1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Knee Problems

sleeping on your side

Posted , 14 users are following.

sally58158
sally58158

Hello folks

at the risk of sounding really silly, i would like to pose a few questions.

How do people sleep on their sides?

Operated leg or not? Knee bent or straight?

How soon did you feel comfortable on your side?

I long to sleep on my side but i am afraid of hurting my new knee. I still see my knee as some alien object and not part of me at all. It makes me nervous to try anything new. Any comments or suggestions most welcome.

0 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

Prev
  • sally58158
    sally58158

    Posted

    Thanks everyone. I am 8 weeks post op. I have been on my back but find my hips are complaining a bit and i would love to relieve them. What do people mean by a body pillow? Thanks again.
    • MCanada
      MCanada sally58158

      Posted

      I am in Canada and body pillows are easy to find. It is a softer pillow double the length of a regular one. I am 6 ft. tall so I put this pillow between my legs from hip to toes and have another regular pillow scrunched in front of me supporting my upper body. I lay straight legged or bent on one side and then flip the whole thing to the other side. Initially after each TKR I could only sleep on my back with my leg elevated but in time I went back to side sleeping with the new surgery on top. Now I can sleep on either side and move back and forth without pain. I am at 13 weeks now. The pillow helps ease the knee pain but also the hip and shoulder pain accompanying the body adapting to my new straight legs as I relearn how to walk smoothly.

      Mary

    • Yorkyrebel
      Yorkyrebel MCanada

      Posted

      Oh my, sleeping on either side and moving back and forth sounds wonderful.  And at 13 weeks - I'm at 10, so hopefully only 3 weeks to go (haha)
  • Annodoremouse
    Annodoremouse sally58158

    Posted

    I found sleeping on the operated side with my knee bent to a comfortable position. To start with I put an ice pack on the knee. 
  • ruthie2673
    ruthie2673 sally58158

    Posted

    8 weeks like you. Can't do a whole night on my side yet, toss and turn, get up and walk about. Just a general discomfort and achiness.

    I sleep on my good side, good knee bent, then pillow between legs and operated leg starts out bent but ends up straight. Eventually at some point in the night I have to revert to my back. Never did like the other side anyway! Still take painkillers before I go to bed.

  • shelley1963
    shelley1963 sally58158

    Posted

    Hi Sally

    I started sleeping on my side at about 4-5 weeks, I can sleep on either side, but it depends on what mood my knee is in as to which feels the best. I can sleep on operated leg just on mattress but have a pillow between each knees which helps as I dont like the feel of my knees touching each other. My legs are bent, cannot sleep with straight legs on my side. I do sleep better this way but still do not sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time without having to move over to the other side or on my back. Up until I could sleep on my side I spent most nights on the sofa as it was the only I could get comfortable.  I still long for a really good nights sleep.

  • joansgarden
    joansgarden sally58158

    Posted

    I have been sleeping on my side since the first day. I started with my tkr knee on top and pillows between my legs, but now sleep either knee on top (11 weeks). Still keep the pillows. I had been sleeping with my knee bent but surgeon wanted me to keep it straight so that's what I do now. I'm one of the lucky ones who have been able to sleep, but one of the unlucky ones who is getting a manipulation next week because it's not bending.
Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.