Hi, I keep up to 5 wheat packs in the freezer and I alternate between heat and ice to alleviate the pain as much as I can. Personally I find the cold wheat packs work better for me than the hot ones, but the heat gets the blood flowing in the muscle and the cool soothes the pain. I also take OTC pain relief. If you are not in an established pattern of medication taking that can exacerbate pain. Try to set yourself a routine so that you take the tablets when they are due rather than waiting until the pain strikes or reaches unbearable. These can be OTC melds or prescribed melds, whatever your GP recommends. For me, I take OTC Panamax 2 tablets every 6 hours and this creates a base threshold and 1 x 20mg oxy slow release in the mornings. There are also a number of good gentle stretches you can find that do help, just check them with a physio or GP before embarking on something unknown. My hip pain is referred from L2 & L3 vertebrae. I totally sympathise with you and hope you can find some relief soon.