Hip Pain When Sleeping- When To See A Doctor

Irrespective of the cause of your hip pain when sleeping, it can make your sleep a nightmare. Hip pain at night is the cause of many factors including external and internal factors. Surprisingly how you sleep can also be a cause of hip pain during your sleep.

What Is Hip Pain?

Hip pain is the common terminology for pain sensed around or in the hip joint. It is also not always sensed in the hip alone but could instead be sensed in the thigh or groin.

Causes Of Hip Pain

Causes are many and again these can be divided into more common causes and less common causes. Along with these, a few types of conditions or injuries can lead to the pain in the hip. There’s also hip pain sciatica-an offshoot of the sciatica nerve.

More common causes;

Inflamed tendons or tendonitis that is the cause of extensive exercise which could heal in days.
Arthritis is the most common cause for long-term hip pain leading to other problems such as walking difficulties, tender and stiff joints, and other joint problems.
Trochanteric bursitis is also another common cause and it is the result of inflammation of the bursa.
RA another condition can also lead to this pain in women however, it can also cause hip pain in men.
Hip fractures and injuries are also major reasons, especially in aged people.

The other less common causes include;

Snapping hip syndrome
Osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis

What Causes Hip Pain When Sleeping?

Hip pain at night, the same as normal hip pain has many causes. One should also know that the causes of hip pain at night are sometimes different for general hip pain.

Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS): When the gluteal muscles around the buttocks have less strength it can lead to this pain. These muscles have to overcompensate for less energy leading to hip pain at night.
Bursitis: Bursae are small sacs which act like cushions to lower the rupture at the hip joint and when bursae are inflamed it leads to hip pain. This pain usually worsens at night.
Tendinopathy, a disease of tendons can also cause hip pain at night and this condition is the effect of breakdown or inflammation of tendons near the hip.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is also one more common reason for hip pain at night. This condition can be the cause of the “wear and tear” of the cartilage at the hip.
Exercise-related causes can also lead to hip pain at night. Other physical activities such as running, soccer, and dancing can also be the reasons.
Other major causes besides the above include age, overweight, obesity, accidents or injuries, back pain, knee pain, and pelvic pain.

[Also Read: Torn ACL in the knee]

Tips To Prevent Hip Pain When Sleeping

Here are a few steps that people can follow to lower the risks of falling prey to hip pain at night;

Avoid repetitive actions that lead to strain on the hips
Lose weight if you are obese or overweight
Maintain flexibility and energy at the hip joint by doing safe exercises
Make sure to sport proper footwear while doing exercises
Follow a correct sleep pattern
Try a warm bath before hitting bath, warm bath releases endorphins which are known as the body’s natural pain fighters
Follow some low impact exercises such as swimming, walking, and water exercise. Besides, give an attempt to yoga or tai chi
Don’t sit for long hours in a day
Change your sitting positions too often
Stretch your hips at regular intervals
Get massages regularly
Have you ever googled ‘Hip pain how to sleep’ if not then it is time you do it as your sleeping posture very much affects your hip pain at night? Try to figure out which sleep position is causing hip pain and don’t sleep in that position
You can also try wedge-shaped pillows or cushions. Place one under your hip
Sleeping with a pillow in between/under the knees is also one good idea, this will reduce stress on the hips
Ice or hot rubs can also make a difference. Massage using them on the hip region to avoid pain if you sense it can happen shortly

When To See A Doctor?

You need to see a doctor if you feel hip pain at night is disturbing you frequently and that the OTC drugs have only given you temporary relief.

To sum up, hip pain while sleeping is common, and will be subdued with simple lifestyle changes in case it doesn’t then you should doubt more serious issues that need immediate medical support.

Sudheendra Reddy

Sudheendra is a passionate blogger for 8 years and holds a Degree in Journalism & Mass Communications. His writings particularly focus on health, medicine, diet & lifestyle. For him, everything that interlinks and relates to health & medical world entices him. His write-ups aim at educating people not by just giving facts but by infusing human touch.