sleep induced pain

[exotica00]

For the past 4 nights I've been awakened after only 2-4 hours sleep by pain in my right buttock, which eventually extends down the back of my thigh, sometimes going down to my right ankle.  I cannot rest and must get up, walk around and exercise.  Pain does not go away until I've been up for about 5 hours, at which point it diminishes and doesn't return until I go to bed again and have slept for only a few hours.  This cycle results in sleep deprivation.  I've taken naproxyn sodium (Alleve), which doesn't phase the pain.  Does anybody suffer from whatever it is that's affecting me?  I don't know how to treat these symptoms.
Thanks for any help.

[Tuckamore]

There are some good prescription anti-inflammatories available. I am not comfortable suggestion one as we are all so different.

Please talk to the physician that is available to you. If you place NSAID in your search engine you should be able to read up on what is available.

Best of luck. I hope you will find some solutions quickly.

[Jaybay]

Bless your heart.  What a misery!  If a GP is your only option, then yes he will be able to help you with an anti-inflammatory.  A short burst of steroids may be helpful as well just to get you started, but see if he thinks it's sciatica or arthritis.  The dull constant pain that gets worse when you aren't moving around sounds more like arthritis to me, and anti-inflammatories are the first line of defense.

I do pretty well during the day but sitting for long periods really bothers me.  Aleve (naproxen) is a great anti-inflammatory, but the over-the-counter dosage likely isn't enough.  Don't increase it until you see your doctor because it can really mess with your stomach.  Advil (ibuprofen) is another good OTC anti-inflammatory.  Tylenol is good at reducing fevers, but doesn't have much in the way of true anti-inflammatory properties so don't waste your time with it.  Hope you get some relief soon!

[exotica00]

Thanks to both of you for your input.

I live on a small island in the West Indies and there are no specialists I can see unless I go off island.  I do long for a neurosurgeon; I suspect this pain is neuro-related because of its similarity to what I suffered prior to 2007 laminectomy and same habit of waking me from night time sleep.  I remember the pinched nerve (sciatic) pain I had at that time was sharp and piercing and just about unbearable.  My present pain is dull and constant. This is getting old fast.

You suggest I need an anti-inflammatory.  Can you advise which?  I can ask general practitioner for prescription.

I do have a Temperpedic mattress and yes, it's wonderful -- but the pain still gets through and won't let me rest.

Thanks for your concern.

[Tuckamore]

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am glad that you found us and took the time to post. I am very sorry to hear about your pain.

Your pain can be from several sources. It sounds like sciatic pain which can be from your spine, your hip, your SI Joint or other other something similar. I have almost the exact pain and mine is from SIJ Dysfunction. I have family members that have similar pain that is from DDD to disc problems to hip bursitis.

I encourage you to see your physician and get to the root of your pain. It may be a something very treatable.

Aleve has does nothing for me in the past either. As Jaybay said there are better anti-inflammatories on the market. A change of mattresses may help as may other treatments or lifestyle changes. Please consult your physician.

I hope you will let us know how you are doing. You don't have to suffer with this type of untreated pain. We will look forward to hearing from you.  

My Best to You,
~Tuck

[Jaybay]

Yes, I have the same problem.  It's from osteoarthritis in my hips.  Remember that your actual hip joint is below the flare of your pelvis, which is why the pain starts in the buttock area.

Check with your doctor.  There are far better anti-inflammatories to try than over-the-counter meds, and you're obviously in enough pain that it's time for a step up the med ladder.  Another thing that helps me a great deal for a few weeks is cortisone injections directly into the hip joint.  They can't be done more than once or twice a year but the relief is incredible.  I wait until winter when it's at it worst before going for the shots.  You'll need a referral to a pain management doc for the injections.

Another thing that has really helped is my Tempurpedic mattress.  I honestly didn't expect the improvement that I've experienced since we bought one last year.  I still hurt, but it's nothing like it was with our old mattress - that was only a couple years old to begin with!   Tempurs are expensive, but I celebrate the day we bought ours.  Even my nit-picky husband who nearly cried when the waterbed died says this is the best mattress he's ever had.  While I may not always be able to sleep a full 8 hours, I'm averaging 6 hours a night before waking in pain.  The old mattress gave me 3 hours if I was lucky.

Your doc may want  an x-ray or even an MRI to get a better idea of what is happening in your hip.  There's no point in putting off an appointment.  Go make that call and feel better soon.  :-)