Causes of bilateral hip pain

In general, all diseases that lead to unilateral hip pain can also occur simultaneously on both halves of the body and thus be the cause of bilateral hip pain. In most cases, the causes of hip pain occurring on both sides are based on a clear malposition of the hip joint and the lower extremity. Especially men often tend to keep the hip joints in an outwardly rotated position.

This external rotation of the legs during standing, walking and/or sitting leads to a significant increase in the load on individual components of the hip joint. In the course of time, stress-related degenerative processes develop, which mainly affect the cartilaginous parts of the hip joint and can lead to severe hip pain. In addition, the hollow back posture of the so-called “starter muscle” is one of the most frequent causes of the development of bilateral hip pain.

Hip pain at night

Certain clinical pictures can cause discomfort, especially when resting or lying down, and thus cause hip pain, especially at night. Since nocturnal hip pain disturbs sleep and is thus responsible for a considerable impairment of the quality of life, it should be a reason for a medical consultation. This can get then by means of questioning (anamnesis) of the patient and/or the female patient and a physical investigation already first references to the cause of the complaints.

Depending on the assessment of the symptoms, he may recommend further examinations, such as X-rays. The subsequent treatment of the night-time hip pain ultimately depends on the responsible clinical picture. A common reason for hip pain at night is coxarthrosis, i.e. arthrosis of the hip joint.

An inflammation of the hip joint (coxitis) is also known to be responsible for hip pain at rest, i.e. also at night. Other symptoms that indicate coxitis are swelling, redness, overheating, pain under pressure, pain under stress, possibly fever and a restriction of movement of the affected hip joint. Rheumatic diseases can also cause hip pain that impairs nightly rest.

One example is the group of spondyloarthritides, a combination of various chronic inflammatory disease patterns characterized by certain common clinical and genetic features. Diseases from the group of spondyloarthritides, such as ankylosing spondylitis, are characterized by pain and stiffness in the second half of the night, lasting into the morning. In addition, an elevated uric acid level in the blood, which above certain values causes painful deposits of uric acid crystals in joints, can also cause joint complaints, which can also involve the hip joints.

One speaks then of the gout. Gout can also cause hip pain at night. Incidentally, an inflammation of the bursa at the hip joint (bursitis trochanterica) can also cause nocturnal pain.

In this case, the pain is described as pulling or stabbing, and is located above the large rolling hump of the thigh bone. Typically, they occur after the leg has been strained, but in the case of a prolonged, already chronic course, hip pain may occur at rest. In addition, the area around the bursa appears swollen, reddened and overheated and is very sensitive to movement or pressure.

Night-time hip pain can also indicate nerve involvement. This means that the pain at night can also be caused by a herniated disc in the lumbar spine or lumboischialgia (synonym: sciatica syndrome). This should be considered especially if the pain originates in the spine or in the lower back and radiates to the hip or thigh. Hip pain can also occur during pregnancy and can be caused by many different factors.Pregnant women often perceive the pain especially at night. In the case of slight discomfort, a cushion between or even under the legs can provide relief by relieving the strain.