Are you experiencing pain in the hip at night and turning in bed and tossing the pillows to find some good position to have some sleep? A better way to get rid of this pain is first to try to know the reasons behind hip pain and then try to remove them, and there are maximum chances that you are going to get rid of it or at least find some relief for the time being. If the pain still persists or there are some more visible conditions associated with it than you are advised to immediately see your doctor or physiotherapist for advice.
Hip pain is a painful condition specifically at night as it becomes hard for you to get a good sleep which affects your performance the next day and overall health if continued for a more extended period of time. There are specific measures you can adopt for an immediate relief such as checking your sleeping habits, massaging, changing mattress or using knee pillows.
What is Hip Pain?
WebMD indicates five common areas which may be attributed towards a hip pain; “the thigh, inside of the hip joint, groin, outside of the hip joint [or] buttocks.”
Depending on the type of pain and additional visible symptoms you may need to contact your health care advisor for assistance.
You may be seeking a simple home remedy for some instant relief in pain before going to a doctor, but it is a sleep advice to dig out the reasons behind the pain which might be helpful in getting rid of the hip pain or having some relief in it.
Hip Pain – Possible Causes
There are particular reasons, or a condition which may be the reason behind your hip pain, getting to the actual root cause is going to be helpful in getting rid of it.
- Poor mattress
- Wrong posture while prolonged sitting or sleeping
- Osteoarthritis
- Stiff lower back
- Tight muscles
- Age Factor
- Obesity
- An injury or accident
- Pregnancy or gynecological issues
- Sciatic pain
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
While some of these reasons can be relieved by some home remedy, you still need to check if the hip pain is accompanied by one or more of the following signs you should immediately seek medical advice.
- A deformed joint
- Intensive pain
- Unable to move or bear the load on any joint or leg
- Inflammation, swelling or redness on a joint or body area
- Sign of an Infection, fever or chills
- Any unusual sound in joint movement
5 Tips to Alleviate Hip Pain at Night:
We will be discussing some useful home remedies which can help eliminate or reduce the hip pain at night so that you can get some immediate relief from pain and hence a good nights’ sleep.
- Adopt RICE Method:
RICE stands for “Rest, Icing, Compression and Elevation.” RICE is a useful and tested home remedy for relieving hip pain. We need to apply these four steps for pain relief.
- Rest – It means to rest from the activities which seem to cause the pain such as running, exercising, lifting weights, etc. A rest period of at least 24-48 hours is a must, and after a rest, you can resume the activity in a reduced and gradual manner.
- Icing – Using an ice pack to ease the pain and inflammation in the pain area. You can use a towel to reduce itching and apply it 10-15 minutes 4-5 times a day.
- Compression – wrapping around a thick bandage around the joint or area with reasonable tightness.
- Elevation – Elevate the hip with a pillow or a folded blanket or cloth to ease the pain. If you find difficult, you may use pillows below ankle, knee or feet whichever is helping you get relief from pain. You can also pillow between the knees if required.
- Replace the Mattress:
If your mattress is the culprit behind all these sleepless nights of yours than consider replacing it with some other mattress which is more comfortable for your back and sleeping position. Try getting one having more firmness and back support.
- Correct Sleeping and Sitting Position:
You need to recheck your sleeping position if that is a cause of your hip pain. You may also need to consider your sitting posture when you are doing it for prolonged durations such as office work or driving. A sleeping or sitting position which is not having appropriate support for back and hip is going to cause you hip pain.
You might consider adding support to your back and hip by using pillows or sitting aids.
- Healthy Sleep and Exercise Routine:
Good sleep advice is to have a good routine of sleep and exercise. Good sleep hygiene is actually following a good bed routine daily. Make a timed habit of going to bed and waking up every day and stick to it.
Avoid sleeping pills, use of electronics in the bedroom and any other distraction which can disturb your routine. Hip stretching before sleep, in the morning and before any other light exercise is useful.
- Try OTC Pain and Anti-Inflammation Medicines:
You can try taking help from over the counter pain and anti-inflammatory medicines in consultation with your doctor. A mild painkiller or muscle relaxant may be helpful in having a good sleep but avoid using these medicines for long duration or without consultation with your doctor.
Some additional tips for hip pain relieve are,
- Physiotherapy
- Massaging
- Applying heat using a hot water bottle
- Walking on a flat surface or shallow water (avoid running)
- Swimming
- Yoga
If conditions still persist you need to see your doctor for a permanent medical treatment which may involve some surgery as deemed appropriate by the physician.