And now hip pain, please tell me how you manage to sleep at night as my GP can’t.

[NotAgainWilson]

*Disclaimer: I have been waiting for a GP appointment for MONTHS. So I am looking for practical advice from those who have been there while I wait for my turn**

Now that is cleared, I am struggling to sleep at night with hip pain, whatever position I get my self in, it becomes unbearable after an hour or so.

I have tried different mattresses, I am using a knee pillow, sometimes replaced by a proper pillow, have tried to sleep on both right and left side, facing up (my back hurts), on my tummy (ditto) but I am still spending most of the night awake with pain.

I have tried accupuncture (helped for a bit), doing Pilates for hip pain (it is helping, I can walk more but the pain at night is very much present all the time). I have lost weight (about 10 pounds), I’m still overweight (blame the menopause) but not massively over weight).

Does anybody can suggest other stuff to try before my blooming GP has an appointment available? (Everytime I ask they tell me it will be at least another 9 weeks so we are getting to 6 months now).

From what you describe, it sounds like arthritis of the hip.

Yikes! I hope it really is not that! I have arthritis on my toes and one hand! The other reason I asked for an appointment is because one of my feet folds inwards at night so I can only walk on the external side of it when I wake up (I can walk on the sole of the foot about half an hour or so of moving around)

Can you see a physio? It was the physio who gave the most help when I hurt my sacroiliac joint. The exercises helped relieve things in a couple of weeks along with physio led Pilates and I saw an osteopath. Sleep has always been hit or miss for me.

Try looking for Tom Morrison's videos about hips on YouTube.

OP you need an appointment and a proper plan from the GP. It sounds like this is getting worse and now you have a new onset of significant hip pain at night.

If you can't get seen at the GP surgery tomorrow morning, then you need to speak with the practice manager. When you call, be clear and factual that you have significant hip pain and issues with walking. Don't derail with mentions of menopause etc

Thanks for the suggestion, I don’t even know what bursitis is but I will make sure I mention to the GP when I manage to see them.

I thought it may not be bursitis as I am able to do exercises that would be painful for people with bursitis (according to the Pilates videos I am doing).

I really hope they send me for a scan or at least an X-ray, but my hopes are not high.

@NotAgainWilson The turned in foot does very much sound like rheumatoid arthritis. Please push for a set of bloods at least. It could also be fairly advanced osteoarthritis, especially if it’s present elsewhere.

Curable app.

No diagnose, just exercises to do and the recommendation to use a knee pillow. 🤷‍♀️

I'm limping around with sciatica at the moment. Could it be that? If so, I'm finding YouTube videos on stretches help, albeit temporarily.

Have you tried Bio-freeze? I had terrible back / hip pain and each time I turned over in bed I woke up. Tried pillow between legs and it almost helped? Then I tried 1 cuprofen, anti histamines and bio freeze and it’s so much better I can actually almost sleep a whole night. Took about 2 weeks to manage it

My GP knows nothing, I am afraid, as they have no appointments available.

There are other symptoms, like the turned foot at night I mentioned above and my back felt very very stiff before I started the Pilates.

I don’t know if this is related or not but, I have had a very painful upper arm for about three years now. They told me it was frozen shoulder, I have regained mobility, it is not perfect, I get a very sharp pain if I move it in the “wrong” direction and cannot stretch it properly but it is miles better than it was. Interestingly, not even for this I was able to get a proper appointment, they just told me, over a telephone appointment, that it was likely to be frozen shoulder and that it would go on its own in about 6 months so I booked myself with an osteopath and started accupuncture as well as a series of some Chinese massage that worked wonders.

Ring 111.

Tell them that you are in pain at night and can't sleep

Ask for a GP appointment

Definitely not sciatica, but I am doing the stretches for sciatica as part of the other videos.

I have chronic pain.

What works for me:

A selection of pillows. I actually use the pregnancy wedge pillows.

Drugs. Ibuprofen plus paracetamol, you can also buy co-Codamol at the pharmacy which is paracetamol and codeine mix.

Hot bath before bed (or even in the middle of the night if necessary)

I use a gel ice pack and lean on it until the area is numb, that lasts long enough to fall asleep. I’m waiting for HRT, nothing else helps.

Thanks for that, I will look into that once I know what is going on 🙏🏼

You poor thing - it sounds like you really need some proper help and you are just being fobbed off at every turn. Not proud of what I am about to say but have you considered going to A & E and presenting with some kind of dvt symptoms. I don't say this lightly but you very obviously need help.

I had really bad hip pain. A scan for arthritis found nothing. Physio helped a bit but still there. Walking more, pillow between legs, $ on supplements and a healthier diet did nothing.

Starting HRT, trying to sleep more on my back, stopping sitting with my legs crossed and doing more cycling with my saddle in a different position helped get rid of it (fingers crossed). It may even have been the saddle in the wrong position that started it in the first place.

Have you looked at how you sit?

I sleep sitting up, due to hip pain.

I go to sleep lying down normally (having taken two ibuprofen...) but after 4-5 hours the ache in my hip wakes me up. I pile up all the pillows to prop me up and go back to sleep. I've been doing this for awhile so getting back to sleep is quick.

Suspect arthritis, really need to discuss with GP but I've had other more urgent issues to discuss so this hasn't yet made it to the top of the list.

I have hip pain from an old sacroiliac injury.
Starting at the gym and doing lots of deep squats helps a lot. And this stretch

Sorry to hijack OP. Please can anyone put a link to the Evorel they are using.

So you aren't taking any painkillers?! Surely that is the most obvious thing to try...?

You can buy codeine OTC with paracetamol or ibuprofen. You would only need to take them at night and can help sleep too.

Evorel is prescription only HRT patches.

Hmm. I crossed my legs when sitting on the sofa but definitely do not when sitting at the desk or driving. I have not been on my bike for years but was planning to start using it again as my new job is only about a mile from home. Can you tell me more about the seat position? I normally keep the seat high enough for just the tip of my toes to touch the ground.

I'd be querying their qualifications and expertise.

That's just ridiculous.

I agree you need to see your GP.
You can't possibly be asked to wait 9 weeks for an appt!

If you have general aches and pains all over (which is what you've said in other posts) you need a proper assessment and a referral possibly to a rheumatologist.