How does one hurt herself IN HER SLEEP???

[Sarojini]

Okay, this is a weird one. I woke up at 4 in the morning today because (a) it was time for my usual 4 am pee and (b) hubby was moving around and turned the TV on because he couldn't sleep. When I woke, I was lying on my right side, and noticed my pelvis and right hip hurt, but this isn't overly unusual, since my bladder usually hurts at that hour and because, if I've been sleeping off-kilter, my fibro will cause aches and pains.

However, when I got up to go pee, the pain in my hip turned DEADLY. I put my left foot down off the bed first and then tried to take the next step with my right, but that pain in my hip just shot through me and I could barely put weight on that leg. I staggered to the bathroom, basically dragging that leg behind me, peed, and came hopping slowly, gingerly back to bed ... by this time my husband realized it was something other than just being achy and had gotten out of bed to help me back. We decided that I would lie on either my back or the other side to relieve pressure on the area; I chose my back to hopefully align my pelvis, and besides, my big old Maine Coon cat decided to curl up with his head on my shoulder and paw across my chest when I tried the "on the back" version, and I just couldn't move something that cute :)

I took a pain pill and a muscle relaxant, and eventually drifted back to sleep.

When it was "real" morning, I noticed some stiffness and gingerly got out of bed... was pleasantly surprised to find that I could now put weight on the leg and could walk normally. The only thing now is that it feels like the ligaments and tendons in there are sore... I've tried stretching it out, etc, and I just hope it goes back to normal.

I swear, I am the only person who could hurt herself WHILE SLEEPING!!!!!!!!! :loco:

[Babs RN]

Owie, that sounds painful. I'm glad it was better and hope it stays that way. As one who has the black cloud of doom follow her everywhere, I can empathize with such an experience.

Hugs for an injury free night,
Barb:smile tee

[creatingkarma]

I have injured myself while sleeping on many occasions! Sometimes all it takes is a split instant where I move wrong & I'm on my way to the chiropractor first thing the next morning. I'm glad that it went away didn't linger! How sweet of hubby to help you back to bed!

[tbokay]

you are not alone ... I bruised my foot really bad last summer when I kicked my metal foot board while I was asleep. Try to explain that one to the doctor!:lmao:

[traceann]

I gotta add to the gallery here - you aren't alone! I can jack my neck out of whack just by turning it the wrong way - even in my sleep!! ARGH!!! (I injured the muscles once I think in 2000 by taking off a turtleneck. LOL That was a tough one and embarrassing to explain! Leave it to me to get undressed wrong!!!! ;) )

Glad to hear it's seems to have worked itself out!!! :) (mostly anyway!)

[Betsie]

Jen,

I didn't do this in my sleep, but am in PT as we speak after a 3 month search for the root cause of that same pain....mine grew worse each day. I had actually fallen, but had forgotten it. :loco: (today I was in traction and it felt awesome)

Short version, pelvis and sacrum have twisted and the tendons, ligaments and muscles above and below have adapted and made up their own rules. ait has been excrutiating. The PT is helping a lot, but I sure do know about not being able to walk in the morning, let alone turn in my sleep. :help:

I wish I hadn't waited so long to figure it out...do you think it is worth getting looked at?

Feel better! :)

[tigger_gal]

I wake up like this often.. I think it might be my fibro. I have spoke to my doctor about it, and he thinks it may be too.. I hope you do not wake up like that any more.

[Babs RN]

I wanted to add that being on Coumadin(a blood thinner)is horrible with sleep accidents because you have physical evidence in the morning. "No really I walked into the wall.":lmao: :lmao:

[Sarojini]

Hey all, thanks for your stories... made me feel less stupid! Betsie, you might be right, I may go get it looked at since it is still sore a bit. We'll see how it is tomorrow. And definitely, if I get that horrible pain again in the night, it's off to the doc as soon as they can fit me in!

traceann, you know, once I injured my neck BLOW-DRYING MY HAIR. I guess I just moved wrong or something, but I was in pain for about two weeks with a doctor saying, "Oh, just take Aleve..." and who didn't really believe that I'd actually done it drying my hair! LOL :lmao: Your turtleneck story reminded me of that one. Hehehehe!

Oh Barb, I can definitely see what Coumadin would do to those normally minor bumps and bruises... ugly purple spots.... :( I'm so sorry that happens. Hell, I'm sorry you have to be on Coumadin in the first place. They were going to put hubby on it after he had this weird episode of atrial fibrillation, but didn't... he spent the night in the hospital getting something via injection into the stomach and they sent him home on Cardizem to regulate his heart rate. He REALLY didn't want to be on Coumadin...

[Babs RN]

I just look like a kid in elementary school with bruises everywhere.

Hee hee.

Hugs,
Barb:smile tee

[Marcie920]

I am glad your starting to feel better. I can emphaize with you I have several times when I am sleeping hurt myself , a few time I woke up and my arm was in so much pain and I could not move it. it eventually went away after I woke up.:cat:

[ICNDonna]

I absolutely understand. I have a frozen shoulder, which is extremely sore. This morning I woke up before 5:00 in real pain. While I was asleep, I rolled over on the sore shoulder and it didn't wake me until it was really hurting. So I got up, went in and put my TENS on, and came downstairs. I think tonight I'll tie something around my body with a knot where it will remind me not to lay on my right side! The ortho says it will take many weeks for the shoulder to heal.

Donna

[Mel53H]

I have often woke up with a stiff neck. One time when I was 9 months pregnant my neck went out. I was getting dressed and put a tee shirt over my head and that is all I did. I went to the chiropractor and boy it was hard to lay on the examining table.

[Kara Isabel]

WOW........I had a similar episode of pain a few nights ago! It felt like my whole SIDE was Frozen in pain! From my hip to my rib cage on the left side!!!!!! I was walking to the bathroom hunched all the way over (in tears) at 2 am in the morning.

Strange!!!!!! :hmm:

Apparently, you aren't the only person that can hurt themselves sleeping! lol

hugs,
Kara

[poetgirl]

I did the same thing to myself last week in bed, although I didn't end up having nearly as much difficulty walking. My pelvis and sacrum got rotated from the way I was sleeping on my left hip and I was in a lot of discomfort for several days. I put ice on my lower back/upper butt for a while and applied some Arnical gel to the area too. A couple of days later, I went to my chiropractor and got adjusted, then had a trigger point release massage afterward, because the rotation caused the glutes and periformis muscles around the hips and sacrum area to spasm (this may be what you're experiencing too - it does feel like it's sore or strained muscles.) The next day I came back for more trigger point release work and then had my Reiki teacher work on me for a while. The next day, I was fine.

I'm glad you're feeling better. The next time that happens, try putting some ice on the hip area first and see if that helps. :grouphug:

[traceann]

LOL, ok Jen I can totally sympathize with the blow-dryer story!!! Something so innocent too... This has been an informative post though (so thanks Jen for starting it!!), I feel so much better knowing I am not the only one!! :)

[kuntrygurl78]

I know this doesnt have anything to do with sleeping injuries, but its a funny injury story so I thought I would share it anyway :hi:

A few years ago, a friend of mine from here in IL invited me to go with her to Knoxville, TN to meet up with her cousin for the weekend. It ended being an all out girls weekend. (They are married, and I was living with fiance) So we decided to cut lose!

So we decided to go to a local line dancing bar that Saturday night. They had a mechanical bull. We hadnt had anything to drink so we thought it would be ok to do. I had done it many times before, and thought nothing of it. My friends went first. Then it was my turn. I got help from a wooden pallet and one of the guys in order to get up on the "bull". They turned it on and off I went. Well, I was sliding off so I let go so that I wouldnt hit my head on the "bull". My goal was to fly off the back and land on the padding around it. Well, they guys running the thing fogot to move the wooden pallet, and I fell on it on my side. Everyone came rushing to me when I screamed. I was in pain. But my main thought was that my insurance didnt cover very well out of state. I figured I would be ok.

They asked if I wanted anything. I just yelled for one of my friends to get me a shot and a beer. I figured that would take away any pain that I had:lmao: Well, after a few more shots and a few more beers, they dragged me back to where we were staying. I had did something to my ribs when I fell. I had to have help putting my bra on that morning. My friend and I headed home that day, and the next morning I went to work. I didnt feel any better, so I called the doc.

His nurse laughed when I told her the story over the phone..then apolgized. I told her that it was ok to laugh..it was funny! :bonk: So I saw the doc that day and he said that I had bruised a rib and would be ok after a week or two. Now here's the interesting part. Less than six months later..I saw this same doc when I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle and broke my hand.

Just call me klutz!:rolleyes:

[stacey79]

I had to respond to this one, too. I'm incredibly clumsy. I've literally hurt myself sitting on teh couch before. The zipper on the cushion scratched my arm deep enough to make it bleed!

I have hurt myself in my sleep a few times. When I'm stressed, especially, I do things in my sleep. I sometimes get out of bed, scream - whatever. Last fall, my dad was in a motorcycle accident. I spent the night at my parents' house to be with my mom in case we needed to rush back to the hospital. I was stressed to say the least. I don't know what I dreamed, but I fell out of bed, got carpet burn on my knee then knocked my jaw into the nightstand as I was getting back up to get into bed again. My jaw was sore for days. I had a faint bruise. When I went to the dentist a few months later, he found a cracked tooth from that night. I tried to explain what happened, but I'm not sure he believed me!

That's just one incident. My husband and I actually joke about these things now. HUmor is great.:lmao:

[pingpong]

Donna, I had frozen shoulder in both shoulders at the same time. It took about 10 months of PT (much of it in warm water, which was tremendously helpful) to get my range of motion back - it was down to 30%, which made even the simplest tasks very difficult and painful! It took patience, and I have to say that it was some of the worst pain I have ever felt - that kind of nauseating ache that just washes over you. I hope yours doesn't take too much longer to clear up.