Do you suffer with lots of pain in the hip after prolonged sleeping in a side posture? You’re certainly not alone. The cause may be bursitis and this can occur either with the hip/leg on top, or the one that is pressured against the mattress. Hip bursitis can either be acute or chronic hip bursitis.
WHAT IS BURSITIS?
Bursitis is dysfunction in the fluid-filled sac (bursa) that normally provides buffering and lubrication for tendons gliding over a joint. It is often caused by new or old injuries or can be a result of lack of important nutrients to the joint. Acute Bursitis is inflammation of the sac and perhaps over-production of fluid (swelling). Chronic bursitis actually presents with dryness, lack of fluid and poor lubrication for movement of tendons.
HIP PAIN ON THE DOWNSIDE
Although there are many facets of treatment and self-care for bursitis of the hip joint, a pressure point relieving, supportive foam mattress is one very important aspect of treating it. REASONING: (1) It is important to not have pressure on the inflammed bursa while lying on that side. (2) Additional to excessive pressure, poor mattresses lack support and often sag or hammock. That places an undesirable stretch on the muscles associated with the hip on the downside, thus irritating the bursa and impeding healing. One might wake up with pain, clicking, stiffness and limited mobility which may lessen after being up and about for awhile.
HIP PAIN ON THE UPSIDE
Alternatively, your pain may occur in the hip that faces upward. I know this seems sort of odd, but it is actually quite common. REASONING: (1) In most people, their hips are wider apart than their knees. This is especially true in women. This anatomical truth can create tension on hip muscles as the knees come together and stretch such muscles. (2) Or perhaps, one stretches their leg out in front of them twisting the spine and pulling on hip muscles. In those with bursitis, this can wreck havoc with the sensitive bursa. (3) Of course, a supportive, pressure relieving mattress is advisable to prevent excessive hip rotation.(4) However, in this case it is often advisable to also utilize a nice space occupying pillow between the knees. The pillow should be soft enough to not impede circulation but substantial enough to maintain a distance between the knees perhaps equal to the width of the hips. Please note that hip bursitis often is complicated by a component of hip tendonitis which may also be alleviated with the advice of this article. Please also note that this is not the panacea of care for hip bursitis. Functional care involving nutrition, stretching, strengthening and physical medicine are advisable but beyond the scope of this article.
HELPFUL SLEEP SOLUTIONS FOR HIP BURSITIS
Mattresses to consider:
- Nimblepedic Memory Foam Mattress
- Pincore Latex Foam Mattress
- Or, if your mattress is extremely firm, it likely causes pressure points and will actually bend the spine. In such cases, instead of a new mattress, one may consider a memory foam mattress overlay for firm mattresses.
Pillows to consider:
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This is really good article. My one of the friend has a problem in sleeping positions. I am searching a good article on that. Thank god finally I got very good article on this. I am going to give this article to him. I am sure it will sure help to him.
ReplyDeleteI wake through the night with terrible pain in my hip joint, after turning over I wake again with the same pain in the other hip. I have been sleeping on a so-called memory foam mattress for the past five years. My husband has no problems with the mattress. Can you please advise me.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the hip pain issues for the lady in the previously posted comment...
ReplyDeleteWell, I should start by saying that women inherently have more hip problems while side-sleeping because the anatomy of a woman is such that her hips are usually quite a bit wider than her waist. The greater degree of discrepancy creates more issues with such. That may explain why your husband is just fine. That being said, I good quality memory foam mattress like Nimblepedic or Tempurpedic should help resolve the pressure issues associated with such. Perhaps you do not have one of these brands, or the brand you have is now worn out after 5 years. I'm assuming since you mention that you have suffered for a few months, that prior to that you were not having such symptoms. I am also assuming that these hip pains are worse at night, resulting from sleep position or mattress and that upon awakening, symptoms improve throughout the day. If this is not the case, the symptoms may not have anything to do with your mattress. On the other hand, if my assumption about such is correct, you either need to update your mattress, improve the quality of your your memory foam mattress, and/or examine the exact positioning of you your sleep position. You may need to add a thick, but pressure reducing pillow between you calves and knees to space your knees apart so that the outside of your thighs in line with the width of your hips. I would suggest our Nimblepedic Comfort pillow that you can order here: http://www.backbenimble.com/memory-foam-pillows.htm#comfort
Trying this may be the best thing to do initially. However, ultimately, if this does not work you likely need to replace your mattress with one that is still relieving the pressure points. Again, I would recommend our Nimblepedic Mattress at:
http://www.backbenimble.com/nimblepedic-mattress.htm
I hope this is helpful info for you
I have problems sleeping on my right side. My right hip hurts constantly. If I sleep on my left side, the right side hurts but not as much. I used to sleep on a memory foam mattress for years and I had no pain, but then the mattress starting sagging and sleeping on either side was painful. Six months ago we bought a new mattress a Prana and the pain is still there at night. We paid an arm and a leg for this mattress and I really do not know what to do. We did not buy the firmest or the softest, but one in the middle. I take two Aleve at night to help with the inflamation and yet still feel the pain. Do you think it is the mattress?
ReplyDeleteDEAR ANONYMOUS FROM JAN 29TH
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are suffering from one of two following conditions:
1st and most likely: "Trochanteric Tendonitis/Bursitis"
2nd: Sacro-iliac Joint Dysfunction
With the wrong mattress or wrong sleep postures, both of these conditions may very likely cause discomfort, whether you sleep on your right or left side. When the right side is down, the pressure on the right S/I joint and/or hip joint will elicit pain. When lying on your left side, the tension and stretch placed on the tendons, bursa and gluteal muscles will exhibit less pain, but pain of a different type nonetheless.
From what I know the core of the Prana mattress is latex foam and the cover has only a negligible amount of memory foam. Although latex does have some pressure relieving qualities, it is not as great as that of memory foam and probably Prana wasn't the best choice for your particular problem. That is not to say it is not good for back problems, but may not have the pressure reduction necessary for your hip condition. I would suggest you take a look at a "memory foam topper made for comfort and pressure point relief". I usually recommend the Nimblepedic brand, simply because I developed it and know the quality, but any similar one should help resolve your issues. Now, that being said, it does not solve what happens when you sleep with your left side down. For that you need to sleep with a fluffy, soft, pillow placed between your knees while you are sleeping. This will take the pressure off the right hip or s/i joint by keeping your knees apart, reducing the tension on the abducter muscles, TFL and gluteal muscles. Hope this advice is helpful to you.
Could weight be a factor in hip pain also? I used to get hip pain in bed when I was pregnant, and now a year and a half later I am getting it again. I'm definately not as big as when I was pregnant, but I was just curious if it is the extra pounds I put on. Also, my siactic nerve hurts sometimes as well. Is that related? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHip Pain and Your Weight:
ReplyDeleteCertainly, carrying extra weight plays a huge factor in problems with all weight-bearing joints, of which the hip joint qualifies. However, it is probably not the only cause of the issues; and so further diagnostic measures should be employed to prevent further advancement of the condition.
For the past several years I've been waking up several times during the night with extreme hip pain. I added a thick memory foam matress pad to my bed two years ago and I was still suffering from hip pain. I came across this article and got a small between the knee pillow for Christmas. This magical little pillow has solved my hip issues - so far I've been able to sleep pain free.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to be able to help you with my recommendations. Be Well!
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