Advice please on how to get most comfortable for sleep 10 days after left total knee replacement

-- sidonie caron (sidonieandgordon@hotmail.com), July 02, 2003

Answers

Some pain and discomfort is normal and expected at 10 days after a knee replacement. The use of oral analgesics and ice compresses is perhaps the best way of getting pain relief at this stage. If the pain is progressively lessening that is normal.

-- Errol Bennett, M.D. (ebennet6@jhmi.edu), July 16, 2003.

If you generally sleep on your side, you will probably have this problem for some time. A hospital bed or adjustable bed helped me out considerably. It can be adjusted to a "recliner" position and increases comfort while sleeping on your back. Ten days post surgery is too early to worry about taking pain relievers to help you sleep. Keep taking them at night and during the day as needed. You need to heal and that takes time. In a month or so, you will find that you can sleep on your side again if you are careful with the operated knee. You need about 12 weeks of PT to increase range of motion and strengthen the knee

-- lorene meacham (lorene@codenet.net), July 27, 2003.

I have had 3 knee replacements. 2 on right and 1 on left. I have found that the best thging I could do is to sleep with a SOFT pillow between the legs. Good leg down first, then the pillow, then the operative leg. This helped me out tremendously all 3 tkr's. I hope I was able to help.

-- Joseph R. Daniels (papajoed@comcast.net), December 30, 2004.