hi I am new on here and have been following Total hip replacement threads.
I am 8 days post op THR I need to sleep on my back, not been advised I can sleep on my un operated side.
I am struggling to sleep more than 3 hours as I wake up in so much pain from my back.
I see ppl use pillows under their knees but my instructions say no pillows under knees.
help.
all things going good till my leg almost doubled in size yesterday, slowed me down some.
just sleeping on my back is agony .
what is the perfect way to sleep pain free from back ache please
Hi Jaki
its difficult sleeping on your back when you aren’t used to it. I don’t think there is a perfect way to get sleep . I bought a foam wedge and then i have pillows on top ( makes kind of nest! ). It does mean I start off quite upright but slip down as the night goes on. If you google there are loads available.
They do say not to put pillows under the knees but it works for a lot of people .
on the swelling, you need to make sure you elevate your leg regularly and ice it regularly too. My daughter in law is a physio and says you can ice for 10/20 minutes every hour if necessary. I think the recommendations are 4 times a day.
First time when I slept well after my THR was when I was allowed to sleep on my stomach and this was in the 5th day.
I was told that if it was comfortable, it was just fine to sleep in any position. I could sleep on the side after 6 weeks, first on my right hip that had a frontal approach and after few weeks on my left hip - posterior approach, using a pillow for knees.
I don’t know why your doctor told you not to sleep on your good side , the sleep is very important for your recovery and it doesn’t have to be a nightmare to sleep on your back!
Best wishes !
Recommendations seem to vary quite widely but when I had my THR just over 2 years ago I was told that it was OK to sleep on the non-operated side with a pillow between your knees. I was also told that once the scar had healed sufficiently, it was OK to then sleep on the operated side but again with a pillow between the knees.
Get yourself a decent firmish pillow and have a go side sleeping with it between your knees. You might find it a bit awkward at first but it beats trying to sleep on your back if your not used to it.
hi. the advice seems to vary so much as to how long you have to sleep on your back. mine was for 10 weeks then when sude sleeping to use a pillow between your knees - stops your OP leg especially over extending over your good leg.
I found the best thing for sleeping on my back is to have plenty of pillows. I got one of those V shaped pillows and then stacked abt 4 more around it so I was almost upright ( chest wise) gradually over time i reduced the level till i was comfy sleeping with just 2. like you i was advised NOT to put a pillow behind my knee/ leg as it sd it can cause muscle tightening. try to keep your toes facing upwards as well in the early days as your position of your toes indicates the position of your hip and stops it dislocating which is a risk within first 10 or so weeks - but that varies as to posterior v anterior approach to surgery. the main advice i was given was to make sure i took my pain killers - to keep on top of the pain so times like night time weren’t a nightmare.
agree with others re elevation of leg to reduce swelling - it’s the best thing to do.
anyway best wishes
I do understand I experienced the same thing. There is no definite way but you do have to sleep on your back with a pillow between your legs or sleep on your nonsurgical side with a pillow between your legs. Yes the back pain is terrible. I just last night had a good night sleep I am 5 weeks postop so I would sleep sitting up on my couch with my legs propped. But its going to get better. So continue to take your pain medicine so you can have a little relief.
Hi Jaki I was also told NOT to put pillow under knee re also the possibility of DVT in the early days. A friend actually had this problem, which made the decision easy for me !! I too had huge problems sleeping, but decided to sleep sitting up with a few pillows which really helped. I used to waken up in the night as I would start to slip down, but it was MUCH better than lying on my back. I also from day 3 used a relaxation/hypnosis app for sleeping problems. That was really very helpful, and made a huge difference. Agree with toe positioning, very important. Hope this may help you. Good wishes for a speedy recovery. 
I was 1 month on my back. Make sure you have your compression socks on for clots.
I had no hip restrictions (now 4 weeks post op), but have also struggled sleeping on my back and on the non operated side.
Physio suggested one pillow down my back/under the operated side and another between my legs, meant I wasn’t totally on my back.
It is getting better, but I’m looking forward to getting a full night’s sleep!
Some people use those big pillow things that people use when they are pregnant.
I thought I would never sleep on my back especially with some discomfort going on, but Tramadol and a little Ambien fixed it.
Normally I have trouble sleeping in any position. Try to get appropriate medication from your people.
It feels great when you can finally back to sleeping your usual way
,
Thank you. my pillows are also like a tower. me too just slides down. try with pillows and I try without.
omg I am counting the weeks. cant wait to be back on my side. I take my pain killers just b4 bed so to try and get max pain free sleep.
sounds like an idea. thank you
hows your swelling going? my foot is now up as well as my leg. does it get to a maximum size then go down? hate the swelling.
wow thank you for all your replies guys . some good ideas. nice to know I’m not alone
Hi , the wedge stops the pillows from sliding down and continues to give support to my back even when i slide down a bit as it is foam and quite firm . i would really recommend it it worked for hip#1 and is now working for #2 . I didnt buy an expensive one. i put 2 pillows in an upside down V and then can use others to
make it comfortable.
I’m fortunate and haven’t had too bad swelling, just around the hip and it’s now reducing.
Keep icing and hopefully it will reduce soon
my wedge finally arrived. yes it is a little better. I use the wedge with a pillow just sits on the small of my back and that seems quite comfy will get 3 to 4 hours b4 I wake up uncomfortable. then go and do 20 laps of my landing then try for some more sleep.
Got a wedge from Amazon, with a big pillow I put down to support the small of my back I am finally getting some relief, thanks. dont sleep more than 3 hours.
Ti be honest, not sure about anyone else, but I wake for a wee every couple of hours…not drinking anymore that usuall, same during the day non stop wee visits. Anyone else having the same thing?
hi. glad the wedge is helping you sleep bit better. as for the extra need to wee I certainly did. I think its a) all the iv fluids they gave me intra OP and post OP plus the swelling of the leg (s) when your body is getting rid of the excess fluids. you always wee more lying flat it allows your kidneys to function better so that’s probably why your waking every few hrs. I did the same thing lol.
best wishes anyway