated disc causing sciatica. Your sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body running all the way through your body and down to your feet. When a bulging disc or other issue irritates that nerve, it can often cause hip pain. If you’re experiencing numbness or tingling, go see your doctor.

How to relieve your pain

Try these home remedies to relieve your hip pain. However, you should always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.

  1. Rest. Try to keep weight off of your hip and avoid pressure on your hip. Avoid lifting, bending, or sitting on the side that hurts. If rest relieves your hip pain, this might help your doctor diagnose it so she/he can treat it faster.
  2. Try heat therapy or cold therapy. Heat therapy increases blood flow, promotes healing, and relieves pain. Don’t use heat therapy if you suspect your hip pain is caused by inflammation. Use cold therapy to reduce swelling, numb pain, and promote healing. Try cold therapy first in 10 to 15 minute intervals a few times a day. Then try heat therapy.
  3. Lose weight. Sometimes hip pain or back pain is caused by excess weight and strain on your joints and muscles. In that case, losing weight can help relieve your pain.
  4. Exercise and stretch. Gentle stretching and exercising like swimming, resistance training, walking, and rolling on the Chirp Wheel can help reduce your hip pain. Try these stretches with the Chirp Wheel below.





Deep Glutes release (Note: For the following stretches, it is best to use the Deep Tissue Chirp Wheel+.)


  1. Start by sitting on your butt with your knees bent and the wheel under your legs.
  2. Bring your hands back for support as you lift your butt and place the wheel under your right glute with one hand.
  3. Place your right ankle on your left knee. Lean back on your right hand for support as you press your knee down with your left hand. 
  4. Roll back and forth for as long as it feels comfortable.
  5. Repeat on both sides.



Lumbar relief

  1. Instead of directly rolling on your lower back, roll on your muscles on your sides. Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent, leaning back on your hands for support. 
  2. Move into a side plank position.
  3. Lift your midsection up and place the wheel under your side. Using your feet and hands as anchors to apply the right amount of pressure, roll over your side gently. 

Piriformis Release



  1. Sit on the floor. Place the wheel behind you. Lift your bottom onto the wheel so the right side of your bottom is on the wheel. Lift your right foot up and rest it on the top of your left thigh.
  2. Rock back and forth over the whole muscle. 
  3. Angle your leg down or up to experiment and feel different areas that need released. Rock back and forth. 
  4. Do this on both sides.

Glute and IT Band Stretch


  1. You will be in a side planking position. Place the wheel under your leg.
  2. Use your feet and hands for support to lift yourself onto the wheel.
  3. Place the outside of your left thigh onto the wheel.
  4. Use your outside foot to move back and forth on the wheel.
  5. Roll from your glute down to your thigh.
  6. Do this on both sides as many times as is comfortable for you. 

Side glutes release

  1. Start on your left side with your left hand supporting your upper body. 
  2. Keep your left leg straight and step your right leg over your left leg for support. 
  3. With your right hand, place the wheel under your hip. Rolling back and forth will help release tension in your glutes. Do this on both sides. You can even lift your left leg off the ground for a deeper stretch.  

Glutes release

  1. Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent, leaning back on your hands for support.
  2.  Lift your midsection up and place the wheel under your left butt cheek. Roll back and forth. 
  3. Do this on both sides. 

Pigeon Pose Stretch

  1. Start on your hands and knees with the wheel under you. 
  2. Bring your right leg forward and rest it on top of the wheel. You should bend your right leg so it is resting on its side (like in the picture above).
  3. Your left leg should be extended with your toes tucked under, and your palms should be on the ground facing forward for ultimate support.
  4. Rock back and forth as you move the wheel from your glute to your thigh.
  5. Do this on both sides.

Back roll 

Sit and lean back.


  1. Sit on the ground with knees bent and feet firmly planted. 
  2. Place the Chirp Wheel+ against your back in alignment with your spine. Take some time to center yourself and find balance even on the ground.
  3. Lean back gently to transfer your weight to the wheel. Relax and find balance in this position before lifting your hips.

Lift hips.


  1. Rest your hands on the ground, the wheel, or your chest for balance. Do whichever feels the most comfortable for you.
  2. Lift your hips upward while relaxing your back. Find balance with your hips lifted before rolling on the wheel. 
  3. Don’t tense up! The more you relax your back, the better it will feel.

Roll back and forth.

  1. Begin to roll back and forth on the wheel by bending and straightening your legs. Use your hands for balance. If one spot on your back needs an extra massage, stop rolling to put pressure on that spot. Or switch to a smaller wheel.
  2. Roll out for 3 to 5 minutes. Length of preferred use will vary by individual.
  3. Relax your head back to avoid neck pain.



References

Arthritis Foundation. (2020). When hip pain may mean arthritis. Retrieved from https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/about-arthritis/where-it-hurts/when-hip-pain-may-mean-arthritis

BarBend. (2017, June 22). Best foam roller exercises for hips. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkMafvy1Toc

Firman, T. (2019, June 17). The foam rolling technique an orthopedic surgeon sears by for hip pain. Retrieved from https://www.wellandgood.com/foam-rolling-for-hip-pain/#:~:text=Dr.%20Struhl%20says%20the%20Lieberman, B. (2016, September 22). 3 simple foam rolling exercises for tight hips. Retrieved from https://www.self.com/story/simple-foam-rolling-exercises-for-tight-hipsbest,muscle%20pain%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20explains.

Lutes, W. B. (2017, January 12). Five ways to find relief from hip pain. Retrieved from https://www.aurorahealthcare.org/patients-visitors/blog/five-ways-you-can-get-relief-from-hip-pain