nighttime restless leg Question / Observation
Posted , 6 users are following.
Update: 2 weeks & 2 days post-op, stitches out yesterday, transitioning (very slowly) to cane, need much work on straightening but doc is happy with current conditions. Outpatient PT starts next Monday.
RE: nighttime restless leg issue, which like many of you I also have. I have no trouble sleeping during the day - several times a day but oh the nighttime. I have tried eliminating daytime naps to see if that helped - it did not.Tonight I realized that I wear my anti-embolism stockings all day but remove them at night and I am wondering if the two things are related.
For those who have the restless leg do you wear stockings at night?
For me it is not the knee that bothers me at night it is the right side of my operated leg - I just want to massage and massage it (muscles), yesterday I tried a heating pad (oh it felt so good).
0 likes, 3 replies
lynda49844 Kebra
Posted
Elusive night time sleep seems to go hand in hand with TKR. Trying to stay awake during the day makes no difference. Just nap when you can and don't fret at night. If you're awake with little sign of going back to sleep find something to occupy your mind. Read a book, watch a film, play games, etc. It will come in time. My knee was much happier at night when rested on pillows under the whole leg from top of thigh to foot NOT just under knee. You could try the stockings at night. I kept mine on all the time, but did not make any difference. What has helped with aching legs and stiffness has been to wrap my knee in clingfilm at night and I have been sleeping better since . It sounds bizarre, but I found it on the internet and was desperate to try something. If you still have any scabbing or any open wound you should wrap a piece of kitchen towel round the knee first to absorb any moisture and then a couple or more layers of clingfilm. If the wound is completely healed you can apply a moisturising cream or oil instead of the kitchen towel.
The pain from the outside of the knee is likely due to the stretching of tendons and ligaments. My aches and pains were mainly in the back of the knee and calf muscle at first, but it changes all the time as the tissues adapt to the implant and an altered gait. I found massaging the areas with a paint roller helped. Good luck with the physio. Don't overdo it though. A swollen, painful knee will not give you a good range of movement. Physio may be uncomfortable, but should not cause severe pain.
kathy26268 Kebra
Posted
I have RLS anyway and couldn't get any sleep at night were it not for ropinarole (Requip). Ask your doctor for a prescription. As I recall my surgeon sent me home with a prescription for Xanax, but didn't the second knee. I think that may be what it was for - as a muscle relaxant, but it doesn't work for restless legs. Good luck! I know how awful it is!
CHICO_MARX Kebra
Posted
Number 3 is guaranteed to straighten your leg...and all it is is gravity...
Work At Home
Try these tricks for sleep...
TKR Sleep
If it's RLS, I've had that for decades. Tried ALL the meds...nothing worked. Settled on 1 mg Xanax (Alprozalam...a benzodiazapine) 15 minutes before bed. Eases the muscles just a bit and helps me get to sleep. At that dose, totally non-addictive. Been using it for years.