Hip pain is the worst when it comes to roller skating, or any other sport for that matter. Getting hip injuries from roller skating is not unheard of. Hip injuries are really common in sports like running, cycling, rollerblading, martial arts etc. It’s because these sports involve movement and flexibility of hips which is outside the comfort zone of a normal lazy person.
If you’ve decided to pick up roller skating and as a result, your hips hurt when roller skating, then you’re at the right place. In this article, I’ll explain how to figure out your hip injury and give tips on how to deal with it.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
Why Do My Hips Hurt When Roller Skating?
Everybody’s body is in a different situation. So, there are a lot of possible explanations as to why your hips when you roller skate.
Some common reasons are listed below.
1. Your Hip Muscles Are Not Used To the Movement
Hip muscles play a major role in sports like running, cycling, rollerblading, gymnastics etc. That’s why, the reason behind your hip pain might be that your hip muscles are not developed enough for all the movement and flexibility that goes into roller skating. This problem is usually faced by beginners.
When you step into the skate rink for the first time, at the end of your session, you’re going to feel pain. And not just any pain, a lot of pain. It’s because you’re forcing your muscles to move in ways you’ve never moved before. That’s why roller skating is considered a full body workout. No pain no gain indeed.
2. Age
Age is also one of the biggest factors that determines how well you do in some sports. When you grow older, certain bones and joints of your body start to weaken. So when you start a new sport, it might be a bit harder for you than it is for younger people.
However, I’m not saying that elderly people can’t roller skate. They certainly can. All they have to do is to eat healthy and stay active. Going to a therapist is also a good option when it comes to picking up a new sport. If you’ve got a medical condition, then diagnosis is necessary.
3. Your Body Is Out Of Shape
If your body is out of shape, and you suddenly decide to roller skate, then you’ll probably get hip pain. And not just hip pain, knee pain, leg pain pain, loss of stamina etc. That’s just how nature goes.
In this case, you’ve got two options. You either start off slow, or push through the pain and get out of your comfort zone.
If you plan on starting off slow, then I recommend doing a few warm up exercises before strapping your skates on. You should start skating for a few minutes and then gradually increase your session time as you build more stamina.
If you push through the pain, be careful not to injure yourself, as it can make things worse. Remember to take rests, and always roller skate carefully.
4. You’ve Got a Prior Hip Injury
This is rare. If you’ve got a prior hip injury, you shouldn’t start roller skating impulsively. Instead, it’s better to consult your doctor about it.
Here are some of the most common hip injuries in athletes.
- Muscle Strain
- Hip Pointer
- Pubic Symphysis
- Hip Bursitis
- Snapping Hip Syndrome
- Hip Labral Tear
- Femoroacetabular Impingement
- Stress Fracture
- Sports Hernia
- Hip Arthritis
- Traumatic Subluxation and Dislocation
If you’ve got any of the above, then you should probably go to your doctor and act on their advice. They may appoint you for regular therapy, advise you to rest or recommend surgery. Anyhow, my advice is to not roller skate, before consulting a certified therapist.
5. You Fell On Your Hips While Roller Skating
As I’ve told you before, roller skating hurts. There will be times when you fall, and injure yourself. A lot of roller skating falls tend to be on the hips. It’s because when you’re going forward, your inertia compels you to move backwards. As a result you fell.
That’s why, it’s recommended to wear safety gear at all times. When you lose your balance, you should try to fall forwards on your knee pads rather than falling backwards. That’s because a person’s back is not protected.
If you fall at a high speed, or while you’re dropping down a vert, it hurts like hell in the hips. It might stop hurting after a few minutes. But, a lot of the time, the healing process takes weeks to complete.
A good way to prevent this is hip pads. Knee pads, elbow pads, wrist pads and helmets are a part of the safety gear. But now, hip pads are also available to prevent your hip from getting injured. They might not be available at your local shop, but can be ordered online.
If you wear hip pads, you won’t feel a thing when you fall.
What Kind Of Hip Injury Do I Have?
The best way to figure this out is to go to a therapist. However, if you want to get a general idea yourself, ask yourself the following questions.
- Is the pain sharp or subtle?
- What’s the intensity of the pain?
- Where do my hips hurt exactly?
- Are my hips just sore, or is there an injury?
- Does it hurt during roller skating or after roller skating?
- How long does the pain last?
Asking yourself these questions can help you better understand your pain and decide what’s best for you. It is still recommended to consult a doctor in these matters.
What to Do If My Hips Hurt When I Roller Skate?
Here are some tips on how to deal with hip pain while roller skating.
1. Rest
If you’re in the middle of your roller skating, and suddenly you feel a gush of pain in your hips, then you should probably stop and rest for a while. If the pain goes away after a few minutes, you can start skating again.
However, if the pain is still there, you should just pack it up and leave. Because sudden sharp pain means you’ve got an injury and it’s not a good idea to push through the pain, as it can make the injury worse.
2. Wear Your Safety Guards
Make sure you wear all your safety guards while roller skating. It can reduce falls on your hips by many folds. When you don’t have your knee guards on, the fear of pain discourages you from falling on your knees, and as a result you bump your hips on the ground.
Same is the case with elbows. When you’ve got your elbow pads on, you can distribute ground contact, between your hips, back and elbows, so all the impact is not on the hips.
3. Wear a Hip Guard
Yes, there are companies that manufacture hip guards so you can fall safely on your hips without getting an injury. Hip guards add extra cushion which greatly reduces the amount of impact force on your hip joints and muscles. As a result, you won’t get a hip injury even if you fall hard.
4. Fall Forwards
Falling forwards is the absolute safety rule when it comes to roller skating. This is because all the injury sensitive parts are on the back side of the body, for example, the hips, the tailbone, the spine, and the head. If an overweight skater falls on their back, the risks of injury are quite high.
So it’s much safer to fall forwards. Falling or sliding on a good quality knee pad is much safer, and it will feel as if you landed on a pillow.
The most important thing is to skate carefully and minimize falling.
5. Limit Your Roller Skating Session
Roller skating is a great full body workout that burns as much calories as running, while being easy on the joints. It is a great exercise for out of shape and elderly people.
However, if you’ve got weak hip bones or a prior hip injury, then you should probably limit your time roller skating. You don’t want to exert yourself too much. There’s no shame in getting a small rest after every few minutes.
6. Consult Your Doctor
So your hips hurt when you roller skate, right? The most logical thing to do in this situation is consult your doctor. Make sure the doctor is certified.
Tell them that you want to start roller skating. Tell them about the pain you get. They’ll look at your conditions and needs, and proceed with the necessary treatment.
They may ask you for regular therapy sessions, they may recommend some exercises and stretches, or, they may tell you the exact time limit for your roller skating. But whatever they do, they’ll do it for your body and your condition.
So if you feel pain while roller skating, and you know that it’s not because you’re tired, then don’t hesitate to go to the doctor.
7. Warm Up Before Roller Skating
If you’re an inactive person, and you start roller skating with your friends suddenly, then there’s a high probability that your hips start hurting. Not just hips, your whole body would hurt. It’s because your body is not accustomed to the sudden movement, if all you’ve been doing is laying around before.So you should keep things slow and increase the intensity gradually.
A good way to do this is a good warm up before roller skating. Here are some exercises you can do.
- Jumping jacks
- Squats
- Lunges
- A Light jog
A simple 10 minute warm up routine will get your muscles working in no time.
8. Stretch Your Hip Muscles
If you’ve strained your hips from roller skating, a good stretch can relieve the pain in no time. Most hip injuries heal themselves in maximum 2 to 3 weeks. You should rest for a day before stretching your muscles.
DISCLAIMER ALERT! You should not feel pain while stretching, just a light tension. If you feel pain, stop immediately. Do not push through the pain for it can make the injury even worse.
Here are three of the most common stretches used by therapists to relieve hip pain. You can try them, and if the pain goes away, then it’s all good.
- Put a pillow on the ground. Put your one knee on the pillow. Lift your other knee and foot, and mount it on the ground in front of you. Push your hips forward to get a nice stretch. To move it up a notch, rotate the foot, whose knee is resting on the pillow, outwards.
- Sit on a chair. Lift your one knee and hold it in your arms. Pull the knee towards yourself as you were hugging the knee. To stretch it more, slide your hip forwards on the chair, and then pull your knee. This should relieve your hip pain.
- Now it’s time to stretch the hips for better external rotation. Sit on a chair. Put your one foot over the other thigh. Use your hands to apply a light pressure on the knee. This should improve your external rotation.
Do 10 repetitions of each of these stretches. Do these stretches 4 to 6 times a week until the pain goes away. These stretches should keep your hip muscles in good shape so that you can keep roller skating.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you in fixing your hip problem. Roller skating is worth consideration if you want a good body workout that doesn’t injure the knees as much as running and jogging. So, do your best roller skating. Also, stay active and stay comfortable. I hope you have fun on your roller skating journey.
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Good luck roller skating and have fun!
