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Pain at night

Posted , 10 users are following.

susan33930
susan33930

I'm now 15 weeks post TKR, and getting pain at night. I have a long pillow which I try in various positions but when I turn over in my sleep it wakes me up and I struggle to get it comfortable again.

Is this normal so long after the op?

 

0 likes, 21 replies

21 Replies

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  • michelle22720
    michelle22720 susan33930

    Posted

    Hi Susan, I had op on knee March still have pain, physio says its nerves trying to mend.
  • sueisobel
    sueisobel susan33930

    Posted

    Yes it is,  Whatever your position, your knees are always going to touch something. The trick is, once you are awake, try not to think too much, let your brain relax.  Failing that, ask your GP for something to help you sleep,  if you don't want  to take drugs, try herbal teas.  There are ones that help make you relax/sleep.

    If you cannot relax enough to fall back to sleep, try gently flexing your muscles; stretching your foot towards the end of the bed, then point your foot towards you, this will release knots and cramps.  Even if you are in agony this works. Then try gently bending and straightening your knee a few times. As the pain recedes, put the pillow back, hopefully you should be able to get back to sleep.  The trick is try not to think too much about the pain.

    I am only saying what I myself have been through and done.  2 years on and I am still in pain, but there is only a small percentage of us out there that this happens to.

  • Pauli
    Pauli susan33930

    Posted

    Susan I had knee replacement two years ago ..try putting a thinner pillow supporting your knee or try taking it away during the night when it bothers you see if this helps 
  • susan33930
    susan33930

    Posted

    It is only thin, but I have tried a thicker one, thinner one, longer one, shorter one, none at all.

    Most nights at some point in the night, I have the pillow at one side next to my good leg so if I lay with my operated leg over it, it supports it at the other side.  Or IIt I lay with me operated leg underneath, I'll have it between my legs with my good leg on top.  Or I just chuck it off the bed completely!

    I know it's not possible, but the pain sort of feels like the TKR moves sideways when I lay on my side if that makes sense?

    • hazel14959
      hazel14959 susan33930

      Posted

      I am 26 weeks...po and I only left the pillow off last week.  I am not sure if it was a good idea as can get uncomfortable and wake up.  No pain, but have had stiffness in the last week...so might try back with the pillow again.

       

    • irish_linda
      irish_linda susan33930

      Posted

      it can take a long time for the tkr to feel comfortable at night im at the 12mth mark of revision and even now the odd night it can bother me and on those nights i use the pillow for awhile during the night and chuck it away when it settles down as for tkr feeling like it moves you can bet it wont but the mind dose think that way sometimes as it is a foreign object  in your body so try not to worry about it as all this is normal (sometimes i wonder about that word ha!!)
  • jackie78227
    jackie78227 susan33930

    Posted

    Hi  I'm exactly the same cope during the day but dread going to bed,  I try all ways with pillows cushions etc.  Please someone tell us that this will go Away and we will have no discomfort in bed.  
    • sueisobel
      sueisobel jackie78227

      Posted

      Try and stay positive.  If the pillows don't work, don't use them.  Sometimes all is needed is something small/thin to stop your knees touching, how about a sponge of some sort or a fairly loose tubi grip   See if you can sleep without them.  If it gets to bad, then ask GP for something to help you sleep, something that, if you do wake because of the pain, will help you drift off again.  Lavender (essential oil type diluted with warm water is best) on your pillow helps.  It's all about trying to relax.
    • sharon52158
      sharon52158 jackie78227

      Posted

      I am now 22 weeks post op and no longer use a pillow and back to sleeping normally only wake up to go to the bathroom so it does get better x
    • ann84752
      ann84752 jackie78227

      Posted

      Hi, I am 10 weeks po. I thoght at some point I would never sleep at night. It does get better, I sleep fine now with no pillow, rearely does it wake me up. Stay positive better days will come
  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 susan33930

    Posted

    I am at nine weeks post op. I find that overdoing it during the day, not resting with my legs up, and RAINY WEATHER are my biggest causes for pain during the night.

    I have not slept more than four hours straight in YEARS due to pain at night. My husband is always shocked that I get up, do laundry, clean drawers, fold clothes, etc. but it seems better to just be DOING SONETHING and MOVING instead of lying in bed in pain.

    I then feel my pain meds starting to work for my knees, and my ICY HOT roll-on working on my back issues. In awhile I am ready to try getting another few hours of sleep.

    I have found that I actually have LEARNED how to be a pretty EFFICIENT sleeper! A half hour of REALLY SOLID SLEEP can feel like four or five HOURS.

    Night is ALWAYS more painful.

    My husband has peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes. He chooses to just TRY to stay in bed and TRY to sleep. In the end HE is the one most tired!

    Maybe it would help if you just got up and moved around. Arthritis seems to LOVE movement!

    • sueisobel
      sueisobel cheryl90571

      Posted

      Arthiris needs movement, but you also need to rest.  Get yourself some  good meds and and and ipod/mp3 player.  Instead of getting up and exhausting yourself, plug in your earpods and listen to your favourite music, audio story.  You can programme it so that it will switch off at whatever time you choose.  Being tired means you are less able to cope with pain
    • susan33930
      susan33930 sueisobel

      Posted

      I know .... It also means I am less able to cope with other things in my life too sad
    • sueisobel
      sueisobel susan33930

      Posted

      Only you know how much pain you are in.  It is also up to you to try to deal with it.  Pain can be debilitating, soul destroying, time consuming and downright miserable.  But you need to fight it.  Sometimes to pain meds don't kick in., sometimes you have exercised too much or the weather is playing havoc with your joints. But you have to fight it, if you give up, you will become someone who sits on the sofa all day long feeling sorry for yourself, your friends will lose patience with you.  Loved ones will be frustrated with you.  You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.  I bet the pain you are in now is different from the pain you had pre op.  Try and think of it as healing pain.  Get to like happy music, blast out your eardrums; it takes your mind of things.  Get your GP to prescribe sleeping pills, take them, if only for a short while.  You will get over it. You will heal.  Be busy during the day,Work if you can
    • susan33930
      susan33930 sueisobel

      Posted

      Oh it's definately a different pain and nowhere near as bad as before, it just wakes me at night when I move in my sleep and I struggle to get it comfortable again to get back to sleep.  This happens most nights, it doesn't make a difference to what I've done in the day.  I don't sit on the sofa all day - I have an exercise bike which I go on regularly and I go to a pool to exercise 3 times a week.  And I am back at work full time. 

       

    • sueisobel
      sueisobel susan33930

      Posted

      When you go to the pool try not to exercise so much, definitely don't swim.  Use it as a release.  At work, do you sit or do a lot of standing
    • susan33930
      susan33930 sueisobel

      Posted

      In the pool I only do the exercises I would at home, just in the water rather than out of it. I only swim a tiny bit - probably just a couple of minutes kicking my legs.  I'm only in the 15-20 minutes max.

      i sit at work but keep getting up regularly and walk round. Had pain at night before I went back to work.

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