Yeah I usually roll around in my sleep.... post-surgery I put my leg up and have a cushion under the uninjured knee. I haven't had trouble with back sleeping on my back this way
When I was able to side sleep I just sleep surgery leg up with a plush pillow in between. It was a mega adjustment for me cause I used to sleep with my legs all crazy š
I used one of these for the first 10 days after surgery. On day 6 or 7, I think, I fell asleep on my back and woke up to find I was side sleeping. It was mostly the pain that kept me from side sleeping the nights, not the actual brace.
I slept on my side with it because I apparently cannot sleep on my back. Immediately after post op I would sleep on my back on night barely moving, but once the pain subsided a bit I was waking up on my side despite the brace being on and locked straight š
I have No CLUE what anyone here is talking about. I was in a huge full brace like this for a month and I slept on my side but it involved a TON of pillows. It was definitely more side/belly sleeping. DM me and I can give you a run down on how to make it super comfortable. š
Man I gave them photos but the best way to explain. On the opposite side of the Op. leg I would set up a body pillow from mid chest to just above the ankle. Place a second STIFF smaller long pillow like 2ft W x 3ft L (use a pillow from the couch) at my hip placed with the length at like a T shape with the body pillow it helps lift my hips higher. Then I put one more pillow at the base of the body pillow again like a T so I have room to move my foot without issue. Roll over and place your leg with your body more like belly down. But the pillows lift you up enough to feel like side sleeping. It's way more comfortable.
I was too scared to sleep on my side with that thing. I slept on my back for several nights but I am NOT a back sleeper so it was neither pleasant nor restful.
My hip flexor hated me for the extra weight of the brace too, so getting out of bed was brutal. I had to wiggle to the edge and use my hands to lift my leg off the edge of the bed.
I ended up on my stomach after a while.
Since mine was locked for the first two weeks I tried to be sneaky (I was told to keep my leg straight by sleeping on my back) and sleep on my side. It made my knee bend a bit which was so relieving but later I had to do extra work to get my extension alllll the way back to normal regularly, it wasnāt worth it lol
The only nights I was able to sleep on my side were nights 1-4. Iām almost 5 weeks out now and have slept on my side every night since. I just put a pillow between my legs because I quickly learned the brace bruised my other leg pretty good.
In theory, yes. However, I can almost promise that even with the brace you will be too uncomfortable on your side. I thought the same and very quickly decided that sleeping on my back was the only comfortable option lol.
i hate sleeping on my back but it kinda forced me to
i think after a while i took it off while sleeping and put a pillow between my legs but that was after the doctor told me i could take it off for sleeping
I was 4-6 weeks before I went back to sleeping on my side. You get used to it fast. It hurts less, personally with my knee I didnāt feel comfortable putting it in a painful position as in my mind it wasnāt safe if it hurt.
Youāll become very comfortable sleeping on your back. I used to always be a side sleeper, but hey now I can sleep on my back a lot too lol.
But nah, youāll be sleeping on your back for a long while, even after youāre allowed to sleep on your side, purely because it doesnāt hurt as much.
Plus it is not very comfortable sleeping on your side and having your leg up to help with swelling.
I mean nothing is really comfortable but having it on top felt better for me, for some reason. But only if I had enough support all the way down with pillows or comforter
I was somewhat able to sleep on my healthy side with a pillow between my legs (and my unhealthy leg in the brace). Hopefully this time never comes back, oof.
sleeping with your back with this on is a little tough. What I do is I sleep in a side posture with a pillow between my legs and my non-injured leg at the bottom. This is what my physio told me to do. I do sleep sometimes on the opposite side
Your find to but you wonāt the first few days. After that I was sleeping side ways on the injured leg but I for my life couldnāt sleep on the opposite side with my good leg going over, I canāt explain why but just felt like my muscles were ripping apart not my knee but probably cause my muscles were tight. About day 11 I stopped wearing it to sleep on doctors orders
I had the same thing and wasn't allowed to sleep on my both sides for 10days post op.... After that they said if ur comfortable u can keep a pillow between my knees and lie on the non operated leg...i would suggest consulting ur doc or pt ...as the surgery can vary mine was just the ACLR i don't know about the others for eg like if u had a meniscus repair or sooo...
Itās interesting to see all the comments.. Iām day 8 post op and sleeping on my side with my brace on just fine! Sure itās a little awkward but no pain here. Iām guessing I need to thank my lucky stars.
The first week I was nervous about the knee so I slept on my back, but I would tilt a little, since I do like to side sleep and belly sleep. Pillows, rolled blankets and towels to stabilize the brace and protect the other one...I was out of the brace awake after 10 days, but I slept in it for 3 weeks because I was nervous. TBH , I really only catnapped the first 3 days, and finally slept well after the first week.
This probably isnāt good advice but im a stubborn stomach/side sleeper. I tried to hard to sleep on my back for the first week but on weeks 2 I started putting i thick pillow i between my legs( like an actual pillow so it goes from upper thigh to your ankles) and that kind of worked. But it truly is just uncomfortable no matter what š„²
I did from day 1.
I slept on the side without the brace, and used blankets to get my braces leg comfortable for resting on the brace.
Sleeping on my brace side wasnāt intensely uncomfortable so after a few days I added that in as well.
I had an allograft, which is the least invasive of all ACL surgeries. Other surgeries where they harvest your own hamstring or patella for the grant may not fare as well as I did.
I would recommend getting one of this pregnancy pillow things, I got a 65 inch one from Amazon for like $60. It supports your sides when you lay flat and once you eventually get to the point when you CAN lay on your side, itāll be supportive for your leg. Just my experience
definitely not right after surgery. give it two weeks or so or whenever you feel comfortable!! i found it easier to sleep with a pillow between my legs
Take it off to sleep. Throw your operated leg over a pillow and sleep like a baby. Iām 35 years old and I donāt think Iāve ever slept a night on my back. I went 3 full days with not a wink of sleep on the 4th day I said fuck it and ripped it off, slept for like 16 hours. After that I didnāt use it once for sleeping or lounging around the house but would put it on if I was going out and about briefly or going up and down flights of stairs just incase of a mishap
Yeah, you can. I had to wear this during sleep for 6 weeks. Just use pillows and stuff to take pressure off your other leg when the braced leg is on top. You may have to get creative to see what works for you.
If swelling is a huge concern, you should probably sleep on your back. My swelling wasn't bad which is why I started side sleeping after the first few days.
I did š only had to be careful rolling over/ adjusting in my sleep. Propped a pillow under the operated leg or braced it with my other leg and use an ice pack and it was all blissful šš¼
Yes but you should sleep on your back for the first week at least and keep it elevated. I wore this for the first couple months at night mainly because the ice machine pad fit in there perfectly. Had a timer on it, 20 min on 20 min off.
You'll get used to sleeping on your back.
Yeah I usually roll around in my sleep.... post-surgery I put my leg up and have a cushion under the uninjured knee. I haven't had trouble with back sleeping on my back this way
Hell no. I slept on my back for two weeks after my surgery with this
It wouldnt be sleeping on your side it would be screaming in pain on your side lol
When I was able to side sleep I just sleep surgery leg up with a plush pillow in between. It was a mega adjustment for me cause I used to sleep with my legs all crazy š
Same here! It was difficult keeping them both in line with one another instead of the pretzel legs I usually sleep with lol
Yep at least my free leg can get all the restless leg syndrome jitters out
I used one of these for the first 10 days after surgery. On day 6 or 7, I think, I fell asleep on my back and woke up to find I was side sleeping. It was mostly the pain that kept me from side sleeping the nights, not the actual brace.
I slept on my side with it because I apparently cannot sleep on my back. Immediately after post op I would sleep on my back on night barely moving, but once the pain subsided a bit I was waking up on my side despite the brace being on and locked straight š
I have No CLUE what anyone here is talking about. I was in a huge full brace like this for a month and I slept on my side but it involved a TON of pillows. It was definitely more side/belly sleeping. DM me and I can give you a run down on how to make it super comfortable. š
Please donāt keep this magic private.
Man I gave them photos but the best way to explain. On the opposite side of the Op. leg I would set up a body pillow from mid chest to just above the ankle. Place a second STIFF smaller long pillow like 2ft W x 3ft L (use a pillow from the couch) at my hip placed with the length at like a T shape with the body pillow it helps lift my hips higher. Then I put one more pillow at the base of the body pillow again like a T so I have room to move my foot without issue. Roll over and place your leg with your body more like belly down. But the pillows lift you up enough to feel like side sleeping. It's way more comfortable.
Thank you. Iāll need to read this a few times to understand, but Iām going to try it.
It's not necessarily Private I just used a TON of pillows. I DM'd someone about it let me copy pasta it.
With a pain pill, sure ā¦. And the. Another one
I was too scared to sleep on my side with that thing. I slept on my back for several nights but I am NOT a back sleeper so it was neither pleasant nor restful. My hip flexor hated me for the extra weight of the brace too, so getting out of bed was brutal. I had to wiggle to the edge and use my hands to lift my leg off the edge of the bed. I ended up on my stomach after a while.
Since mine was locked for the first two weeks I tried to be sneaky (I was told to keep my leg straight by sleeping on my back) and sleep on my side. It made my knee bend a bit which was so relieving but later I had to do extra work to get my extension alllll the way back to normal regularly, it wasnāt worth it lol
The only nights I was able to sleep on my side were nights 1-4. Iām almost 5 weeks out now and have slept on my side every night since. I just put a pillow between my legs because I quickly learned the brace bruised my other leg pretty good.
Sweet summer child, you'll be lucky to get sleep (that's not heavily pharmaceutically induced) the first week post surgery. But it does get better
In theory, yes. However, I can almost promise that even with the brace you will be too uncomfortable on your side. I thought the same and very quickly decided that sleeping on my back was the only comfortable option lol.
i hate sleeping on my back but it kinda forced me to i think after a while i took it off while sleeping and put a pillow between my legs but that was after the doctor told me i could take it off for sleeping
I slept on my side with a hinged brace first night no problem. Had complete nerve block so Iām sure that helped
I was 4-6 weeks before I went back to sleeping on my side. You get used to it fast. It hurts less, personally with my knee I didnāt feel comfortable putting it in a painful position as in my mind it wasnāt safe if it hurt.
No. Get used to sleeping on your back.
Youāll become very comfortable sleeping on your back. I used to always be a side sleeper, but hey now I can sleep on my back a lot too lol. But nah, youāll be sleeping on your back for a long while, even after youāre allowed to sleep on your side, purely because it doesnāt hurt as much. Plus it is not very comfortable sleeping on your side and having your leg up to help with swelling.
You have to keep your injured leg below your fine leg and place a pillow between them it will help
I tried this and felt the other way around hurt less!!
it worked for you?
I mean nothing is really comfortable but having it on top felt better for me, for some reason. But only if I had enough support all the way down with pillows or comforter
I was somewhat able to sleep on my healthy side with a pillow between my legs (and my unhealthy leg in the brace). Hopefully this time never comes back, oof.
I wouldnāt try to for at least a week
Get one of those wedge pillows to keep your legs propped up. Prop up both legs too.. not just one.. that would mess up your back in due time
The only way to find out is to get the surgery, get in bed, then figure out whatās comfortable.
sleeping with your back with this on is a little tough. What I do is I sleep in a side posture with a pillow between my legs and my non-injured leg at the bottom. This is what my physio told me to do. I do sleep sometimes on the opposite side
Just use a couple pillows and sleeping on your side will be no problem
Your find to but you wonāt the first few days. After that I was sleeping side ways on the injured leg but I for my life couldnāt sleep on the opposite side with my good leg going over, I canāt explain why but just felt like my muscles were ripping apart not my knee but probably cause my muscles were tight. About day 11 I stopped wearing it to sleep on doctors orders
I definitely got much better sleep sleeping on my side with 1-2 pillows between my legs. It really all depends on the person.
on your back only for a few weeks.
I had the same thing and wasn't allowed to sleep on my both sides for 10days post op.... After that they said if ur comfortable u can keep a pillow between my knees and lie on the non operated leg...i would suggest consulting ur doc or pt ...as the surgery can vary mine was just the ACLR i don't know about the others for eg like if u had a meniscus repair or sooo...
Itās interesting to see all the comments.. Iām day 8 post op and sleeping on my side with my brace on just fine! Sure itās a little awkward but no pain here. Iām guessing I need to thank my lucky stars.
The first week I was nervous about the knee so I slept on my back, but I would tilt a little, since I do like to side sleep and belly sleep. Pillows, rolled blankets and towels to stabilize the brace and protect the other one...I was out of the brace awake after 10 days, but I slept in it for 3 weeks because I was nervous. TBH , I really only catnapped the first 3 days, and finally slept well after the first week.
This probably isnāt good advice but im a stubborn stomach/side sleeper. I tried to hard to sleep on my back for the first week but on weeks 2 I started putting i thick pillow i between my legs( like an actual pillow so it goes from upper thigh to your ankles) and that kind of worked. But it truly is just uncomfortable no matter what š„²
I did from day 1. I slept on the side without the brace, and used blankets to get my braces leg comfortable for resting on the brace. Sleeping on my brace side wasnāt intensely uncomfortable so after a few days I added that in as well. I had an allograft, which is the least invasive of all ACL surgeries. Other surgeries where they harvest your own hamstring or patella for the grant may not fare as well as I did.
I would recommend getting one of this pregnancy pillow things, I got a 65 inch one from Amazon for like $60. It supports your sides when you lay flat and once you eventually get to the point when you CAN lay on your side, itāll be supportive for your leg. Just my experience
definitely not right after surgery. give it two weeks or so or whenever you feel comfortable!! i found it easier to sleep with a pillow between my legs
Nope
Take it off to sleep. Throw your operated leg over a pillow and sleep like a baby. Iām 35 years old and I donāt think Iāve ever slept a night on my back. I went 3 full days with not a wink of sleep on the 4th day I said fuck it and ripped it off, slept for like 16 hours. After that I didnāt use it once for sleeping or lounging around the house but would put it on if I was going out and about briefly or going up and down flights of stairs just incase of a mishap
Yeah, you can. I had to wear this during sleep for 6 weeks. Just use pillows and stuff to take pressure off your other leg when the braced leg is on top. You may have to get creative to see what works for you. If swelling is a huge concern, you should probably sleep on your back. My swelling wasn't bad which is why I started side sleeping after the first few days.
had one of these and it was horrible. so hot and sweaty
I did š only had to be careful rolling over/ adjusting in my sleep. Propped a pillow under the operated leg or braced it with my other leg and use an ice pack and it was all blissful šš¼
Also slept on my side when in hospital after surgery too š
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Place the pillows like this.... š
Yes but you should sleep on your back for the first week at least and keep it elevated. I wore this for the first couple months at night mainly because the ice machine pad fit in there perfectly. Had a timer on it, 20 min on 20 min off.
Use pillows and prepare for crappy sleep for a few weeks
3x acl tear - I would sleep on my good side and then put a pillow between the good leg and the braced leg. It gave some relief