Hip pain in bed

creakyjoints

Hi, I've got problems with quite a few joints but one thing is puzzling me. My hips are not very often painful when I am walking or doing other activities but they really hurt in bed at night. I wake up several times in the night (sometimes with a yell!) feeling as is someone has either been trying to pull my legs out of their sockets or push them in. I just wondered if anyone else suffers from this and if anyone has an explanation and/or tips to help. Things like a pillow between my legs don't work for long because I think I am a very mobile sleeper.

dreamdaisy

Some people find that extra warmth in bed helps to settle their painful joints, this can be provided by a memory foam mattress topper, an electric blanket or lying on a folded duvet under your bottom sheet but I run far too hot for any of that. I am a natural right-side-sleeper, I find a lengthwise pillow good for my upper hip, upper knee and upper ankle; I agree that it doesn't work for long (for me thanks to pain-breakthrough) but I just take two more cocodamol and turn over, which is not as comfy but I eventually nod off thanks to mental distraction exercises (alphabet lists are my favourite form of those). I no longer move naturally in my sleep - in fact if I have a better night the morning is absolute h*ll thanks to everything seizing. DD

creakyjoints

Thanks DD. Yes, the softness and warmth thing works for me, but I am really curious as to why my hips should hurt so much in bed at times when they are not painful in the day. Please has anyone got any answers???

stickywicket

When did you last change your mattress / bed? I think they reckon they only last 10 years or so. Yours might be too soft and unsupporting but it's scary buying a new bed. It's essential to abandon all dignity and lie down on some for some time in the showroom as this is a big expense.

If you put 'mattress' into the AC search engine I expect lots of former threads on this subject will come up. Unfortunately we're all different in what works for us. I swear by my 3/4 double sprung with 1/4 memory foam one. (It could be 2/3 and 1/3.)

It's not easy.

dreamdaisy

I don't think there is any rhyme or reason why things hurt when they hurt. Many find that their pain is aggravated at night, maybe due to the strains of the day 'coming home to roost', maybe because of pressure on the joints as we lie, maybe because at this time of year the nights can be much colder, maybe because the peace and darkness of the early hours lacks the distractions of daylight, maybe a mixture of all those factors. Who knows? I certainly don't! I gave up searching for reasons years ago but then I live with the unpredictability of an auto-immune arthritis, at least with my OA I can exercise some degree of control over how 'good' or 'bad' it can be. DD

bubbles

Hi there,
Lots of good advice from our lovely friends. Has your GP every suggested amitriptyline, it is quite helpful when it comes to restless legs and also helps with pain management. I know that, in itself, is a matter of trying various combinations of pain relief, to see which works best, sadly it is far from an exact science.

The main cause of hip pain starts with the mattress not being suitable. Also, our joints swell at night, which does not help, maybe anti inflamatories would help too. A full length body pillow are used by many people, with good effect.
Might also be worth seeing the physio, as they can recommend simple excercises that will strengthen your hips and lower back.

I hope you find relief from the pain very soon, maybe a trip to the bed center as a start, but do really try ones that you think might be suitable. I have made the mistake of sitting on the edge and saying "oh, it's fine".

XX Aidan

bubbadog

I do suffer with hip pain terribly when I'm trying to sleep in bed, firstly my mattress is pretty new and is changed round every 6 weeks, OH insists on doing it so memory foam doesn't loose flexibility. I'm a very light sleeper so when my hip starts to hurt one side I change sides and it takes a while for me to get back to sleep. My night goes sleep on one side, pain change sides. Sleep on that side pain change to sleeping on back and so the cycle starts again!! That's how my sleep goes until I can't get back to sleep.

frogmorton

Poor you creakyjoints,

Mine does too ATM for some reason. I think it's partly because we aren't doing anything and no distractions are available.

I take anti-inflams before bed. Do the pillow thing and sometimes add a wheatbag.

If it's keeping me awake I read for a while, which distracts me a little.

Love

Toni xxx

creakyjoints

Thanks everyone for your replies. My mattress is nearly new but doesn't seem as comfortable to spend a night on as to test for a few minutes. So I got a thick memory foam topper online but I don't think it is real memory foam and it seems quite hard so I have gone back to my down topper on top of that'
I take amitriptylene, which helps but I don't take anti-inflammatories very regularly because I found Naproxen didn't help so went back to Diclofenac on the understanding that I would only take them when necessary because of the greater risks. of heart attack and stroke. I suppose I will just have to take them more. Anyway every drug they have changed me onto over the years they have later decided is risky anyway!
The long pillow would probably be a good thing to get and yes, I really must go to a physio and do more exercises. :oops:

[Deleted User]

Hi Creakyjoints

Here is a link to the last time mattresses came up on the forum as a subject: http://arthritiscareforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=46660

There, Stickywicket provided a couple of links that could prove helpful plus a link that searches the forums for you.

Best wishes
Brynmor

dreamdaisy

I have a Tempur pillow and for the first few weeks that was quite hard but over time it has softened. I have to sleep with it wrapped in a towel because it makes me very hot.

When we bought our beds last year we spent around forty five minute lying on them in the showroom; I took my Kindle with me and sat and read that, lay down and read it, turned on my side and was so comfy I nearly dozed off! It's where I tried the pillow too. I hope you can find the solution that suits you. DD

tkachev

I suffer from this as my left hip needs replacing. It frequently wakes me up and it can be agony trying to move it. I believe it is the worn out hip locking into bone. I currently get a crunching/clicking sound in my back when I turn over, which I thought was my back but could actually be my hip.


MY mattress is now 12 years old so may be it needs replacing too but I'm sure its because the hip is worn.

Elizabeth

barbara12

Hello creackyjoints..I have had both my hips replaced and must say I didn't get any relief with the mattresses I tried..only a little with a feather topper..but I agree with Aiden maybe try the amytriptalin, it was the only thing that help me get a good night..

applerose

I get hip pain which is worse in bed. The physio said the pain was actually coming from my lower back. It's because I had been bending over to pick things up and I sit too much in the evenings. It is easier when I do the exercises and don't sit for more than half an hour (easier said than done). I find a pillow between my knees helps a lot but it's not easy turning over.