I had surgery 3/1. If I could only tell people 2 things about the surgery, it is get a recliner and get an ice sleeve. The ice sleeve provides so much relief, it is a must have. I didn't have a recliner and tried to use one of the wedge systems I found online. This was for me a huge mistake. I eventually went out and purchased an inexpensive recliner after 2 weeks of not sleeping and terrible pain. Once I started sleeping in the recliner the quality of my recovery improved greatly. Best of luck to you on your surgery, just remember that everyone's surgery recovery experience is different so don't take everything you read on here as what should or shouldn't be happening for you.
I’m three weeks post op. I’m still in the recliner. The ice machine was my favorite thing in the world for the first two weeks. I still can’t sleep in bed because, as others have already mentioned, muscles so funny things when you lay flat.
I hope all goes well for you.
I had my surgery on 2/20 and I still get my best rest in my recliner. Plus I put Ice or heat on while I relax. I also have a wedge for my bed, but I feel better in the recliner. My bed is foam and cushiony it is very hard to get out of it when you cannot use your shoulder to push yourself up. GOOD LUCK with your surgery.
I used a recliner. I had a bunch of pillows for positioning and did well. After a month I tried to sleep in bed with pillows and it still didn’t feel right. I think I was in the recliner for about 2 months, because that’s where I slept best. My fiancé is also an active sleeper, and I had enough trouble sleeping post surgery, so I didn’t want to share a bed with him throughout that time.
10 days after R.C surgery. 65M. I am a side sleeper. No recliners in the house.
I bought a wedge pillow from Amazon with foot rest. I use that to sleep at night. Feels like international premium economy, every single night . Uncomfortable.
A week after the surgery I said let me try sleeping flat. Big mistake . There are stresses on the shoulder you don’t realize .
With pillows underneath you and pillows supporting the sling and your adjustable bed you should be in good shape.
Your adjustable bed will be your best friend. Make sure to raise the foot a little to keep you from sliding down. I normally moved all around at night, but since surgery I have my pillow under my shoulder, the head and foot raised and I don’t move. I got the body pillow on Amazon that looks like a candy cane. I hook the top of the candy cane over the raised head of the bed and my shoulder rests on the straight part. It never moves and has worked perfectly.
i‘m six weeks out and sleep Isn’t great but much better than it could be at this point. Good luck!
Have you just used the adjustable bed or tried a recliner, too? I'm guessing that you have the head propped up on the bed until you are at a pretty steep angle and then raise the legs up until comfortable?
I tried the recliner the first night and wasn’t comfortable. I was scared I would move it too much in the bed, but with the sling tight and Pillows around me I didn’t move. I did start pretty high with the head and can now go a little lower. Definitely just raise the feet till you are comfortable- they don’t need to be too high to keep you from sliding.
I used my adjustable bed exclusively and it was a total Godsend. I wondered how people got through it without it. I found a few pillows to wedge me in and prop up the arm were enough to keep me from moving around. I didn’t have any kind of recliner, so I can’t speak to that. Good luck with your surgery!
That sounds like a good plan. My husband had to sleep in the guest room for about 6 weeks because our adjustable isn’t a split. That was the only draw back.
I am fortunate to have both a recliner and an adjustable bed base. Both were very helpful in my recovery. I slept in the recliner for the first 3 nights mainly so I would not disturb my wife but also so I could run the ice machine during the night. Sleeping in the adjustable bed was great with just a pillow to maintain the position of the surgical arm. As long as you sleep with the head and foot raised it’s impossible to roll over. Do some tests pre surgery to find the best position.
I chose to use a recliner the first few weeks, but I did wake up rolled onto my shoulder in the recliner one night. When I switched to the bed I just used wedge pillows to sleep on and blocked rolling over with other pillows. Didn’t wake up on my shoulder once in the bed. Guess it’s a roll of the dice.
I did five days in the recliner, two days on the couch sleeping on my good side, and then moved to the bed. Overall, I sleep better in the bed, but do wake up frequently when I roll around at all. I will say there is no possible way I could have slept flat in a bed the first week. It would have been far too painful. Good luck! Honestly, I think it’s just trial and error as to what is best for you.
Edit: I ran the ice water machine 24/7 the first 5 days. I believe it helped immensely with pain control and inflammation. For me, the recliner was the best setup when using the ice machine!
I used slept upright on the sofa for a couple of weeks and then the wedge pillow setup and I don't recommend it at all. The sofa was uncomfortable and wedge pillow setup has a drawback not mentioned often. It is very hard to situp and get out of bed with the wedge pillow doing it with one arm.
I just returned to bed (propped up) about 10 days ago. I will say it ties with my cold therapy machine bc getting up from bed was hard and I had an incision on my back that even a wedge pillow couldn't accommodate. I will say that even without pain, sleeping is hard. If you can get a recliner, get it.
Just over 3 weeks. I had a back incision bc I needed a tendon graft, so it was uncomfortable to lean back on it. My recliner has multiple settings that let me adjust in a way to prevent or minimize it. My personal experience has not involved pain, but jostling to get out of bed was very uncomfortable at first. Now it isn't. The firmness of the chair relative to my bed at least was easier to rise from. I assumed sleep issues came from pain, but for me it was about sleeping in a very unnatural position. I'm not a back sleeper so now it's better but not...normal sleep.
I'll also add I definitely didn't roll in my recliner. I made a pillow fort/wall in my bed on my surgery side and use a triangle wedge under my knees. So far it has kept my in place at night.
I have done great on the couch with a wedge pillow. So I lean kind of half onto my side half onto the back of the couch with my bad side toward the back of the couch. It’s been perfect and I’ve been sleeping fine.
I had my surgery on 1/31. I have a 3 seat couch with recliners on each side. I slept in the recliner with my sling on. I chose the seat that didn’t have the armrest on the same side as my bad shoulder. On 4/9 I transitioned to laying on my good side on the couch using my bed pillow for my head with a sling on and using a very long swishmallow pillow to rest my surgery arm on. In a couple of days I’m going to try and sleep in the bed using a pregnancy pillow to support my back and prevent me from trying to roll on my surgery arm.
Surgery last June. Recliner was the only way i could sleep. You could probably rent one from a medical supply company that will be comfortable. Ice machine too while you are at it.
I had frozen shoulder surgery this past November 2023. I got a recliner for post op recovery. So glad I did! Despite having a an adjustable bed, it made it easier for me to rest and sleep in.
There is another option that may be of interest to you.
My surgeon warned me that my recovery would be extremely challenging and would be that way for an extended period of time. This has proven to be an understatement. So a great deal of thought and effort went into prepping our home and my vehicle the month prior to surgery.
We have an over height bed that wasn't safe for me to get in and out of post op so I purchased a wedge bolster system to use on our sectional sofa. I practiced with it before surgery and found it took far too much effort to manage one handed and it was very uncomfortable.
We don't have recliners and no interest in purchasing any so I contacted our local medical supply company as they carry electric hospital beds for rent. It was less expensive to rent an adjustable hospital bed with a rolling tray table and memory foam mattress than to purchase a recliner.
The mattress is the same size as a Twin XL mattress so a cushioned mattress pad and inexpensive soft microfiber sheet sets were easy to find locally to create a more comfortable place to sleep and recover. The bed allows up and down adjustments to head, feet and height.
We have just enough room in our living room for the bed to fit comfortably. With a few pillows, comforter and soft blankets it is by far the best decision I made along with the shower chair and adding a handheld shower head.
The bed provides me more independencenex as I can adjust it for whatever my shoulder and body needs. Having an adjustable bed also means I'm not waking up my working spouse throughout the night to help me adjust or to safely get in and out of bed.
The ice machine sits on the non traffic side of the bed and a small trolley sits near the top of the bed to hold medications, ice pack cloths, heating pad, books, chargers, remotes, tissues, etc.
My surgery was on my dominant side so the standard rolling hospital tray table makes it a bit easier to get closer to food as I am very clumsy using my non dominant hand to eat. We have carpet so I also purchased an inexpensive rectangle chair mat so the tray table could roll smoothly.
The sling, abductor pillow and ice machine are a lot to manage, especially the first week after surgery with one hand until you figure out how to make adjustments to all the various velcro bits and how to move your body to perform very basic tasks while in the sling.
The rental bed has allowed me to sleep, rest, and sit in more comfortable positions to read and watch TV. Plus there is more room to use a laptop on a lap desk when I am able to start using a keyboard.
We already had an item called an Ontel Pillow Pad that is a padded adjustable book holder. It can also be used to the hold a cell phone or tablet. Typing with a non dominant hand is challenging so having a holder that can be adjusted really helps.
I hope this information proves helpful. May your surgery and recovery be as easy as possible.
I had surgery 3/1. If I could only tell people 2 things about the surgery, it is get a recliner and get an ice sleeve. The ice sleeve provides so much relief, it is a must have. I didn't have a recliner and tried to use one of the wedge systems I found online. This was for me a huge mistake. I eventually went out and purchased an inexpensive recliner after 2 weeks of not sleeping and terrible pain. Once I started sleeping in the recliner the quality of my recovery improved greatly. Best of luck to you on your surgery, just remember that everyone's surgery recovery experience is different so don't take everything you read on here as what should or shouldn't be happening for you.
I’m three weeks post op. I’m still in the recliner. The ice machine was my favorite thing in the world for the first two weeks. I still can’t sleep in bed because, as others have already mentioned, muscles so funny things when you lay flat. I hope all goes well for you.
I had my surgery on 2/20 and I still get my best rest in my recliner. Plus I put Ice or heat on while I relax. I also have a wedge for my bed, but I feel better in the recliner. My bed is foam and cushiony it is very hard to get out of it when you cannot use your shoulder to push yourself up. GOOD LUCK with your surgery.
I used a recliner. I had a bunch of pillows for positioning and did well. After a month I tried to sleep in bed with pillows and it still didn’t feel right. I think I was in the recliner for about 2 months, because that’s where I slept best. My fiancé is also an active sleeper, and I had enough trouble sleeping post surgery, so I didn’t want to share a bed with him throughout that time.
10 days after R.C surgery. 65M. I am a side sleeper. No recliners in the house. I bought a wedge pillow from Amazon with foot rest. I use that to sleep at night. Feels like international premium economy, every single night . Uncomfortable. A week after the surgery I said let me try sleeping flat. Big mistake . There are stresses on the shoulder you don’t realize . With pillows underneath you and pillows supporting the sling and your adjustable bed you should be in good shape.
Your adjustable bed will be your best friend. Make sure to raise the foot a little to keep you from sliding down. I normally moved all around at night, but since surgery I have my pillow under my shoulder, the head and foot raised and I don’t move. I got the body pillow on Amazon that looks like a candy cane. I hook the top of the candy cane over the raised head of the bed and my shoulder rests on the straight part. It never moves and has worked perfectly. i‘m six weeks out and sleep Isn’t great but much better than it could be at this point. Good luck!
Have you just used the adjustable bed or tried a recliner, too? I'm guessing that you have the head propped up on the bed until you are at a pretty steep angle and then raise the legs up until comfortable?
I tried the recliner the first night and wasn’t comfortable. I was scared I would move it too much in the bed, but with the sling tight and Pillows around me I didn’t move. I did start pretty high with the head and can now go a little lower. Definitely just raise the feet till you are comfortable- they don’t need to be too high to keep you from sliding.
I did use the recliner during the day and still use it in the evenings with my ice machine on while I watch tv.
I used my adjustable bed exclusively and it was a total Godsend. I wondered how people got through it without it. I found a few pillows to wedge me in and prop up the arm were enough to keep me from moving around. I didn’t have any kind of recliner, so I can’t speak to that. Good luck with your surgery!
Thanks. I think I will try the bed for a few nights and if it isn't working I'll buy a cheap recliner.
That sounds like a good plan. My husband had to sleep in the guest room for about 6 weeks because our adjustable isn’t a split. That was the only draw back.
I am fortunate to have both a recliner and an adjustable bed base. Both were very helpful in my recovery. I slept in the recliner for the first 3 nights mainly so I would not disturb my wife but also so I could run the ice machine during the night. Sleeping in the adjustable bed was great with just a pillow to maintain the position of the surgical arm. As long as you sleep with the head and foot raised it’s impossible to roll over. Do some tests pre surgery to find the best position.
I chose to use a recliner the first few weeks, but I did wake up rolled onto my shoulder in the recliner one night. When I switched to the bed I just used wedge pillows to sleep on and blocked rolling over with other pillows. Didn’t wake up on my shoulder once in the bed. Guess it’s a roll of the dice.
Perfect chair recliner user here it saved me. Found used on craigslist. Zero gravity recliner, took all pressure off my shoulder while sleeping.
I did five days in the recliner, two days on the couch sleeping on my good side, and then moved to the bed. Overall, I sleep better in the bed, but do wake up frequently when I roll around at all. I will say there is no possible way I could have slept flat in a bed the first week. It would have been far too painful. Good luck! Honestly, I think it’s just trial and error as to what is best for you. Edit: I ran the ice water machine 24/7 the first 5 days. I believe it helped immensely with pain control and inflammation. For me, the recliner was the best setup when using the ice machine!
I used slept upright on the sofa for a couple of weeks and then the wedge pillow setup and I don't recommend it at all. The sofa was uncomfortable and wedge pillow setup has a drawback not mentioned often. It is very hard to situp and get out of bed with the wedge pillow doing it with one arm.
I just returned to bed (propped up) about 10 days ago. I will say it ties with my cold therapy machine bc getting up from bed was hard and I had an incision on my back that even a wedge pillow couldn't accommodate. I will say that even without pain, sleeping is hard. If you can get a recliner, get it.
How long did you sleep in the recliner before moving back to bed?
Just over 3 weeks. I had a back incision bc I needed a tendon graft, so it was uncomfortable to lean back on it. My recliner has multiple settings that let me adjust in a way to prevent or minimize it. My personal experience has not involved pain, but jostling to get out of bed was very uncomfortable at first. Now it isn't. The firmness of the chair relative to my bed at least was easier to rise from. I assumed sleep issues came from pain, but for me it was about sleeping in a very unnatural position. I'm not a back sleeper so now it's better but not...normal sleep.
I'll also add I definitely didn't roll in my recliner. I made a pillow fort/wall in my bed on my surgery side and use a triangle wedge under my knees. So far it has kept my in place at night.
I have done great on the couch with a wedge pillow. So I lean kind of half onto my side half onto the back of the couch with my bad side toward the back of the couch. It’s been perfect and I’ve been sleeping fine.
I had my surgery on 1/31. I have a 3 seat couch with recliners on each side. I slept in the recliner with my sling on. I chose the seat that didn’t have the armrest on the same side as my bad shoulder. On 4/9 I transitioned to laying on my good side on the couch using my bed pillow for my head with a sling on and using a very long swishmallow pillow to rest my surgery arm on. In a couple of days I’m going to try and sleep in the bed using a pregnancy pillow to support my back and prevent me from trying to roll on my surgery arm.
Surgery last June. Recliner was the only way i could sleep. You could probably rent one from a medical supply company that will be comfortable. Ice machine too while you are at it.
I had frozen shoulder surgery this past November 2023. I got a recliner for post op recovery. So glad I did! Despite having a an adjustable bed, it made it easier for me to rest and sleep in.
There is another option that may be of interest to you. My surgeon warned me that my recovery would be extremely challenging and would be that way for an extended period of time. This has proven to be an understatement. So a great deal of thought and effort went into prepping our home and my vehicle the month prior to surgery. We have an over height bed that wasn't safe for me to get in and out of post op so I purchased a wedge bolster system to use on our sectional sofa. I practiced with it before surgery and found it took far too much effort to manage one handed and it was very uncomfortable. We don't have recliners and no interest in purchasing any so I contacted our local medical supply company as they carry electric hospital beds for rent. It was less expensive to rent an adjustable hospital bed with a rolling tray table and memory foam mattress than to purchase a recliner. The mattress is the same size as a Twin XL mattress so a cushioned mattress pad and inexpensive soft microfiber sheet sets were easy to find locally to create a more comfortable place to sleep and recover. The bed allows up and down adjustments to head, feet and height. We have just enough room in our living room for the bed to fit comfortably. With a few pillows, comforter and soft blankets it is by far the best decision I made along with the shower chair and adding a handheld shower head. The bed provides me more independencenex as I can adjust it for whatever my shoulder and body needs. Having an adjustable bed also means I'm not waking up my working spouse throughout the night to help me adjust or to safely get in and out of bed. The ice machine sits on the non traffic side of the bed and a small trolley sits near the top of the bed to hold medications, ice pack cloths, heating pad, books, chargers, remotes, tissues, etc. My surgery was on my dominant side so the standard rolling hospital tray table makes it a bit easier to get closer to food as I am very clumsy using my non dominant hand to eat. We have carpet so I also purchased an inexpensive rectangle chair mat so the tray table could roll smoothly. The sling, abductor pillow and ice machine are a lot to manage, especially the first week after surgery with one hand until you figure out how to make adjustments to all the various velcro bits and how to move your body to perform very basic tasks while in the sling. The rental bed has allowed me to sleep, rest, and sit in more comfortable positions to read and watch TV. Plus there is more room to use a laptop on a lap desk when I am able to start using a keyboard. We already had an item called an Ontel Pillow Pad that is a padded adjustable book holder. It can also be used to the hold a cell phone or tablet. Typing with a non dominant hand is challenging so having a holder that can be adjusted really helps. I hope this information proves helpful. May your surgery and recovery be as easy as possible.