Charlie horse type pain in hip

Amie · Jan 16, 2014

Hey guys,

I've been sleeping comfortably on my sides now for about a week and I'm two weeks out from surgery (will be three weeks out on Monday). But the last two nights I've been getting a pain in my lower hip when I lay on my right side. The pain isn't near any incisions, it's right where my fat apron meets my hip. To me it feels like a charlie horse type pain and goes away once I lay on either my back or left side. I know, I know the only logical thing here is to NOT lay on my right side, but it's really hard. That's the side I automatically go onto when I'm fully asleep and it keeps waking my up. It's also not very comfortable to lay on my back as there's a pressure feeling in the center of my tummy when I do that. I have tried sticking a pillow or blanket under that spot to see if it helps and it seems to make the feeling happen quicker. I've also tried having my legs curled or straight and there hasn't been any relief. Has anyone experienced this before or have any advice for helping with the pain for when I happen to switch to that side during the night? Being so new I figure lots of these types of things will come and go as time goes on. But I'm having trouble finding relief for now.

Taterweight · Jan 16, 2014

Sounds like a pressure point issue. Have you tried a pillow between your knees/legs to rotate your hip a bit! Also a pillow along your back might lift the pressure off your hip and distribute it along your thigh better.

KathyF · Jan 16, 2014

I am a side sleeper but right after surgery I slept on my back using a wedge pillow to elevate my head. That seemed to work pretty well. I do tend to get pain in my hip when I sleep on my side so I bought a memory foam pad to put on top of my mattress and that seemed to help a lot.

Happy DSr · Jan 16, 2014

use lots of pillows! Tuck them in and experiment a bit to see what works for you. Some post-ops swear by a recliner for those early days. Pillows keeping me around 3/4 (halfway between laying on my back and laying on my side) worked best for me

hilary1617 · Jan 16, 2014

I don't know a way to help, but I can totally relate. I'm a side sleeper and every time I've had an abdominal surgery I've been unable to sleep in my normal position, making me restless and uncomfortable. I did use a pillow between my knees/thighs to change the angle of my legs and that helped a bit. I also used a stepstool to help me get in and out of my super-high princess-and-the-pea bed as twisting to get in it made everything hurt more... Hang in there.