Lateral hip pain is the wide term that is used to relate to the pain felt on the outer side of the hip. Pain can either begin suddenly or might evolve gradually with time and there are many people who encounter hip pain mostly during the night hours.
Hip pain is commonly found in women than men and is most common in women aged 40-60 years. The major cause of the pain could be an injury, although it could be due to other reasons as well.
In this article, we are going to explore the causes of hip pain along with the treatment options that are available and shall even take a look at a few tips that might go a long way in preventing hip pain at night.
Common Reasons for Hip Pain at night
We can’t just state one sole reason for hip pain at night as it can be due to a number of conditions that affect the hip joint, connected muscles and the tissue that surrounds it.
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome
The muscles surrounding the buttocks are called as gluteal muscles. Lack of strength in the gluteal muscles can cause the front of the hip to work harder to stabilize and support the rest of the joint.
This, in turn, results in the tendons attached to the gluteal muscles to the hip and pelvis to get squeezed, which causes acute pain in the hip area known as greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS).
GTPS notably involves the tendons and the fluid-filled sacs that surround the greater trochanter, which is the evident bony part of the hip. An injury to the tendons or sacs can result in pain and tenderness in the hip area, especially in the night.
Bursitis
Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs which act as cushions and help reduce friction at the hip joint. Bursitis is the condition that occurs when the bursae become inflamed. This inflammation, in turn, causes pain in the entire hip area and also extends up to thighs. It is a sharp, acute and intense pain which usually worsens at night.
Tendinopathy
Tendinopathy is a generic term used for referring to any disease that affects the tendons. Tendons present in the hip area are the ones that help attach the gluteal muscles to the hip and pelvis. As a team, they work together in stabilizing the pelvis and supports mobility of the hips in carrying out day to day activities like walking, climbing up the stairs, sitting down and standing up etc.
There are chances that the tendons present in the hip area get inflamed or broken down because of compression or overloading without having proper time to recover. This could be the main cause of hip pain during the night hours.
People who have the habit of sitting with legs crossed or standing putting the entire weight of the body on one hip could suffer from tendinopathy and hip pain.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is another main reason for experiencing hip pain during the night time. This condition occurs as a result of wear and tear of the tissues in the hip area, which occurs as one age.
As the tissue around the hip area, also known as cartilage starts eroding; the bones at the hip rub against each other that cause inflammation, swelling, and pain in the area.
The symptoms of osteoarthritis are stiffness and soreness of the hip which makes it difficult in carrying out the daily tasks by an individual, increasing his pain over time. Hip pain can extend itself to the buttocks and the leg area and impairs mobility, causing acute and chronic pain, especially during the night time.
Reasons Related to Exercise
People who perform strenuous exercise on a daily basis like soccer, running, dancing have found to be more vulnerable to the risk of hip pain. It could be due to various conditions like tendinopathy, bursitis or even injury in the iliotibial band, a band that connects the pelvis and the shin bone.
Fresh changes to the amount of exercise could also trigger pain or cause an injury in the hip area.
A few other causes
There are other factors listed below that could be responsible for hip pain at night:
- Age – Conditions like osteoarthritis and bursitis are most common in older adults. Women who are going through menopause are also at a higher risk of experiencing hip pain at night.
- Overweight and obesity – People who fall into the category of obese or overweight are more likely to have osteoarthritis as their joints have been stressed out dealing with more pressure from increased body weight.
- Accident or injury in the hip area – Hip pain could also be caused by an injury or an accident that resulted in the dislocation of the hip joints.
- Pain in the knee, pelvis or back – A person might undergo pain from other areas of the body surrounding the hip. For e.g. back pain can be due to pressure on a nerve that can make its way up to the hips.
Treatment Options
Changes in lifestyle along with exercise and sleep patterns can take individuals, miles ahead in treating his hip pain effectively. If the below-mentioned options do not work for you, you still have an option of pain management left.
Exercise
To make improvements to hip pain at night, people can follow the below tips:
- Do exercises that strengthen the hip, thigh, pelvis and gluteal muscles by moving the areas from side to side
- You need to take adequate rest from activities and exercises that stress out the hip and tendons, like running or hill walking.
- You can even switch to a lower impact activity like swimming or cycling from high impact activities like running or climbing up a hill
- Always warm up before doing exercises and cool down/relax properly post your workout session
- Appropriate footwear should be used while performing strenuous activities.
You can even take help of a physiotherapist to perform exercises that help increases hip strength and flexibility.
Sleep
At times, the position you sleep in could be the reason for your hip pain. So, making changes to your usual sleeping position can help improve hip pain to a great extent. You can try the below tips and see if it’s fruitful for you:
- It is always better to lie down and sleep flat on our back as it reduces the compression between the hips
- If at all you are accustomed to lying on one side, it is ideal to place a pillow between the legs to keep legs parallel and support the hips, pelvis, and spine.
It is important that you check the quality of the mattress that you are using. You can opt for a new mattress that could give you better support by distributing your weight more evenly thereby reducing the pressure on hips. Choosing the best mattress for back pain is not an exact science and different people adapt differently.
Changes in Lifestyle
One can make normal and simple changes in their lifestyle that can help reducing hip pain, especially at night:
- Do not sit for long durations of time with your legs crossed
- Do not make it a habit to push your hip onto one side putting the entire weight on it.
- Maintain a proper and a healthy weight
Pain Management
There are several ways in which hip pain can be relieved and controlled:
- One can make use of the over the counter anti-inflammatory medications available like ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin that helps a great deal in reducing hip pain by controlling the inflammation
- Visit this pain management Greenbelt MD and let the experts treat the pain.
- It is a good idea to apply an ice pack to the hip area post a strenuous workout session in order to prevent pain and swelling
- If your hip area is affected, then you can make use of heat pads or hot water bags to soothe the area for a couple of days
- One can even take corticosteroid injections in order to get temporary relief but this will not take care of what caused the hip pain.
- One can go in for medicated massages in order to relax and soothe the hip area
Hip Pain at Night during Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a phase when women experience sea changes in their body as well as their hormone levels. One main change could be the onset of pain in the hip and pelvis region as muscles and ligaments of that area relax and stretch before giving birth
While you are pregnant, the best sleeping position to follow is to lie sideways and not flat on your back. Experts suggest putting a pillow in between the legs that support the hips and the lower back area and also prevents rolling over.
A few rare causes of hip pain during pregnancy could be:
- A tear in the ring of cartilage that cushions the hip joint and holds the ball and socket joint together. Mending this tear might require surgery.
- It could also be due to a hernia due to added pressure on the abdomen during pregnancy
If you or your dear ones experience acute hip pain during pregnancy, then it is imperative that you consult your doctor.
Prevention is better than Cure
A few steps that can be taken by you in order to reduce the risk of having hip pain at night are as follows:
- Try and avoiding performing repetitive exercises that put a strain on the hips
- You have to lose weight if you are overweight or obese
- Exercise in a proper and safe manner to maintain strength and flexibility of the hip area
- It is important to wear good and appropriate footwear while doing exercise
When is it high time to see a doctor?
You should sort medical advice if your hip pain is persistent and last for a week or makes it way to the surrounding areas of the hip like knees, pelvis or lower back. If the drugs are not helpful in alleviating the pain, then you should consult your doctor regarding alternative methods of treatment.
Take home Message
In most of the cases, hip pain is not preventable and people can fall prey to it as a part of their aging process. One should perform moderate exercises on a daily basis, thereby maintaining a healthy weight in order to protect their bones as well as joints.
Anyone who is experiencing hip pain at night can make changes in their sleeping position or change their mattress. If pain still does improve, then one should consult a doctor immediately.