Hi, i haven´t been here for a long time!
i have a little problem every few days, nights, really.
i have my bed set at the firmest setting i can, but when i sleep on my sides, my hips hurt in the mornings. i know that its because they are somewhat bent throughout the night.
does any one know of any exercises i can do to help ease the pain. usually after i get out of bed it goes away, but the muscles are still a little cramped.

Is there a consistant pattern to the hip pain.. I mean, is it after a day of particularly vigorous activity and hip-bending?

Are any of your other joints affected at all?

Your joints are designed to bend, so that they are bent all night should have little bearing on why there is pain.

Does your family have a history of arthritis or other joint disease?

not that i can think of. i wonder if its from a lack of exercising my hips. i have to sit in the office most of the day. there is no history of such pain n my family.

Do you sleep with a pillow between your knees?

Try it. You might find that having your knees separated a tad may relieve a bit of pressure on the joint.

It will also help with the muscles.

Further, too hard of a bed is as bad (if not worse) for your hips, back and shoulders as a soft one. Finding one that has enough give so your spine is straight is sort of hard to do. We here switched to a thick futon made up of a 'solid' flannel core surrounded by micro-cell foam - it is a 'firm' mattress with a bit of give on the surface, all the aches and pains went away with that.

I would always suggest a feather bed on top of a firm mattress - unfortunately they are somewhat pricey but they are comfortable, like sleeping on a cloud.

Since there is stiffness of muscle, and you can basically walk it off, I think the problem may also lie in your not moving enough while you sleep.

If you have been sleeping heavier than usual, this means you will lay in one position much longer.

There really are no 'hip' exercises since the hips are joints, but there are leg exercises and stretches which may help to alleviate the problem - I would recommend googling 'Leg and Buttock exercises' There are loads of sites. Also try stretching exercises, limberness is a good thing.

Since you are sitting all day long, I would suggest if at all possible to get up more and stand, or just walk around your desk every hour to keep blood flowing and to loosen the muscles.

Again:

1. Try sleeping with a pillow between your knees
2. Try a softer setting on the bed.
3. Leg and Buttock Exercises.
4. Stretching and movement through out the day.

Cheers

David

If, after trying these measures you still have hip pain. You might want to see whether you have DJD (Dejenerative Joint Disease) in your hips. Stop eating chocolate, that sometimes increases the symptoms of that problem. Seeing a doctor may not be a bad idea also.