Upgrade Or Modify Your Sleep Position
If youre a side sleeper, transitioning to your back can take pressure off your sore spots and offer needed relief. Its also one of the easier options, if the cause of your pain isnt a medical concern.
The best sleeping position for people with hip pain is sleeping on the back with your hips and knees bent at 45 degrees, and a bolster beneath your knees, says Lev Kalika, DC, owner of New York Dynamic Neuromuscular Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy. This position decreases joint pressure and allows better healing due to optimum tissue tension and the most optimal exchange of joint fluids.
With that said, changing sleep positions can be a hassle and sometimes even a sleep deterrent. If you need to sleep on your side, try to keep whichever hip is more painful on top, to avoid excess compression, and slip a pillow between the knees.
The pillow between your knees takes tension and strain off of the soft tissues surrounding the hip, which can be stretched and irritated if the top knee is allowed to fall toward the other knee, explains Duncan.
For back sleepers, a pillow under the knees or calves may also help ease pain. Feel free to also experiment with the pillow placement, like under the hips, too.
And if youre a stomach sleeper, you might also want to consider flipping onto your back. While sleeping on your stomach might not directly contribute to hip pain, it can strain other areas of your body , compounding your sleep problems.
What Causes Hip Pain When Sitting Or Lying Down And What Can You Do About It
When an injury or condition is affecting your hips, you can expect to feel pain when using your hips. However, you might be surprised to feel pain in your hips when sitting or lying down.
Learn more about what causes hip pain when sitting and lying down and what kinds of treatment options are available.
Urgent Advice: Ask For An Urgent Gp Appointment Or Get Help From Nhs 111 If:
- you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you’ve not had a fall or injured your hip
- your hip is swollen and feels hot
- the skin around your hip has changed colour
- you have hip pain and feel generally unwell and have a high temperature or feel hot and shivery
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
- Severe pain:
-
- always there and so bad it’s hard to think or talk
- you cannot sleep
- it’s very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress
- Moderate pain:
-
- makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
- you can manage to get up, wash or dress
- Mild pain:
Recommended Reading: Best Office Chair For Lower Back And Hip Pain
Consult With A Hip Pain Professional
Chiropractors are trained to take an in depth look at your entire body and treat any underlying conditions that could be resulting in your nighttime hip pain. We can give you personalized, specific treatments to better manage your condition including adjustments, stretching, lifestyle modifications, sleep position recommendations, and more to alleviate your pain.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for in-person advice or care from a medical professional.
Learn More About Hip Injections
Hip injections may be performed to both diagnose and treat hip pain. They involve injecting a local anesthetic combined with a steroid or corticosteroid directly into the outer regions of the spinal cord. This is where nerves lead to the hip, or in the hip joint itself. This procedure can:
- Help diagnose what specific nerve is leading to your pain
- Focus further treatments
- Inhibit pain signals of hip nerves
- Drain fluid in the hip
Hip injections provide a minimally-invasive and safe treatment option for more moderate to severe cases of hip pain.
Recommended Reading: Back Pain Causing Hip Pain
Complementary And Alternative Approaches
Complementary and alternative practices are, as the name suggests, meant to complement and not replace your healthcare provider’s recommended medical routine. Some patients may try acupuncture, cupping therapy, tai chi, or massages. Others may try CBD supplements.
While these practices will certainly not cure a condition like arthritis, they may help provide relaxation or temporary relief from some of your hip pain. Before trying any alternative therapies, consult your healthcare provider to plan which approach works best for you.
Hip Pain When Sitting And Lying Down
Physical fitness is something that is cherished by all. Due to the modern working environment, many of us get stuck sitting at the desk all day long. This type of lifestyle does not allow us to involve much in physical activities. As a result, we suffer from different types of physical pain.
In this article, I addressed the issue of hip pain when sitting and lying down. Well tell you about the causes and the solutions to this problem.
Also Check: Arthritis In The Hips Feel Like
Sitting On An Uneven Surface
If your seat cushion, car seat, or sofa is too soft, it might make you sit unevenly. This means that your body might tilt to one side.
Sitting on an uneven or too soft surface can put more weight and pressure on one of your hips leading to pain. This commonly happens when you sit in bed to work or watch something on your laptop. It can also happen if you sit on a pillow on the floor or on a soft, sandy beach.
Loose Or Damaged Hip Joint
Femoroacetabular impingement happens when the long leg bone doesnt fit right in the hip joint. This might happen when the cartilage between these bones wears away or is damaged.
FAI can lead to a sharp or dull hip pain when sitting. You might also feel your hip joints pop or stiffen a bit when you sit down or get up.
Read Also: Getting Into Bed After Hip Replacement
Find A Good Sleep Position
Finding the right position can be the most crucial part of avoiding pain during sleep. Twisting and turning to find a comfortable spot is normal, Dr. Dapul says. But even the slightest twinge of pain can disrupt your rest. She recommends starting out sleeping on your side avoid a sore shoulder if you have one with a pillow between your legs. Try avoiding lying flat on your back, too.
Side-sleeping wont work for all shoulder pain, though. Minimize that discomfort by wrapping your arm in a bandage or wearing a sling to bed. Itll keep your arm immobile and prevent you from sleeping with your arm in an awkward position.
Some Dos And Donts To Avoid Hip Pain
There are some pretty simple but effective dos and donts to avoid hip pain. Keep these in mind even if you forget the whole article!
- Do not just sit on the chair. Movement can make all the difference.
- Take little breaks for standing and walking.
- Stretch your hamstring, hip joints, and flexors often. Do a good stretching after a long day of work.
- Take enough sleep. Lack of sleep can make the hip pain worse.
Read Also: Can Fibroids Cause Pain In Your Hip
What Causes Hip Pain At Night
Causes of hip pain at night include:
- Sleeping on a bad mattress
- Soreness or overuse from exercise
- Tight muscles
- Pelvic or gynecological issues
- Pain after hip replacement surgery
The most common night hip pain causes, like soreness or sleeping on a bad mattress, can be easily resolved. Well discuss some of the at-home remedies you can use to relieve this type of pain later in this post. Severe pain, however, may be caused by:
- Tendinitis
- Sports injuries
- Hip bursitis
These conditions may require more advanced pain management. The following video gives a brief overview of hip pain. Well discuss each of these in more detail following treatments.
Osteoarthritis Is Another Cause Of Hip Pain Lying Down
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis that attacks the hips. It causes the pain you feel even though you are paying proper attention to your sleeping position. Sleeping on either side can be also painful. Neither, using the right mattress and pillows also doesnt help people with osteoarthritis.
If you notice any of the following symptoms persist, it would be best to consult a doctor.
- Hip pain in the morning upon getting up from the bed.
- Increase in pain when the weather changes
- Pain when getting up or walking
Also Check: New Hip Replacement Technology 2022
Hip Pain At Night : Causes And Symptoms
Chronic hip pain at night affects around one in five people aged over 65 and is more common in women, particularly those aged 4060 years. It can disturb your sleep and/or make it difficult to fall asleep. When hip pain affects the outer side of your hip, it is called lateral hip pain.
There are many different causes of hip pain, including overuse during the day when exercising, the position that you sleep in, moving in bed and your joints swelling at night.
Questions To Ask Yourself
Is the pain from lying on a mattress or a workout mat? begins Dr. Tom Carpenter, corrective exercise specialist, certified personal trainer and chiropractor, inventor of Stand Corrected, a portable harness-like stretching tool that helps alleviate back, neck and shoulder pain.
Does it happen when lying on the side or the back? If its a mattress then it could be that the mattress is too soft, causing an over-stretching of the ligaments and tendons around the hip.
Also, there is the possibility of tendonitis or bursitis in and around the hip, so this should be checked by your health care provider.
Any of these problems can be caused by physical activity even activity that youd never associate with the symptom.
For example, the offending activity might have been extra work in the garden struggling with a new yoga pose or trying yoga for the first time holding the leash of a dog and running with it or carrying something heavy on only one side of your body.
Sitting Tips For Hip Pain:
- Make sure your office chair, car seat, and other places you sit often are good for your posture.
- Add back or seat support to improve your posture when youre sitting. Use a firm cushion or foam base.
- Check where your feet land when youre sitting. They should be flat on the floor.
- Use a footstool to rest your feet on when youre sitting.
- Avoid sitting on a very soft surface like a bed or sofa for too long.
- Avoid using very hard surfaces like a wooden chair, stool, or bench. A firm but cushioned surface molds to your body somewhat and helps to support your hips when sitting.
All of these things help to balance the pressure to get rid of hip pain when sitting.
My Hip Hurts When I Sleep On My Side
If you have hip pain, you have plenty of company: Data show hip pain affects millions of Americans every year, and that includes hip pain due to injuries, arthritis, and other hip ailments.
Research also shows that sleep plays an important role in managing chronic pain. But if your hip pain is making it hard to catch those nightly Zs, you can find yourself caught in a difficult cycle: Sleep helps relieve chronic hip pain, but your hip pain can also interfere with sleep.
Our team at Texas Orthopaedic Associates offers patient-centered care for chronic hip pain, including medical treatments and lifestyle guidance for optimal relief. If hip pain is interfering with your sleep routine, heres what we want you to know.
Most Back Pain When Lying Down Is Still A Sprain Or Muscle Spasm
Most back pain is due to a simple problem such as a muscle sprain or spasm. Back pain may increase when lying down simply because the pressure is put on the injury.
Back pain after a fall may worsen when lying down for similar reasons or merely because of nasty bruising that responds to pressure. This kind of back pain typically resolves quickly with time, over-the-counter painkillers, and stretching.
You should still check with your doctor if you have back pain at night to make sure it is not a more serious problem.
If you have a fever or loss of bowel and/or bladder function, back pain is an emergency regardless of when it occurs.
What Causes Hip Pain When Sleeping On Your Side
There are several causes of hip pain when sleeping on your side.
No one person is exactly the same and neither is their hip anatomy. The shape of the hip sockets is different from person to person, some people may experience hypermobility issues, and it is also possible that your hip pain is residual from a past or current injury.
Chronic hip pain is something that is often associated with arthritis, bursitis, and osteoarthritis as well. That being said, one of the most common, yet easiest to overlook, causes of hip pain at night is having tight hip flexor muscles.
Your hip flexor muscles are also known as your iliopsoas. The iliopsoas consists of two muscles that overlap each other: the iliacus and the psoas muscles.
Because the iliopsoas muscles are used so extensively throughout the day, even when you are sitting, they can easily become tight enough to cause discomfort and can pull your hips out of alignment.
The stress on your hips does not stop when you lay down to sleep either. Especially for side sleepers.
You see, when you are lying on your side, your legs are usually stacked on top of each other – sometimes connecting at the knees and ankles. Depending on your mattress, the bottom hip may not experience much strain, but the top hip does.
If your hip flexor muscles are already tight, this additional nightly stress can cause hip pain when sleeping on your side.
Move Of The Month: Seated Pretzel
Stretches the buttocks, hips, and outer thighs.
Reps: 24
Hold: 1030 seconds
Starting position: Sit up straight in a chair and rest your left ankle on your right thigh above your knee. Place your hands on your thighs.
Movement: Keeping your spine neutral, slowly hinge forward from your hips until you feel a stretch in your left hip and buttock. Hold. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat with your right ankle on your left knee. This is one rep.
Tips and techniques: Keep your spine neutral, not rounded, and your chest lifted as you lean forward. Keep your shoulders down and back, away from your ears, as you stretch. For a deeper stretch, gently press down with the hand on your bent leg.
Where Is Your Hip Pain
Your hip pain can mean different things depending on where the pain is in your hip.
Hip pain on the outer part of your hip, upper thigh, or outer buttock while youre sitting is usually caused by the muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the hip.
If you have pain or discomfort on the inside of your hip or groin area when youre sitting, it might be due to a health issue in the hip bones and joint.
Sometimes pain in your lower back might be transferred to your hip when youre sitting. This is called referred pain.
There are many things that may be contributing to or causing your hip pain. Read on to discover what these causes mean and what you can do about it.
Uncomfortable Or Inappropriate Mattress And Pillows Or Sleeping Position
Sleeping in an uncomfortable position can be the cause of hip pain. Moreso, if you sleep in a position that wont allow you to move enough while sleeping, then your joints stiffen. And it will swell which will cause you to feel pain.
Another cause of pain while lying down is possibly the kind of mattress or pillows that you use. If your mattress or your pillows are either too soft or too hard, it could cause the problem. Not allowing your body to find a comfortable position can cause pain in the hips.
Ways To Manage Hip Pain When Sleeping On Your Side
While the best way to address hip pain of any kind is to get a diagnosis and understand the cause of the pain, it can also be beneficial to address some of the symptoms.
Even if you are receiving treatment for the underlying condition, hip pain when sleeping on your side can still occur. And sometimes, hip pain is worse at night.
So in order to get a good nights sleep, having a few ways to minimize your hip pain is a must, especially for side sleepers.
Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome
Weak muscles in your buttocks can strain the front of your hip as it tries to compensate for this weakness. This squeezes the tendons that attach your gluteal muscles to your hip bones and pelvis, and irritates your greater trochanteric bursa that sits between the bony lump on your thigh bone and the muscles and tendons that cover it. The resulting hip pain and tenderness, which is often worse at night, is called greater trochanteric pain syndrome .
How Common Is Hip Pain At Night
You might think hip pain is a lot more common during the day. After all, thats when your hips get the most movement. But the fact is, hip pain at night only is pretty common too. To some degree, whether you have hip pain at night depends on whats causing your pain to begin with. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of hip pain and stiffness, and unfortunately, those symptoms can follow you around all day and all night. Muscle strains and hip bursitis inflammation of tiny fluid sacs in the joint are other typical causes of hip pain.
Those sorts of pain tend to be more common during the day when youre bearing weight on your hips or using them for movement. Outer hip pain tends to be related to muscles, tendons and ligaments. Like arthritis, these symptoms are nearly as likely to occur at night as during the day. The important thing to remember is that no matter whats causing your hip pain and when it occurs, it needs to be evaluated. Having your hip pain properly diagnosed is the first step toward getting relief. Plus, early evaluation and treatment can prevent underlying problems from getting worse.