Why Does My Hip Hurt At Night?

Do you suffer from hip pain that is worse at night & might even wake you up?
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1️⃣ Hip Bursitis: The bursa is a fluid filled sac that sits between soft tissue & bone. It's job is to reduce friction during movement. The one thing a bursa doesn’t like like is too much compression. Lying on your side can compress & irritate the bursa on the side of the hip. This can cause pain that starts off dull & aching then eventually patients describe it as burning or stinging pain. It’s often located on the side of the hip & can be painful or hot to touch.

2️⃣ Hip Osteoarthritis: Night time hip & groin pain that disturbs sleep is a common symptom of osteoarthritis. Activity keeps the joint lubricated while being still enables inflammation to pool & cause pain. Other theories include a reduction of the hormone cortisol at night which is peaks during the day which acts as an anti-inflammatory. Patients complain of not being able to get comfy & have to get up to move to relieve the pain. It can be as simple as medication is wearing off so this is worth looking at before anything else.

3️⃣ Spine Referred Pain: The nerves of the hip, groin & leg originate from the lumbar spine. A problem in the spine can cause referred pain including sicatica, piriformis syndrome & paresthetica meralgia. When a patient presents with hip pain in clinic I always check & clear the spine first.

4️⃣ Gluteal Tendinopathy: This often causes pain on the side of the hip. It can be a sign that you've pushed the tendons too far with movement or exercise. Activities like waking long distances, running , using stairs can overload the tendons. I often discourage sleeping of the painful side & to use a pillow between the knees. The pillow should keep your knee in line with the hip & stopping a long duration stretch over the tendons. This is a common symptom in peri & menopausal women.

5️⃣ Sleeping Position & Mattress: Equally a mattress that is too hard or soft can cause hip pain & not just on the side you're lying on. Try a mattress topper or a pillow between your knees before you shell out for a new mattress.

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