sleeping on your back....

Yep, 'fraid it does drive you crazy, especially if you're a side sleeper.

There is, unfortunately, a very good reason for the instruction to sleep on your back - its so that you don't move about to much in a manner that is likely to dislocate your new hip.

I found that I could only sleep for a couple of hours at a time on my back - either I woke myself up by snoring or my back hurt so that woke me up!  I ended up catnapping throughout the day and night until I could finally sleep on my side.

Much to my astonishment, my surgeon said that I could sleep on my side - as soon as I could sleep on my operated side!  He went on to explain that if you sleep on the operated leg, your own body weight will make sure that it doesn't move about but if you sleep on your good side, you were likely to throw your operated leg about in your sleep.

I suppose it makes sense, but it doesn't help much with having to sleep on your back, until you can sleep on your operated side.  In my case I think that was about the 3-4 week mark.

All I can say is that it does get better.

Good luck with your recovery.

 

Hi Jackie

Sleeping on stomach is a no no. Your feet will automatically turn inwards in this position.

I have seen advice to put pillows under your knees or to make an 'armchair' of pillows to sleep sitting up slightly.

However.......I am not advocating this bur I too had difficulty and was waking to find I'd rolled onto my side with operated leg crossed over. As this is dangerous I took the decision to sleep on non operated side but put pillows between my legs to stop operated leg crossing mid line. I then found mostly I'd rolled onto back which was good. As soon as comfortable I started sleeping on operated side still with pillows as this is safer.

I started taking magnesium citrate for twinges at night but I've slept more deeply since although at 6 weeks post op I still wake in night and need to get up for loo.

Sandra

I was told by my PT that I could sleep on non operated side with pillow between my legs. It also helped to put pillow or pillows under my legs when I slept on my back.   My back didn't hurt so much then.  Every night when I went to bed I told my husband I was assuming my "corpse" position. Ugh, so glad to have that behind me!

You only have 4 more weeks to go. It was hard for me to. I sometimes woke up on my non operated side but never told a soul 

It was the worst part of recovery. I eventually put a rolled up towel in the hollow of my back. I never slept properly for 7 weeks. Used to have so much back pain that I ended up sitting up in bed on sitting on side of bed massaging my back x

I didn't. Got a pillow that ran from my ankle to past my knee and slept on the non operated side. Got uncomfortable. Sleep was definitely compromised the first 4 weeks or so. It does get better. Surgeon told me to sleep any way that was comfortable. My only restriction was the 90 degree. Find a good firm pillow. It will help.

Hi Jackie-

I haven't had surgery yet but cope with sleeping difficulties that are pain related and wake me several times a night.  Sleeping on my back with pillows under my knees seems to be a position that minimizes pain but invariably I roll to one side or the other and after awhile will be woke up from pain, roll over to other side and repeat.  It's getting tiresome and I see where the sleeping on the back is a widely experienced problem.  This set me to thinking: I will sometimes take a nap on the couch.  When I do I have my left leg against the back of the couch with my leg pulled up [ankle near hip/knee elevated] and my back sunk into the couch somewhat.  I might nap for 2 hours in this position and find that rolling over is never a problem and I don't find discomfort sleeping like this.  I have slept through the night like this as well with the same results.  This led me to wonder how well a hammock would work for sleeping on the back.  I have a net type hammock that I need to get strung up somehow to experiment with.  Many years ago when travelling through Mexico for several months we lived at night in hammocks hung about 20" off the ground so that when you sat up in them your feet were at the right level to touch the ground and make getting in and out easy.  I am wondering how this might work for back sleeping, especially after surgery.  I suppose it should be discussed with a physio or a medical professional for post surgical application but it might offer some relief as sleeping in a hammock was always a very comfortable proposition.  Worth consideration?

Best,

Jimbone

Hi Jackie I got my right hip replaced in 2015 and could not sleep on my back at all, so I had to sleep sitting up thinking that when my 6 weeks was up I would be able to lie on my side.  After the 6 weeks I could lie on the unoperated side but have never been able to lie on the operated side.  I am waiting to go in and get my left hip replaced and I have been sitting up sleeping since last August as suddenly one night when I tried to lie down in bed the pain was unbearable, it is a nightmare sitting up as I now have bed sores which will not clear until I can get lying down again so hopefully after this op I will be able to lie on my side again if not I don't know what I will do.  I would not attempt to lie on my stomach until you see your consultant and he says it is ok to do so.  Good Luck and hopefully you get some much needed sleep.

Big Hugs 

Jacq x

I'm 22 months post THR, and 20 months post revision, I am allowed to, but still cannot sleep on my side due to pain in the hip when I try.  I have now become a reluctant back-sleeper, and like you wake periodically in the night to move position.

Yup, the nights were rubbish. Hated sleeping on my back, I used to prowl around on my crutches , trying to loosen up my achy back. I stuck with it until I saw my consultant at nearly 7 weeks. After that I used to lie on my good side with a pillow between my knees, but I often ended up on my back again. Now I can sleep on my operated side again. Bliss!

That is the beauty of the anterior method of hip replacement. I had no restrictions. I am nearly at three weeks and I've been sleeping on my non-operated side since about night three. I tuck a pillow between my knees to ankles and with the aid of a Tylenol PM I'm only waking once a night for a bathroom call.