In fact, the number of men who have hip surgery before the age of 65 is on the rise, and people who have hip replacements actually live longer because of an improved quality of life.

However, if you keep your hips healthy, you will reduce your chances of getting injured or having to have a hip replacement at all. In order to keep your hips healthy, it is important to keep them moving by stretching them on a regular basis. If you have tight muscles, you will not be able to produce force in your hips or absorb the force from exercising.

There are several movements you can do to mobilize your joints based on how you use your hips the most, whether that is running, strength training, or swimming. Doing exercises will improve your hips' range of motion and active and strengthen the surrounding muscles so you can control your movements.

Your joints need to be strong enough to endure repetitive stress or else you are putting yourself at risk for injury. Here are some exercises that you can do before a workout or run to warm up, or you can perform them after training while your blood is already flowing. Do some of these exercises every day to increase the mobility in your hips.

Standing Hip CAR

While standing, lift your left knee while keeping your body still. Hold onto a chair for balance if you need to. Once the knee is lifted, open it to your left side. Circle your knee so your foot is behind you until your left and your right knee meet. Do this 3-5 times and then circle in the other direction. Then repeat this on the right side.

This will help increase the circulation to your tissues around your hips and give you a baseline for your hip mobility that you need for running.

Standing Hip Stretch

Stand with your feet shoulder length apart and take a step back with your left foot. Lift your pelvis toward the ceiling and bend your right knee while keeping your back leg straight. Hold this pose for 10 seconds. Slowly release your muscles and repeat this move on the other side.

This stretches the front of your thigh while activating the muscles along the backside of your body. It also helps to teach your how to control your hips' range of motion. and helps teach your body to control hip ROM.

Hip Capsule Sleeper Stretch

Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Bring the inside of your left knee toward the floor, and deepen your stretch with your left hand while keeping your knees at a 90 degree angle. Hold this stretch for about two minutes before pressing your knee into your hand, creating an isometric contraction. Hold this for about 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side.

This works your internal rotation, which is somewhere that people tend to lack flexibility. When your hips can’t rotate internally, the impact from exercising can cause hip and back pain.

Hula Hip CAR

This exercise is great for those who spend most of their day sitting at a desk. Stand with your feet directly below your hips and do a hula hoop circle motion with your hips. Make the largest circle that you can while still maintain your muscle control. Do ten circles in each direction.

Doing this will help undo the stiffness and increase your range of motion that may be limited by excessive sitting. This exercise will help your hips go through an entire range of motion while staying gentle on your joints.

Quadruped Hip CARs

If you are more of a weight-lifter, this might be the right move for you. Get down on all fours and put your left side up against a wall. Keep your back flat and slowly pull your right knee toward your right elbow and then swing it out and up. Return to your original position. Do three to five circles on each side.

This move helps signal your body to stabilize your core, which is something that should happen with every strength move that you perform. Doing this will adding in the hip exercise will help you gain flexibility and muscle.

No matter which option seems best for you, make sure that you are exercising your hips to maintain hip health and reduce your chances for needing surgery or getting injured later on in life.