Symptoms Question: hip pain at night lying on side
A not uncommon question I hear, what to do about when you have a hip pain at night lying on side? One thing that clients often tell me is that their hips or bony, too wide, or the surface too firm. Another reason given is an injury somewhere in the joint.
Over time, there can be degeneration in the joint, or injury from accidents, but hip pain can also come about through inefficient movement patterns under stress, that strain the hip.
Also, let’s look at what happens when you lie on your side. The bones of your hips and shoulders are naturally wider than your waist. So when you lie on your side, and rest comfortably, your spine should naturally be able to bed like a bow to distribute the pressure across your whole side, and allow your legs to come together. This in turn involves coordination of muscles in your torso that also coordinate your legs and how you rest.
Many times, there are various reasons you develop habits where you lose that mobility.
So what can you do?
The first and common recommendation, that I agree with, is to put a pillow between your knees. When your legs stay hip distance apart, these puts less demand on your spine to bend when it can’t, and takes stress off your hip. Also having an appropriate pillow under your head, one in which you feel comfortable, can also help. The body has difficult recovering under maximal strain, and I always support people who need to use a pillow while sleeping, to do so.
After that, however, there is more, and this is relearning to be more comfortable. You have the ability to learn to coordinate and balance your spine hips and head more comfortably. This will ultimately distribute effort and take strain off your hip. In Feldenkrais this occurs through a gentle process of reestablishing connection across the spinal chain.
Stay tuned for more information. In the meanwhile, check out how Feldenkrais works for pain relief and learn more about sessions.
