Hips and Legs Pain During Night and Morning

By vnsagra

1 min read

I am male, 82 now, RA was diagnosed 12 years ago. Ibuprofen 600 mg and methotrexate for 7 years. Had heart issues perhaps due to Ibuprofen. Next Meloxicam for 18 months and methotrexate stopped. Meloxicam was great for pain at much lower dosage than Ibuprofen but started Kidney problems, so stopped everything 2 years ago.

Now I have hip and sometimes leg pains. It is worse after waking up in mornings. Luckily it clears up enough 15 min after waking up. If pain gets too much I take 100 mg Ibuprofen, which helps within an hour.

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Richard Faust Community Admin
Hi vnsagra. Sorry you are having these pain issues. Has your doctor discussed any new RA treatments beyond pain control? There have been a lot of advances in recent years, such as biologics and JAK inhibitors. This article from our editorial team gives an overview of the medications available for controlling RA: <a href='https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/drugs-and-prescription-medications-for-ra' target='_blank'>https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/drugs-and-prescription-medications-for-ra/</a>. Your doctor should be able to provide additional guidance. Wishing you the best. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
Effie Koliopoulos Moderator & Contributor
Dear <inline-mention user-id="3256030" username="vnsagra"/> thank you for sharing. I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with pain. I can relate, I was also taking ibuprofen at one point but at 800mg. I had to stop it due to a minor allergic reaction. What else has your rheumatologist suggested in terms of pain management? The morning and night pain/stiffness is normal to experience. Have you also looked into adding in alternative treatments and therapies? If you haven't already, check out these links below, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions, concerns, or comments. <a href='https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/natural-remedies' target='_blank'>https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/natural-remedies/</a> <a href='https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/alternatives-therapies' target='_blank'>https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/alternatives-therapies/</a>
1. pkrat Member
 I just read vnsagra's story and it gave me an ah ha moment. I didn't know RA could affect your hips and legs? I believe I looked it up and it said it normally affects the hands and feet. Anyhow, back in September (8th) I had pain out of nowhere in my left hip, I thought I did something to my piriformis muscle. After 2 days I was cry from so much pain. I couldn't sleep because of the pain and not being able to find a good position. Of course it was the weekend and my dr's office was closed. I have a pain mgmt dr. due to arthritis and spinal degeneration for which I have a pain pump. I ended up going to a urgent care for a trigger point injection which did nothing as being under the care of pain mgmt they are limited in the meds they can give me. I had to wait 10 days to see the pain dr. They gave me an injection ( didn't help) and had me get an MRI to which they said there was a "little" more inflammation. And scheduled ne for an esi injection which never happened for some reason or another. But they did give me hydrocodone which really didn't help. It seems like my anxiety meds helped more. After 3 weeks of doing nothing I was finally able to walk. I dont know what it was. I thought maybe it was walking my dog up slight inclines, or picking weeds in the yard ( I've been doing that for 3 yrs ). So, reading his story has me thinking IF it could be RA? I am 98% better but still have pain at the hip and it radiates to like the inside of my thigh when bending over to put my dogs dish down etc... It also hurts when I sit on hard surfaces, especially using the bathroom. So this could be RA? Should I let my RA dr know now or at my next appointment ( in 5 months )? What other areas can RA affect- back, elbows??
2. Effie Koliopoulos Moderator & Contributor
 Hi, <inline-mention user-id="3223160" username="pkrat"/> thanks for replying back! Typically the hands and the feet are the areas that first show signs and symptoms. That is why that pops up when you look up information on RA. But it is a widespread disease, it can and does also affect other joints too. I know for me personally, my hands and wrists were the first areas I noticed pain, swelling, and then joint damage. But then my elbow and knee followed. Everyone is different, so I say that if you are experiencing issues anywhere else to definitely bring it up with your doctor at your next visit or even message them ahead of time (if they don't accept messages, leave one with the nurse), just so they can stay up to date with how you are feeling well ahead of your appointment. They may be able to offer you some advice that we cannot here on the portal, and tweak your regime even or see you sooner. It all depends, and sometimes areas around the joint can get irritated such as the tendons, ligaments, bursae that when those areas get inflamed can cause pain and limited movement for sure. The only real way to be able to figure out what is going on is to be upfront with your doctor and tell them. Hope this helps! (Effie, Moderator)