Night pain

sarniewhite80

Can any help with night time pain had TKR 4 weeks ago and still in a lot of pain during the night having to lay on my back does anyone have any ideas or is this just normal

MaryL44

H @sarniewhite80 Sorry to hear about your pain. Most people who have TKR find having to sleep on their backs painful - I certainly did. Have you tried putting a pillow under your knees? You may find this from our website useful:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/knee-replacement-surgery/

Also, try searching in the community posts - just click on the magnifying glass at top of screen. There are lots of posts about tkr so you may find some experiences similar to yours.

Hope things improve.

Mary

frogmorton

We have a load of wonderful people here called 'the hippies' @Nurina @Janlyn @alwayssewing @Trish9556 although there are a few more all have had their hips 'done' recently they are your best bet.

I will say though, and I hope it reassures you, i think sleeping and getting enough pain free rest at night is very understandable. 4 weeks post op is still very recent.

Sending you some ((())) @sarniewhite80

Toni

janisty

Hi,

I had a hip replacement in 5th November. I was getting used to sleeping on my back before this due to pain on either side. However, I now have such bad pain in my upper back that I am having very bad nights. It doesn’t seem to matter what position I’m in. I start the night with topical Voltarol which helps a bit, but pretty soon I’m awake and in a lot of pain. Sleeping upright is only slightly better. I know I need sleep to fully recover from the op but nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?

Ellen

Hi @janisty frogmorton as mentioned some names of people who really might be able to help you as they have all been where you are now. Hopefully one or more of them might pop onto this thread and suggest anything they can to help.

You don't say whether you are still taking pain relief from the hospital, but if not it might be worth discussing with your GP. Some pain relief medications are available which are 'slow release' and might last a bit longer than your voltarol gel is at night.

Some people here do take naps in the daytime to catch up on sleep whilst recovering from surgery too in the early days.

Wishing you all the best in your recovery and hope you will keep posting - talking to others who 'know' really does help.

Ellen.

Fran54

@janisty

were you given any pain relief meds when you left the hospital? It might be a good idea to get in touch with the department/ward where you had your hip operation done to see if they can help you. I know some people on here found it hard to sleep on their backs and resorted to sleeping in a chair. I found that I was waking up several times in the night not just with discomfort but also needing the toilet after being told to drink plenty. I was feeling tired and did have a few naps during the day. Everyone is different in how they recover and it is still very early days for you.

Have you tried using a wheat bag that you heat up in the microwave to help with your back pain? That may give you some relief. I hope that it will be of some comfort to you to know that it will gradually get better and we are all here to give you support.

Take care🙂

Janlyn

@janisty so sorry to read you are in pain - it's only just over three weeks since your surgery but three weeks of pain and discomfort is awful. Ellen and Fran54 give you some good advice and I can only agree with them and sympathise. We're all different and although I found back-sleeping impossible and found myself giving up and getting up then napping in a chair several times a day, I wasn't in pain, or at least no more than I had been before surgery, so I do think you should discuss your pain relief with either your GP or the hospital.

Wishing you well and please let us know how you go on. Take care.

@sarniewhite80 so sorry to hear you're in pain back-sleeping. Four weeks isn't long since surgery but it's a long time to go without proper sleep, especially when you're in pain. Although it was a THR I had and not a TKR the back-sleeping was still uncomfortable. I think it was also the not being able to move around which really isn't nature. I did find several pillows and cushions under my heels and under my knees helped but until I could go on my side I really didn't sleep well. Have you discussed your pain with your GP or the hospital? I wasn't in too much pain, it was more discomfort, but if you're in pain you need help to advise what you can do. Take care and let us know how you go on.

janisty

Thanjs for the support. I’ve got paracetamol and was given Volterol suppositories (yuk) when I left hospital. I’m not good with string pain killers, hence the above. I take Panadol in the daytime. The back pain isn’t at all bad once I’m standing or sitting but as soon as I lie down it’s very bad. I’m trying to sleep semi upright with lots of pillows and my knee wedge stuck into my back - sounds odd but helped a bit. I’ve a GP appointment next Wednesday and typically an MSK appointment at exactly the same time. Need to sort that out as five miles apart! im seeing the consultant in Tuesday. I hope one of them has some answers. In the meantime I’ll try all your suggestions. Thanks.

Trish9556

Hi @sarniewhite80 and @janisty

Night time pain when you're either waiting for joint surgery recovering from it is horrendous, especially when you're having to sleep in an unnatural position - your back.

My 'go to' for disturbed nights when I'm like that is to get up, potter around, have some hot chocolate and sit and do a jigsaw puzzle while listening to Classic FM on my headphones (other stations are available but this is my go to). After a while I either try going back to bed or sit in my recliner with my snuggly blanket.

It usually works, sometimes just the movement and easing those joints help but it's not for everyone. You could also try limiting your pillows for your head and placing these beneath your feet keeping your legs raised slighly.

Best wishes

Trish xx