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This is just going to be a quick review of the Hip Hero that you can buy from Amazon and I’m comparing it to the PSO RITE which you can also get off from Amazon or on the PSO RITE website. So both tools are actually designed to kind of specifically released the psoas muscle and your hip region. And I do think they do a good job of it. Now I was hoping that the Hip Hero would actually be a much better product than the PSO RITE because the whole thing with it is that it allows for adjustability here. One problem that a lot of people have with the PSO RITE is that it simply cannot hit both of their psoas muscles at the same time because it’s narrow to them. Now what PSO RITE has to do to address this is do one at a time but of course, we all want at the same time so I thought this could be an interesting option. I do think it gets the job done, I will say that. I’m a little disappointed, however, in the build quality. This plastic is simply not as heavy duty or well-made as the PSO RITE plastic. In fact if you turn this over here, you can see it’s just so flimsy and you can see the groves here that it fits into, it makes me worried that this could break quite easily.
Another problem here is just a range of adjustability. As you can see there’s only four indentations here that you can use to adjust it so it doesn’t really give you a great range of adjustability. Not so much more than the PSO RITE. Also, it’s a little bit harder to adjust. You can see that I’m even struggling just trying to do this with one hand. It doesn’t adjust quite well. Also, it’s not significantly cheaper than the PSO RITE. That’s one issue I have in some ways with the PSO RITE. Yes, it’s a fantastic tool but the price point can be a little higher. They do offer a discount which drops the price down for about $10-$20 depending on when you get it or what discount is being offered. This one though, the Hip Here, is almost the exact same price point so you don’t get the advantage there.
Overall, I’m going to give the Hip Hero a 3 out of 5. I do think it gets the job done and it’s an interesting option to try out. If you can get it for $20-$30 cheaper than the PSO RITE, then it might be a good option for you. I really kind of hope they go back to the hind bar of this. Maybe make it a little bit more heavy duty if possible and possibly increase the range of adjustability.
Now one thing I want to say about this dedicated psoas release tool is that this is not the only way to release the psoas muscles. For some people, it seems to be that they get extreme relief from it for whatever reason. I would say it’s a bit painful when you start with it. What I would like to use is to start with a foam roller and you just kind of roll around in that area. You bring one leg up, roll the hip area with the leg that’s down so you bring your right leg up and then massage your left hip area. Again, it’s very effective. It’s much more pleasant than using the PSO RITE initially. So that is one issue I have with these types of psoas release devices. There are other ways to do it that are possibly less painful but then again, a lot of people have sworn by these and I have to say I’ve already been releasing that muscle for years now so either of these tools simply wasn’t as effective for me. The great thing about this design, of course, is that they do have other use cases. One great thing about this PSO RITE is you’d be surprised how good this is in massaging other areas. You can use this for a very effective pec minor massage just because of the nature of this knob here, these raised areas here, I don't know what it is about but it is a great structure for releasing some of these muscles. It’s smooth but yet it’s also pointy and because of that design it really can just get in there and massage some areas like other tools I haven’t seen. But that is all I’m going to say about these tools. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions
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Quick Review Summary
Name: Hip Hero
Features: Manual massager made of ABS plastic. Has adjustable heads and rubber strips at the base.
Pros: Effective for massaging psoas muscles, adjustable width to suit all body types, lightweight, portable, and stable.
Cons: Width adjustment range is not enough, material is not heavy-duty
Our Rating: 3 out of 5
Verdict: Better options available
Full Written Review:
Hip Hero is a PSOAS muscle massager, just like PSO-RITE that we have reviewed earlier in our blog but it has an adjustable width.
Psoas muscles are located deep inside our core. They attach our spine with the hip. So, as obvious, Psoas muscles play a major role in our everyday activities such as walking, standing, sitting, and all other activities for which you need to use your back and legs. The list is huge and yet, we hardly do anything to maintain their strength and flexibility. With time, the Psoas muscles lose their flexibility, causing discomfort and lower back pain which may radiate towards the buttocks.
You can do a number of things to maintain the flexibility of these muscle groups, which includes yoga and stretching. But, nothing is as effective as a good massage.
Unfortunately, Psoas muscles are located too deep and it is not possible to target them using conventional massage tools such as rollers, lacrosse balls, and massage guns. This is why you need a dedicated Psoas massage tool such as Hip Hero or PSO-Rite.
PSO-Rite is one of the best-rated and most-sold Psoas muscle massager but the main problem with it is its fixed width. Most people have mentioned that they couldn’t target both sides simultaneously. Well, you can work on one side at a time but most of us are usually in a rush and we would prefer something that lets us save time and effort. This is where Hip Hero comes in.
Unlike PSO-Rite, Hip Hero has an adjustable width, so it can comfortably suit most people. Further, it is about $20 cheaper.
While Hip Hero Psoas massager is versatile in use, we aren’t impressed with its built quality and adjustability.
But, we wouldn’t say that it is completely useless because it works as intended. Hundreds of buyers have rated it well above 4 stars. If you are fine with it’s not-so-major flaws, you can give it a try.
In this blog, we will provide you with a detailed review of Hip Hero, its pros, cons, and why it fails to meet our expectations. To begin with, let’s look at some of its key features:
Key features of Hip Hero Psoas massage tool
- Dimension: length-16.25”, width-5”, height-5.5”
- Made of ABS plastic
- Weight: 2.18 pounds
- As mentioned above, it has tabs on both sides so you can adjust the width of the massage heads or prongs
- The heads stimulate the hands or elbows of a massage therapist and can help target trigger points located deep inside the fleshy areas of our body
- Has two rubber strips at the bottom to prevent slipping and skidding
- Lightweight and portable
- Manual operation
- Comes with 1-year warranty
Adjustable Psoas muscle massager
The main selling point of the Hip Hero psoas massager is that you can adjust the width of the massage heads to suit your body.
Pro-Rite and many other self-massage tools have a fixed width. If you have a broad or narrow body (compared to the width of the prongs), you won’t be able to massage both sides simultaneously. But, the manufacturers have never claimed that you can massage both the sides together.
Hip Hero has, however, tried to solve this problem by creating prongs or massage heads with tabs so you can adjust their width. This patent-pending design doesn’t require any screws or bolts for making adjustments. You just need to lift the tab and slide the prong at any slot suitable for you. Adjustments can be made on one or both sides, depending on your needs.
The tabs have a locking mechanism, so the prongs won’t slide off during use.
Safe and stable
ABS is one of the toughest forms of plastic. It won’t break and cut you, even when you put your entire weight on it (although you don’t have to). So, Hip Hero is safe and durable for even people who have a well-built or bulky body.
The prongs are smooth. They are made of one piece plastic with no rough edges or sharp welds that can cut your skin. The base has anti-skid rubber strips, making it easier to change position without skidding.
How to use Hip Hero?
There is nothing much to explain here. This tool is pretty simple to use. You need to lay on it with face down and the prongs positioned at your lower abdomen. You need to put some of your body weight on it, so the prongs digg deep inside the tissues and massage the desired muscles. The amount of weight you put on it should be as much as it feels comfortable to you, but definitely not too much.
Initially, you will feel some pain while using it and afterwards. But, within some days, you will get used to it.
Hip Hero comes with a user guide and video guide. You won’t go wrong if you follow their instructions.
Is it effective?
Yes, it is. It has been rated 4.4 stars by 200+ buyers on Amazon. Most of them have mentioned that it does work pretty well. We have used it too and we don’t doubt its effectiveness. But, as mentioned above, you have to be patient with it until the pain subsides.
Hip Hero is definitely better than the other conventional massage tools such as rollers and lacrosse balls. It is also more effective than the deep tissue massagers such as Thera gun. These massage tools are not designed to reach the trigger knots located deep inside the fleshy areas such as the cores, hips, buttocks, etc. If you have Psoas-related problems, you must use a Psoas muscle massage tool instead.
Pros
- Made of durable ABS plastic
- Designed to accommodate all body types
- Anti-skid and anti-slip
- Doesn’t tip over even when you are using just one of the prongs
- Out of hundreds of manual and electric massagers available in the market, almost 50% are crappy and ineffective. This is one of those that are effective and worth-buying.
Cons
- As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, we aren’t impressed with its built quality. Although it is made of ABS plastic, it is rather poorly built. It doesn’t feel heavy-duty like PSO-Rite. We are not sure if it will be able to bear some rough use. Further, Hip Hero isn’t a cheap massage tool. We bought it at $60, so we definitely expected better quality.
- Hip Hero is heavily marketed as an adjustable massager, suitable for all types of bodies. It’s adjustability is its USP but the adjustability range is rather not enough to accommodate people with a broad body. Even if you place the prongs or heads at their farthest point from each other, they may not be far enough to let you target both sides of your psoas muscles simultaneously. This defeats its core purpose. The manufacturer should have made it a bit more broader by adding two more slots on both sides. The current width is just not enough.
Our Rating: 3/5
Our Verdict
As we said above, the purpose of Hip Hero is defeated because of its low adjustability range. Plus, the build quality is average. If you can spend a few more dollars, we would recommend PSO-Rite instead. But, if budget is an issue for you, Hip Hero isn’t a bad option.
