How To Sleep After A Joint Replacement Surgery?

How To Sleep After A Joint Replacement Surgery?

When one has joint pain like that in the knee or hip, he can experience difficulty in sleeping because of pain and discomfort. To relieve this pain, surgeries of joint replacement in Bangalore have come up and become more popular today. Such surgeries definitely eliminate the pain, but are unable to help make the patient fall asleep. For quite some time after the surgery, it becomes difficult for the patient to fall asleep. However, with time, this discomfort subsides and the patient starts feeling easy, and can sleep comfortably. But, what about the phase when there is a lot of discomfort?

It is absolutely normal to encounter insomnia after orthopedic surgery. And, even when you sleep (how much ever you sleep), you need to be careful with the position in which you lie down. Everyone has his/her own favourite position to sleep – lying on the back, lying on the stomach, or sleeping sideways. And, when you can’t sleep in your favourite position, it definitely becomes difficult to fall asleep. After a surgery, you can’t always lie down in your favourite position, which is why you face insomnia.

There is lots of care to be taken after you undergo a joint replacement. If you self-regulate your sleep positions, you will be in a better position to reduce your pain and induce faster sleep. Sleeping with your leg propped up on a pillow or wedge, on your back, or in a recliner isn’t as simple as it seems after a joint replacement surgery. This is why you must consult your physician about the recommended sleep positions for you, which will be based on the kind of joint replacement surgery you have undergone. Generally, sleeping flat on your back, facing upwards, is the best position; and sleeping on your stomach is the least recommended. Moreover, sleeping on your side is not comfortable until about after 6 weeks after the surgery. In fact, you must not sleep on your surgical side before consulting with your doctor.

Sleeping on your back – This is the safest position to sleep in after a surgery. But, you must take care to keep your toes pointed towards the ceiling, and avoid turning your feet inward toward your surgical side, in case of a knee replacement surgery. Also, in the case of knee replacement, you can prop up your surgical leg by placing 2-3 pillows under your leg. Remember to place the pillows under your calf, and not your knee.

Sleeping on your stomach – This is the most unsafe position for the first few weeks after the surgery. You could consult your doctor after six weeks of surgery, and ask him if you can now sleep on your stomach. Only if he recommends, should you try to sleep in this position.

Sleeping on your side – You can sleep on the opposite side of your replacement, provided that you keep two pillows between your legs. And, never cross your legs, or turn your toes inward.