Four ways a physical therapist can help address hip pain at night

If you experienced increased hip pain at night, there can be a few possible explanations. For starters, while you’re sleeping you aren’t moving around. This can cause your hip joints to swell, leading to stiffness that causes pain when you wake up. Hip pain at night can be frustrating because it makes falling asleep more difficult, and it can even wake you up during the night. 

Are you wondering how to help manage your hip pain at night? Physical therapy offers numerous methods that can help naturally alleviate your hip pain.

Four physical therapy techniques that can help your nightly hip pain 

Here are four of the most common techniques that a physical therapist may recommend for managing hip pain:

• Therapeutic exercise — Exercise is a great first step toward fighting musculoskeletal pain. This is because therapeutic exercises can strengthen the muscles that support your hip joints. Stronger muscles can help reduce tension in the hip. Exercise may also relieve stress on the hip joints and the ligaments since the muscles directly support these structures. 

• Stretching — Stretching is crucial for reducing your hip stiffness. Your physical therapist can show you stretches to perform before bed and after you wake up to help reduce stiffness in your hips. Regular stretching can also help increase your hip’s range of motion. 

• Joint mobilization — Your physical therapist uses their hands to help move your hip joints through their full range of motion. This technique is a form of manual therapy. Joint mobilization is not intended to be a painful method; in fact, it can ease the tension that may contribute to chronic hip pain. 

• Aquatic therapy — Another great choice for getting exercise is aquatic therapy. If regular exercises like running are too stressful on your joints, then low-impact exercises performed in water are a great alternative. Aquatic exercises can help alleviate hip pain. This is achieved by increasing blood flow, which can reduce the tension in your hip muscles. Aquatic therapy can also help improve your flexibility, which may help with hip stiffness during the night. 

Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy is ready to treat your hip pain today

If you experience hip pain at night, it can be a disaster for your quality of sleep. Physical therapy may help reduce your uncomfortable symptoms and get you sleeping better again. Our specialists at Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy are experts in treating hip pain. We are prepared to build you a personalized treatment plan that addresses your hip pain at night. 

Contact us today for more information about physical therapy for hip pain or to schedule an initial appointment.