Hip pain when laying down

I had this same problem. I did PT and then went to an ortho who is not a surgeon. He showed me the bone spur on my hip, that showed in an x-ray. The other two docs I saw for this never saw it, not sure why. The bone spur presses on a nerve/muscle when I lie on that side.

I also wasn't sleeping and found that docs were not grasping that this pain happened only when I was lying down (though after awhile it radiated and lasted longer). I no longer do PT for this or take any meds. I try not to lie on that side. I think my brain has gotten used to avoiding it 75% of the time. Walking helps the pain, which is counterintuitive but it really does help me.

You may have an entirely different problem so just sharing mine!

Hi @longtermcaregiver

You may have some completely different issue causing your pain, but I had hip pain for years when sleeping on my side just because it's a pressure point. It hurt the minute I laid down and woke me up often as it became worse throughout the night. I have a rare neuropathy with pressure palsies so my body doesn't like pressure. I can only sleep on my left side for various reasons so the pressure is on that side all night.

Anyway, when I spent a little more money on a nice new soft pillowtop mattress and it was such a relief. It felt like a cloud. I will probably have to replace it within 5 years as it starts to get smashed down, but it's worth it to relieve that pain and pressure. I'm still not a good sleeper for many reasons, but at least it's not because of hip pain now. The old mattress also hurt my shoulder due to pressure, but hip the most. I also put two long pillows between my knees/legs all the way down and that really helps lower back issues when you sleep on your side. I had to test different pillows to find just the right fluffiness.

I tried buying soft toppers for my old bed, but they were hot to sleep on and didn't work as well.

I also tried a sleep by number bed and it just wasn't comfy to me no matter what the setting. And when my 3 dogs would jump in bed with me it displaced air and made it hard again. Their movement was a no win situation and woke me up on that bed. I returned it and the guy who picked it up told me they are not for everyone. He wasn't surprised. Sleep issues are so frustrating. Best of luck to you!

I had a second opinion and needed a hip replacement. He found holes in my hip and also bone on bone at one end.
Glad I got that second opinion because I just knew I shouldn’t be in that much pain. The first opinion was my neurosurgeon that worked on my neck. Clearly wasn’t the typ of surgeon that should have been commenting on my hip problems.

I also have a similar problem with pain however my pain could be related to BPH enlargement of the prostate. I’ve had a 3TMRI and no lesions were found and my Doctor says it’s not caused by an enlarged prostate however Web MD and other sites say it’s possible. Maybe it’s time for a 2nd opinion?

You haven't mentioned the cause of the pain, do you even know what's causing it? Injections help inflammation temporarily, Gabapentin does address neuropathy but side effects are pain cuz I'm taking it now 🙁 but you don't seem to indicate the cause. Have you had trauma to the hip, do you have arthritis, etcetera? By the way, I'm a 69-year-old side sleeper with chronic pain and after purchasing a new mattress a few months ago, my hip pain is drastically reduced! Nothing fancy but the best $1,000 I could spend.

Coincidentally I just relayed a similar story. The purchase of a new mattress recently has made a lot of difference. Not life-changing, but less pain is always good.

Looks like we all have different causes for the hip pain while sleeping and that a mattress makes a difference!

very interesting all the comments.

i wish i knew exactly what the source of the pain is. could be back/disc related, could be, what my PT calls trochanter syndrome, something like that. i've had MRIs, cat scans. xrays. injections in the hip joint, in the lower back. some of the injections have had temporary success. but, i'm very wary of tampering in an invasive way with my spinal cord area.
the mattress solution. - one thing, at least it doesn't cause permanent damage. there's no real downside, exept to my wallet.
in general, i would say, it is better to be young and healthy, rather than older and falling apart.

Well, I have hip pain in my right hip, when I lay on my right or left hip. It feels better when I lay on my stomach, but getting out of that position leaves me with back pain. I have a tempur-pedic bed, very comfortable but no effect on hip.
But I also have pain walking, but not bicycling (thankfully!) I have been diagnosed with trochanter bursitis. Still looking for some relief. Gabapentin 300/3x a day helped general fibromyalgia, but didn't touch the hip.

Some help: Thermacare joint pain therapy (picture has it applies to top shoulder)
Place it carefully on the most painful spot, and then pull on underwear or pants Carefully, since there are only 4 sticky points to keep it on your skin.

I have hip pain on my right hip, and my ex-husband refused to changes sides of the bed with me. So I got rid of him! Now I'm sleeping on my left side and no more pain !!! Plus I got an organic buckwheat hull pillow which is for side sleepers and puts your head in a really great position for sleep. I'm just great now !!!