Sleeping Comfortably After Shoulder Surgery - Tips And Tricks

Having shoulder surgery can be a very painful experience. Sadly, this discomfort can continue for several weeks after the operation. Though it can make it harder to sleep, it’s important to remember that this won’t last forever.

Use Ice Before Bed

After the surgery, it’s common for you to feel uncomfortable. For example, some people report pain or swelling around the joint. Before you want to go to bed, you want to try to ease as much discomfort as possible. One of the best ways to do this is by placing ice around the shoulder. To get the best results, you’ll need to put the ice on your shoulder around half an hour before you go to bed. So, by the time you’re trying to get to sleep, the swelling and pain will have reduced significantly. If you want to spend a little extra money, you can purchase a cryo-cuff. These are specially designed icepacks, which will wrap around your shoulder, and tend to offer significant relief. During the day, you’ll need to change the water each hour. However, if you’re sleeping, you should be able to rest the cryo-cuff against your shoulder without any major problems, providing relief throughout the night.

Use Pillows And An Arm Sling

When you go to bed, you want to try to make yourself as comfortable as possible. There are a few ways that you can do this. First, your doctor might have provided you with an arm sling. This can be used to take some pressure off your shoulder during the recovery period. By wearing this at night, you can stop yourself from moving into a damaging position during your sleep. You can also take some pressure off your shoulder by using pillows. These will allow you to elevate your arm. Also, by creating a stack of pillows next to your bed, you’ll be able to prevent yourself from rolling over during the night.

Try Sleeping In A Recliner

In some cases, it can be too uncomfortable to sleep in a bed. Lying down might be placing too much pressure onto your joint, causing you to feel a lot of discomfort. At these times, you might want to try sleeping on a recliner. Most doctors will recommend that you sleep on an incline for a few weeks after the surgery, to give your shoulder some time to heal. Though you can purchase a 45-degree pillow, it’s often much easier to sleep on the recliner.

Try A Therapy Program

While the pain associated with shoulder surgery is temporary, there are some things you can do to help your body heal faster. One of the ways to do this might be by using a therapy program. This will allow you to start to slowly increase your range of motion. This can also improve your functioning during the day. In many cases, there will be some exercises which you can perform at night, to better prepare for bed. However, before you start one of these programs, you might want to check with your doctor. This will ensure that you aren’t accidentally placing too much pressure on the shoulder. In most cases, they’ll recommend a period where you immobilize the joint after surgery. This can extend for several weeks. When it comes time to start exercising again, your doctor will often be able to recommend a few physical therapy programs. You can then explore each of these options to find the one that works best for you.

Pick The Right Time To Take Your Medications

After surgery, it’s common for your doctor to prescribe several medications to help you overcome the discomfort associated with the recovery period. To get the best results, you’ll need to make sure that you’re taking these medications at the right time. It’s often recommended that you’ll get the best results if you take the medication around 30 minutes before bed. However, you should double-check this with your doctor. You might need to take several medications, at multiple different points of the day. If this is the case, use the alarms on your phone to keep track of them all.

Conclusion

After shoulder surgery, it’s common for you to experience some discomfort. This can often make it harder for you to fall asleep. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are a few things that you can do to reduce discomfort and sleep comfortably. To find what these are, we reviewed several sources. Some of the most helpful were; https://www.reclinerland.com/best-massage-chair-for-neck-and-shoulders/ https://officesolutionpro.com/how-to-sleep-in-recliner-after-shoulder-surgery/ https://www.orthoillinois.com/blog/3-ways-to-help-you-sleep-better-after-arthroscopic-shoulder-surgery/ In most cases, you’ll be able to start physical therapy, improve your mobility, and return to a normal pain-free life. In the meantime, you’ll be able to use these tips to help you ease the pain on your shoulder and get to sleep more comfortably.