After a long day, your schedule may not always permit you to relax in the evening. Instead, you may find yourself rushing home to relieve the stress of the day or tackling a bit of overtime. Regardless of the circumstances, lower back pain and hip pain are often the result of an improper postural habit or an injury. Consequently, the pain may persist even after you’ve gone to bed.
What does Lower Back Pain at Night Look Like?
If you experience lower back or hip pain at night, your symptoms are likely to be short-term and mild. You may feel a twinge or sharp pain, which usually subsides after a few minutes.
Most people with these symptoms simply experience modest lower back or hip discomfort, rather than serious pain.
When to Worry: You may be in serious pain if the pain: Persists for more than 24 hours
- Occurs with activity or movement
- Is accompanied by skeletal or nerve symptoms
- Occurs with nausea or vomiting
- Causes you to miss work or school
- Other symptoms: Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty swallowing
Signs and Symptoms of Lower Back Pain at Night?
Lower back pain may occur at any time of the day or night, but it is most common around bedtime. The pain can radiate into your buttocks and legs and may be accompanied by a “burning” sensation. The pain may wake you up from sleep, leaving you in a state of chronic fatigue even after you’ve gone back to sleep.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you may be experiencing lower back pain at night. However, lower back pain can also cause other symptoms, so it’s important to rule out other underlying causes of your pain.
The symptoms of lower back pain at night are often due to one of two causes: poor sleeping posture or an injury. To properly diagnose and treat your pain, it is essential that you understand the difference between the two.
Causes of Lower Back Pain at Night?
While the pain of lower back pain at night can be intense, it’s often due to one of three causes. These are poor sleeping posture, an injury, or stress. Let’s discuss each of these causes in turn.
- Poor Sleeping Posture
Poor sleeping posture is the most common cause of lower back pain at night. The pain may be due to one of two issues: an abnormal rotation of your spine or a herniated or bulging disc.
- A herniated disc is caused by pressure on the nerve root, which can be caused by the following:
- A poor sleeping position that places pressure on your back or a herniated disc.
- A job that requires you to be sitting for long periods of time, such as a desk job.
Sigma Bands are designed to correct sleeping posture, relieve lower back pain, and improve your quality of sleep.
- Injury
Injury can also cause lower back pain at night. The pain may be due to one of two issues: an irritation of the nerve root or an inflammation of the muscle tissue.
An irritation of the nerve root can be caused by one of two things: a herniated or bulging disc, or an injury to the root itself. If a herniated or bulging disc is the cause, then rest is your only option. However, if the injury is the source of your pain, then it’s essential to identify and treat the source of the irritation.
- Stress
Stress can also cause lower back pain at night. The pain may be due to one of two issues: an irritation of the nerve root or an inflammation of the muscle tissue.
An irritation of the nerve root can be caused by one of two things: a herniated or bulging disc, or an injury to the root itself. If a herniated or bulging disc is the cause, then rest is your only option. However, if the injury is the source of your pain, then it’s essential to identify and treat the source of the irritation.
Tips for Relieving Lower Back and Hip Pain at Night
Staying active is one of the best ways to relieve lower back pain and hip pain at night. While you can certainly take painkillers, over-the-counter medications, and even an opioid, you should remember that these will only mask the pain and leave you with a feeling of being out of options.
In truth, the best way to deal with pain is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. The best way to do this is to maintain a healthy back and a healthy body.
Here are some tips for relieving lower back and hip pain at night:
- If you experience pain in your lower back or hips, maintain an upright posture.
- If you have lower back or hip pain, sit up straight.
- If you have hip pain, lie on your good side with a pillow under your hip to keep it elevated.
- Keep your muscles relaxed, especially during the day.
Treatment of lower back and hip pain at night
Fortunately, there are several simple techniques you can use to relieve lower back and hip pain at night. Keep reading to discover how to relieve lower back pain and hip pain at night.
1. Keep Your Lower Back and Hips Extruded During the Day
You’ve spent the day slouching over a desk, hunching over your computer, or walking around with your shoulders rounded. All this poor posture is doing is pulling your lower back and hip tight muscles out of their normal resting position.
To prevent this, you must consciously try to keep your lower back and hip areas extruded or extended while you’re sitting or standing.
When your lower back is extruded, it creates a straight line from your tailbone or sacrum to the top of your head. Ideally, this is the position you want your back muscles to be in while you’re engaged in daily activities.
When your hips are extruded, they should form a 90-degree angle with your lower spine.
2. Stay in Neutral
As you lie in bed, avoid tensing or contracting your muscles. This will only cause your back and hip areas to spasm, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. Instead, maintain a neutral position and allow your muscles to relax.
3. Use a foam roller
Foam rollers can be used to roll out your back and hip areas after you’ve finished moving. To relieve lower back and hip pain at night, use a travel-friendly foam roller and lie on your stomach or side.
Roll the roller gently over your back and hip areas, focusing on the areas that hurt. After a couple of minutes, gently roll it along your other side.
4. Practice Simple Stretches
While the above techniques are helpful, they will provide only temporary relief. To permanently resolve your lower back and hip pain at night, you must adopt a series of simple daily stretches.
Most people don’t realize that stretching, while it may feel nice, is not a sufficient form of treatment for lower back and hip pain at night.
The only way to get long-term relief is to stretch out the tight, sore muscles. A stretching regimen, however, won’t provide any relief to the pain itself, so you must be careful not to overstretch.
5. Stop Doing Something That Caused the Pain
When your lower back or hip is in pain, avoid performing activities that make the muscle tense or contract. For example, if your lower back is in spasm, you shouldn’t sit or stand, so don’t make your job or schoolwork uncomfortable by slouching or hunching over.
6. Relax and reduce stress
Stress and anxiety can contribute to lower back and hip pain. If you’re experiencing pain, try to relax and reduce your stress levels. Take a deep breath, consciously relax your muscles, and focus on what you can do besides hurting.
Conclusion
In Summary, if you’re experiencing lower back or hip pain at night, it is important to identify and understand the symptoms. Furthermore, you should consult a doctor if they persist or are accompanied by other symptoms. Once the source of pain is identified, the following steps can help you to manage and relieve it:
Exercising during the day when the pain is milder can help you to keep the pain under control. Depending on the severity of your lower back or hip pain, you may find that taking an over-the-counter or prescription painkiller or muscle relaxer provides some temporary relief.
When using these medications, you should take them as directed and for the shortest period of time. Never share painkillers or muscle relaxers with others because they can lead to unsafe situations. Staying active and maintaining a healthy diet can help to prevent lower back and hip pain.
For chronic lower back or hip pain that does not improve with usage and does not get better with rest, a doctor visit should be considered. A visit to a doctor can help you to rule out other conditions and obtain further evaluation and treatment.
Remember, when dealing with pain, it’s important to identify and understand the source. In the case of lower back pain or hip pain at night, the source is often an injury or a misaligned vertebra.