I had surgery on my rotator cuff 10 weeks ago. I slept in a reclining chair for 8 of those weeks and now sleeping in my bed. I am constantly waking up with my arm stiff and in pain. Any suggestions on how to adjust on my bed? I have been placing a pillow under my arm for support. Seemed to work at first, but not any more.
I also am still sleeping in a recliner at 3+months. I have tried many times to sleep in my bed again. I have every position and with/without support pillows. My doctor assures me this will change in time. He says that this type of surgery take 9 to 12 months to fully heal.
Might try a reclining mattress. I can't think of another way to get pressure off your cuff unless you had some type of external fixator that moved you humeral head away from your acromion while lying face up.
try to get a simple bed wedge for the head of bed and use combination of pillows. I slept with my sling on very loose for a little while even after I could take it off. It afforded me some comfort. At several months post I would still often wake up with severe tenderness of the shoulder. It decreased after 4-6 months and now. at 9 months, I still wake with some discomfort sometimes and am sore when going to bed so pup a little lift under my elbow. It's just part of the healing process and learning where your new normal is going to be.
Five or six standard sized bed pillows. Build a wedge and cradle. It will work. Remember this is all temporary. You will make it!
Yes it is a case of building up the pillows to get the best position. Are you still wearing your sling at night? i continued to wear mine for 5 months at night, before I could finally sleep without it.
wow, sorry to hear that!
Thank you for the suggestion!
Thanks! That is what I am doing now. And waking up all the time shifting around the pain.
Appreciate your words of encouragement!
So, looks like the pillow are my best way to handle. Thanks everyone! I ditched my sling over 3 weeks ago.
Don't waste your money on the reclining mattress. I bought one around week 3 and it doesn't make a difference. I had right shoulder done about 11 years ago and I remember it hurt if my shoulder went slightly forward or backwards. Has to be in line. I use a towel under my shoulder while on my back and small pillow while on my side. Seems to stop pain at night but still wake up stiff.
Taking a lot longer to heal this time around. I'm just over 3 months and stiff in the morning and bicep pain throughout the day. I go to PT twice a week and very sore the day after. I seem to be at a standstill right now. In previous post I mentioned I was hit in the rear while stopped at a light. Doctor gave me a cortisone shot last week but doesn't seem to have helped. My shoulder went forward into the steering wheel and it felt like a whip lash. Of course it had to be my bad shoulder.
Did the mattress help with your stiffness at all? There are a lot of variations too, hard to tell which one would work best without actually laying on it, if at all. I could see how it could be painful hanging upright without any support (arm rest/sling) bearing the weight of your arm, especially with a healing cuff that has to help bear the weight of your arm So seems like cuff repairs are fighting two symptoms at once: pain from any weight literally pulling on/apart the cuff repair, and pain/stiffness from inflammation/fraying of the repair reducing subacromial joint space causing painful rubbing/contact. From what I'm reading in this thread, lying down and reclining with/without support both have drawbacks, doesn't leave a whole lot of options.