View Full Version : Hips killing me! What sleeping pad?
slbirdnerd
05-25-2013, 19:28
Help! I'm a noob, backpacked over the weekend and slept on my Thermarest SoLite and my hips killed me after about 20 minutes laying on either side. I'm a side sleeper. My hips don't bother me in general. I don't really want to spend the money for something like a NeoAir plus I don't want it in my pack, or losing air during the night. I was trialing my son during the day and he was busting butt, too fast really, could I just need to slow down, do I need a different pad, what can I do? Got my first section on the AT coming up and I want to be as comfortable as possible. Thank you!!!
BobTheBuilder
05-25-2013, 19:39
I have had similar problems. I tried the 2.5" Big Agnes Air Core, which solved the hip pain problem, but I couldn't trust it to hold air after it failed me on one trip. Now I am a hammock camper and have no hip pain at all. It was a big investment, but I get a lot better sleep now.
bigcranky
05-25-2013, 19:41
That's a solid closed cell foam pad, right? Yeah, I used one years ago (and still sometimes in my hammock) but they are not at all comfortable for me on the ground. Minimum for me is a Thermarest Prolite or Prolite PLus. The Neoair gets good reviews, though I haven't used one.
Basically you need something that inflates. Hiking too fast isn't fun either, but it's a different problem :) Good luck.
Alligator
05-25-2013, 21:44
I moved up from a Prolite to Neoair. I sleep on my side sometimes, not all night. The Neoair fixed the hip problem. I would recommend anything over an inch thick.
I moved up from a Prolite to Neoair. I sleep on my side sometimes, not all night. The Neoair fixed the hip problem. I would recommend anything over an inch thick.
Me too. Works well. For a less costlier option you could add a CCF to what you already have. Since you're a side sleeper try scooping out a shallow depression in the ground under where you're hips will rest as you sleep. That sometimes help too. Hip soreness causes can be several fold too. Just as you're saying might have multiple factors involved.
Personally, I am a NeoAir user (at least when I am sleeping on the ground and sometimes even when sleeping in my hammock).
A thicker (and probably "expensive") inflatable sleeping pad is one of the few choices for the hip pain. If you do not want to buy a full pad, I suppose that you could try ADDING some sort of padding JUST under your hips (perhaps an inflatable seat cushion). However, such an uneven sleeping surface would seem to be a bit uncomfortable (and semi-expensive too). Here are some ideas for a pad that you could possibly place just under the hips:
http://www.rei.com/product/845302/rei-sit-pad
http://www.rei.com/product/829891/therm-a-rest-neoair-seat-sit-pad
http://www.rei.com/product/829644/exped-air-seat-sit-pad
http://www.rei.com/product/829881/therm-a-rest-z-seat-pad
You could also switch to a hammock. They are GREAT for comfort.
Sorry, but in my opinion you have two options.
1. Spend money and get a NeoAir or BA Q Core or similar "expensive" (and thick) air pad.
2. Have sore hips.
Divide the number of nights you expect to sleep on it into the cost and they're not so dear.
A sheet of tyvek or similar under it and some common sense about sharp objects under it and they are reliable enough.
illabelle
05-25-2013, 22:44
At 53, I'm a little older than you, BirdNerd. I have a nice thick Thermarest. I sleep on my side. My hips still ache, but mostly it's my left side. It used to be that they ache only when I'm lying down. That is changing.
On a 36-mile mountainous section in March, I had a particularly rough night, turning from one side to the other over and over, sleeping poorly. The next day, I had several pretty sharp twinges in my hip while hiking. This was new. Had it been prolonged, it might have forced me off the trail. I asked my chiropractor about it, and then went to see an orthopedist. They couldn't find anything serious, so they sent me to their physical therapist to learn some gentle stretches that help with common causes of hip pain. I haven't been doing the stretches religiously, but I'm working on it. They also gave me an anti-inflammatory. I felt like the pain was deep in the hip joint - and there may be some pain there as well - but they found a very sore spot on the outside of my hip that they felt was the main problem. I was surprised at a simple leg lift they had me do - didn't hurt at all. Then the PT pushed my leg towards the opposite side, stretching the illiotibial band (IT Band) on the outside of the leg, and Ouch! It was tight! I had no idea. I always thought people stretching before exercise was kinda silly. After all, the exercise will stretch your muscles, right? Yeah, sort of, but not the right muscles in the right way.
In April on an 82-mile mostly flat section, I had little hip pain. I don't know if it was because of the gentler terrain, or because of the prescription (I had not seen the physical therapist yet). This month, with no medicine, and few stretches, I had moderate pain on a mountainous section in NC, both while hiking and while lying down. I had put extra effort into using my poles to reduce the weight on my hips, so maybe that helped a bit. I have another mountainous section coming up in mid-June. I plan on doing all the stretches, and see if the pain comes back. I'll have the medicine with me if I need it.
The links below may be helpful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_trochanteric_pain_syndrome
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/hipsurgery/a/hipbursitis_2.htm
illabelle
05-25-2013, 22:51
I should add, for me, it's not the thickness of the pad. My hips ache sometimes at home in my SleepNumber Bed! If the problem is in the hip itself, a thicker pad may not help you.
That's my two cents.:)
Minor pt. Not trying to push you to an inflatable pad but it's nice to adjust the pressure in these kinds of pads, especially the thicker ones, for a softer feel on your hips.
scrabbler
05-25-2013, 23:16
You may want to visit a good physical therapist to learn some stretches that help with hip pain. In my case it was tight back muscles. Stretching them out helped with the hip pain significantly.
With hip soreness you can be talking about one or more factors: shoe fit, orthotics, pack fit, pack wt, physical condition, doing too much too soon, terrain, existing medical issues, diet, not sleeping right, etc
Swordpen
05-25-2013, 23:30
I've had a R hip replacement, & the other isn't too good (the L just had hip bursitis which last 2-3 weeks).
i use a neoair + 1/2 of a zlite CCF pad under my hips to sleep.
The zlite also functions as my pack's frame in my ULA Ohm2 & a sit/ kneeling pad, so it's not wasted weight.
Sarcasm the elf
05-26-2013, 00:38
As others have said, if you're in that kind of discomfort, don't bother with the cheap or thin pads. Skip the closed cell foam and skip the 1" thick pro-lite. Go for a 2" thick inflatable such as the thermarest neo-air or the thermarest trail pro. I've used both and can tell you that they make a world of difference.
If you do get an inflatable mattress, be sure to pick up the patch kit that is designed for the type of pad you buy and bring it with you while hiking. Duct tape wont stick to the newer sil-nylon cloth that is used in most of them.
Lighter mattresses like Neoairs and pro-lites can puncture if abused (my cats have proven this at home and I've proven it once on the trail), but with the correct patch-kit, it only takes about two minutes to fix.
Maui Rhino
05-26-2013, 02:25
I recently upgraded from a ccf pad to an REI Stratus inflatable. It made a world of difference and was very affordable.
I recently upgraded from a ccf pad to an REI Stratus inflatable. It made a world of difference and was very affordable.
+2 on the stratus. Don't forget the REI lifetime guarantee
Neoair... have tired/used/owned most pad types available. Nothing sleeps like a Neoair for me and my hips.
speedbump
05-26-2013, 09:33
NeoAir, worth every dollar.
Help! I'm a noob, backpacked over the weekend and slept on my Thermarest SoLite and my hips killed me after about 20 minutes laying on either side. I'm a side sleeper. My hips don't bother me in general. I don't really want to spend the money for something like a NeoAir plus I don't want it in my pack, or losing air during the night. I was trialing my son during the day and he was busting butt, too fast really, could I just need to slow down, do I need a different pad, what can I do? Got my first section on the AT coming up and I want to be as comfortable as possible. Thank you!!!
Ditto on the NeoAir. Or Big Agnes.
Other than that you can do a few things to make thinner pads more comfortable. First and foremost, set up on thick forest duff and dried leaves. Or unmowed, long grass. Or soft sand.
Or switch to a hammock.
MuddyWaters
05-26-2013, 12:10
Sleep on your back, you can get by with minimal pad.
Problem is, for me at least, as I get older I am uncomfortable lying still in one position. So I have to rotate back, side, stomach, other side, etc during the night.
Prolite Plus works good, a bit bulky
Neoair works great, about size of a nalgene bottle.
The neoairs are durable if you take care in what you put it on. Xtherm has 70D bottom, like the prolites.
Patch kit weighs about .2 oz, tape patches.
Always helpful to have some small CCF with you in case of a midnight flat.
You will not regret a comfortable night. You will regret many hard , sore, uncomfortable nights in a row.
slbirdnerd
05-26-2013, 21:19
Thanks all! I have ordered a Big Agnes Qcore to try out.
Thanks all! I have ordered a Big Agnes Qcore to try out.
Please let us know how it works for you. The Q-Core SL Regular is on my short list. My only reservation is the R-Value = 4.5. Otherwise, the weight, etc. are fine.
Wayne
You won't regret.
I have a neoair and my son has just got a QCore and I am so jealous I will probably be upgrading.
4" thick!
Exped ul synmat7 does the trick for me
Bianchi Veloce
05-27-2013, 03:02
I have the same problem. Been thinking of trying a hammock.
If ever you get a chance to try out a hammock (just ask, we're always trying to bring you over to the bright side), do it and be enlightened. :sun
What perrito says.
I know - gawd, enuff with the hammocks alreddy...
Switching sleep modes takes a leap of faith - I'd tented for decades and was skeptical of leaving terra firma, but I thought, "what the heck". A minute or three on the learning curve got me dialed it in - what a difference; no pain no strain, not sore no more. Goodbye, ground.
Roots, rocks, sloping tent site? Ha!
Hammock price and weight considerations are comparable to tents. As with most stuff, lighter = expense.
MuddyWaters
05-27-2013, 13:55
hammocks are great, except for the additional weight relative to some lightweight options.
I miss Mtns.
05-27-2013, 14:01
I have the same problem on a thermarest or ccf on the ground. I use a hammock most of the time now but when on the ground I use a $2 inflatable pool float with a nice built in pillow. Sure, it won't last for a thru or anything but I have used the same one many times without freezing or leaks (I have some duct tape just in case). You could spend $120 on one with no pillow and less air just to show it off, or you could buy 60 pool floats from the dollar store and never carry a pillow either (plus it won't slide around).
You need those hips for hiking and running and not just for sleeping. I've put some thought into this more myself lately as I've often skimped by on a single blue foam pad. Bursitis flares up now and then. Not something to mess with as it can really set you back and lead to arthritis and stuff. I've trained myself to sleep avoid side sleeping, but the real answer I think is a hammock, or whatever allows you to abandon side sleeping altogether.
Drybones
05-27-2013, 20:08
Any of the 2.5" or thicker inflatables should solve your problem...don't over inflate.
darkbyrd
05-31-2013, 22:35
+1 on the hammock. I want to be a side sleeper, but can't in a bed or on the ground because of circulation problems in my arms. No problems once I hang, I sleep any way I want.
kythruhiker
05-31-2013, 22:46
Everyone's different, but as a long-time side-sleeper, I traded my Thermarest Luxury Edition in for a Neo-Air and it made a WORLD of difference in hip pain. I also went from using a stuff sack filled with clothes as a pillow to an Exped air pillow - perfectly shaped for side sleepers (at least for this side sleeper!).
Good luck!
I have the same problem -- side sleeper and the hip pointer pain at night is bothersome. Enough so it wakes me up.
One thing I did for an experiment was to cut out some foam pocket inserts for my hiking pants from a cheap foam pad I got at Wal-mart. That improved the situation but didn't eliminate it for me. At times the foam pocket inserts would come out of my pockets and sometimes they wouldn't be placed in the optimum position for padding the hips. But it was better than nothing.
I ended up moving to a NeoAir and that almost makes the problem go away at night -- it's much better.
Datto
I would have to throw my vote into trying a hammock. Borrow one to start if you can. It can be fairly light weight, bug free, dry, and I swear it will be the best nights sleep you ever had as well. They can't be used where there aren't any trees, but they really open up many more sleeping locations to a very low impact camping experience.
Mrs Mags has problems with her hips hurting too.
However, once she switched to a Neo-air, she had a much more comfortable night in the backcountry.
They ARE expensive, but if you can get a good night's sleep, probably worth it.
I use a Neoair and a 1/4" Evazote pad from prolite.com
Big Agnes 48" the black and red one. and a 48 inch Z rest for your knees while packing up, to nap on, and if you ever have a leak the Z is a solid back up.
As for all you Neo air folks, THEY ARE WAY TO loud. My gosh in a shelter with 6 of them in use it sounds like a a forest fire all the crackling.
And sleep in the woods on leaves/straw not on dirt or shelters and put something between you knees to keep your legs apart. enjoy your kike!
WILLIAM HAYES
06-02-2013, 11:46
try a hammock
chiefiepoo
06-02-2013, 14:50
I'm a side sleeper too and I've been using a NeoAir the past 3 years.No hip pain now. Before that, I found that with my Thermarest I'd be a little more comfortable by using my boot to scribe out two small depressions in the ground under my tent that would create pockets to allow my hips and shoulders to rest slightly below the level of the ground. Two small depressions about the distance from your hip to shoulder, maybe an inch or so deep. Not exactly LNT but it worked for me.
Altarboy
06-02-2013, 15:50
An air matress will and put a rolled up shirt or something between your knees when you lie on your side. Helps me. The real cure for me was switching to a hammock.
slbirdnerd
06-02-2013, 21:19
Thanks again, all! I received my Big Agnes Qcore and it seems terrific, slightly underinflated. I made some other gear adjustments to make room for the bulk and weight. (Was looking for an excuse for that down bag anyway....)