Just as you slipped into a deep slumber, sudden pain shoots up and you find yourself writhing in pain. The pain that you experience makes it nearly impossible to fall asleep. Sleeping while lying on your side can cause, Severe hip pain that if not treated at an early stage can only get aggravated
What exactly do you mean by the hip?
The hip is the part of your body, found on each side of the pelvis that is just below the abdomen. Your thighs are extensions of the hip. Severe pain in the hip region is what we are going to talk about in this article. A major cause of this excruciating pain is due to one’s sleeping patterns. When you fall asleep out of consciousness and are mobile, there is a swelling of your muscles and hip joints which engenders pain in that particular region.
Woman with back pain
The best way to sleep?
The sleeping position and pattern of sleeping have a strong correlation to the quality of sleep that you enjoy. You might enjoy curling up in the fetal position or prefer a staff all where you are lying on your stomach and hands are tucked under the pillow or even the soldier position. It is important to find out whether your sleeping position suits you or if it is causing problems for you. For example, sleeping in the soldier position causes lower back pain to many.
Causes of Hip Pain At Night Lying On Side:
Bursitis:
The sacs that surround your hip region are called Bursae. The bursae act as shock absorbers and cushions which reduce friction at your hips
Inflammation of the bursae causes Bursitis. This can cause tremendous pain in your upper thigh and also in the upper and outer part of your hip. The intensity multiplies during the night.
Overworking your body with excessive exercising:
As the world opens up after the pandemic, you might be exercising Intensely as you try to shed out the quarantine wait. However, over-exercising can be really harmful and can lead to the inflammation of various parts of the body.
Tendinopathy:
Tendons that are present in the hip connect the gluteal muscles to the hip and pelvis. This facilitates proper hip mobility while walking, doing our daily tasks as it props up the pelvis
However, when the tendons are stressed they might cause shooting pain in your hip.
Sleeping position:
As mentioned earlier your sleep position matters a lot. Once you have figured out a good sleeping position for yourself that is comfortable and at the same time conducive to your body, a few things need to be checked. It is important that you ensure you have a comfortable mattress that is right for you and a good quality pillow to prop your head up. Also one can try setting a pillow between the legs to ensure that the hips are rightly aligned.
Age:
One of the biggest causes and perhaps an inevitable cause of hip pain has to be aging. Problems like osteoarthritis and hip bursitis are also caused due to age. The older age group commonly suffers from these diseases. Women in the phases of menopause are also prone to night hip pain. The throbbing pain in the hips may even persist post the menopause period.
Obesity:
Obesity is a common cause of hip pain due to the increased stress on the hip muscles. Hence regular exercises can greatly reduce the pain as it relaxes the muscles and reduce the stress.
Pregnancy:
Many women during the phases of pregnancy experience aching hip pain. A pregnancy pillow used while sleeping can be helpful. Even trying to do some general exercises can help reduce the pain as it relaxes the muscles. Perhaps the way that a pregnant woman has to bear, might cause a lot of pressure on the hip, the spine, and the sciatic nerve. Thus it is important that she wears comfortable and supportive shoes, takes a hot water bath, and adopts a very relaxing routine.
Treatments for Hip Pain At Night Lying On Side:
Getting off the couch and exercising:
indulging in proper and monitored exercise can do wonders. It will not only cause a reduction in your pain but also allow you to have a good sleep. You might consult a physical trainer for specific exercises to get rid of hip pain. One exercise that you can try doing is stretching your body, doing hip stretches so that your body’s muscles relax and you game flexibility.
To avoid hip pain at night, you must resort to regular exercise. Ensure that during your exercise routine you were comfortable clothes and wear supportive shoes. Ensure that you focus on the hip, pelvis, thighs, and gluteal muscles.
A word of caution: If you have severe hip inability, we highly recommend that you seek expert advice. Ensure that you have a proper warmup regime in place before diving into the exercises. Also, ensure that you do not bring your exercise routine to an abrupt end.
Sleeping Hygiene:
A good night’s sleep does wonders for you. In order to reduce stress on your hips, while working on your sleeping position you can also try using knee pillows.
To avoid restless sleep, ensure that you have a fixed schedule for sleeping and waking up. It is highly advised that you don’t consume OTC sleep aids and say no to alcohol before going to bed. Try avoiding too much screen time especially before going to bed. You can also check out our article on the weird things that happened to us in the night.
Following a good sleep, hygiene pattern ensures that you have reduced instances of experiencing hip pain. The night hip pain can also be curbed by ensuring that you have a pillow between your legs to ensure that the hip pelvis and spine are aligned well.
More pain calls for cooling:
Once you have identified the region where your hip pains, you can use an ice pack. This relaxes muscles and can alleviate inflammatory pain.
Icing the pain-causing place can lighten the burning sensation. Icing for 15- 20 minutes can ease the sore hip’s intense pain and bring you out of inflammation. Doing such physical therapy can address hip pain, trigger pressure points, and can give you immediate relief. A good warm bath with bath salts can also do wonders alongside a relaxation routine in place. This does not just help ease pain but at the same time also can do wonders for your physical and mental health.
Take medications:
You can take some inflammatory medications if you can’t find relief from pain through exercise.
It is advisable that you refrain from using medicines for a long time. Instead, consider going to a physician if the pain does not go away. Overusing medicines can leave you with several unwanted side effects.
You can consider using Non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs to control pain and inflammation. Some medicines like ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin do a great job to prevent hip pain.
Consult an Expert:
It is integral that when you have a deep pain that is causing you restless nights and is beyond bearable, you take immediate action. If this pain is persistent despite medication and regular exercises, you might have to seek the help of her professional doctor or even a physical therapist. Sometimes the pain might be so severe that it might even Continue despite practicing regular exercise, icing, and other methods.
Be very cautious if you have to take hip injections especially with regards to the amount of dosage that needs to be taken. You can also try radiofrequency ablation therapy to Sood on your nerves. There is a novel therapy called TENS unit technology which uses electric current to reverse the disturbing signs of pain. You might also consult your doctor for cases where the hip pain is regular. It is integral that this is done as of conditions like hip osteoarthritis and hip bursitis must be subjected to medical care at the earliest for faster and better recovery.
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