Sleeping Position Tips after Hip Surgery

After having a hip surgery, there are many precautions which you need to follow in order to ensure that you won’t get any complications after the procedure. It is very essential that you should follow the orders given by the doctors or your orthopedic surgeon so that you won’t face any major complications after the surgery. During the hip surgery, the tissues that hold your hip in place needs to be cut or stretched and the healing part of that part needs time.

There are some special precautions that you need to follow for some weeks or as suggested by your orthopedic surgeon depending on the overall health and the specific surgery which is being undertaken. Generally, it is for 6-12 months that you need to follow some specific sleeping positions and the right positions. Maintaining a good sleeping position is important after the hip surgery. 

Whenever you are sleeping, just make sure you follow the right position. It is important to follow 

some sleeping positions which are the following:

Back Position

Yes, this is the Best and safest position after a hip surgery is to sleep on your back with a pillow between your leg. This is considered to be the possible situation and you need to make sure that you don’t turn the leg in any way that it could provide discomfort to your hip and it can cause certain issue also. It is also advisable to follow a particular direction for your toes. When you sleep on back, you should keep your toes naturally pointed in an upward direction.

Remember not to turn the toes or even whole leg inside on the operative side of the hip. This position on lying on the bed with pointing your toe upward is the best. Sometimes when you feel like bending the leg, make sure not to bend the affected one, as this will put pressure on the affected side of the hip. As long as you put a pillow between your legs, this position is considered to the best position after a surgery.

Side position

Maybe you can follow side position, but you can only follow this when you are told to. You can sleep inside position but make sure to line up two pillows between your legs. Also, make sure that you don’t cross over the affected leg by the midline of the body. Sleeping in this position you also need to make sure that you don’t turn your toes inside.

You can change the side if you will uncomfortable. Sleeping with a pillow between the legs is advisable for at least 6 weeks. Make sure to follow this process after hip surgery as this will be helpful in faster healing after surgery. You can sleep on the operative side whenever you feel comfortable. You can also sleep on your non-operative side at 3-4 weeks with a pillow between your knees. Keeping a pillow between the knees is very important for not causing any further issues.

Stomach

No, this position is not at all advisable after a hip surgery. Make sure you don’t sleep on your stomach after going through the surgery. Even some weeks after that because these positions not at all considered safe and it can result in dislocation also. You should always consider your orthopedic surgeon before sleeping on your stomach, but generally, it is advisable not to do that for 6 weeks. As sleeping on your stomach, is not at all recommended, you should consult your doctor or orthopedic surgeon before doing sleeping in such a position. You need to be very careful for the first six weeks 

after the surgery

General Precautions:

Apart from choosing the right position for sleeping, there are some general precautions that you need to follow to ensure that you are able to heal properly without any major issues or problems. Some safety tips in this regard are as follows:

• For any particular reasons, never bend or lean down because it is important not to stretch the muscles too much. One should not bend down.
• Sleep on a soft mattress for some weeks
• Do not put a pillow under your knee while sleeping. Put it between your knees to prevent your leg from crossing your body.
• White sitting on chair use two pillows on a standard chair.
• While placing the pillows between both your legs make sure that one of them is giving proper support to your foot. This will help in preventing you from twisting the leg and putting any pressure on the hip.
• Another most important safety tip is to always remember not to put your toe inward no matter which sleeping position you choose to sleep. This is extremely important to avoid twisting your toe inward because it will result in dislocation.
• While sleeping on your back, remember not to cross your ankle.
• Do not sleep on your stomach without consulting your orthopedic surgeon because this can result in dislocation.
• For at least 6 weeks, you should avoid sleeping on the side which has undergone surgery.
• Not to put your knee up to your stomach up to a 90 degree.
• Follow the exercise if any told by the orthopedic surgeon.

You need to extra careful for at least 6 weeks to avoid any problems and do follow the above sleeping position with the pillow. You should notice a gradual improvement over time. Generally, the above guidelines and safety tips should be taken into consideration after surgery. Apart from this, your therapist will also provide you some technique and also some equipment that will help you follow the tips.

You can use these types of equipment to perform daily activities. This will help to heal faster after recovery. Always remember to follow your therapist else it may result in dislocation or any major problem. Even after weeks, make sure not to go for certain sports or any heavy activities.

Get the best advice your joints care and orthopedic treatment at JaipurJoints clinic. JaipurJoints is No. 1 leading clinic for hip, knee and shoulder surgery in India.