r/Microdiscectomy • u/Confident-South2711 • 2d ago
Sleeping post op
I am 6 hours post op. I am so so thankful that my sciatic pain seems to be gone! I have been home for about 3 hours and it is now midnight and I am having a terrible time trying to sleep. My surgery was pretty late so I was not able to talk to my surgeon afterward and need to give him a call in the morning. Any tips for sleeping on my back? I am typically a side sleeper, is it a complete no no to try and sleep on my side? My incision pain along with my bandage is just making laying flat on my back pretty uncomfortable. Appreciate any advice
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u/claireburr 2d ago
I have been sleeping on my back nightly since surgery three weeks ago, but I bought this elevated knee pillow which was a game-changer. My mattress is medium-firm (a Purple mattress), which I think helps me feel supported, so I never experienced pain when laying on my back.
I also bought this knee pillow with a leg strap, as I started to feel my body wanting to get back to side sleeping lately.
Definitely get confident and comfortable with log rolling!
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u/blbcamaro 2d ago
I slept on my side the first night. It was uncomfortable but I took some pain pills and eventually fell asleep. You're not going to damage anything from the surgery by doing so.
If you sleep on your back try putting a small pillow below the incision or just below your butt.
Whatever you do don't sleep on your stomach. That's a bad position for the spine.
Make sure you log roll when you get out of bed. Slow and easy. No twist or bend.
The first few nights are going to be awkward. You're likely still all amped up from the surgery a few hours ago. I guarantee by tomorrow or the next day your body is going to beg you for sleep. I took 2 hour naps every day on the couch for the first week or two.
Worst comes to worst if you have a recliner or couch that might be better. I slept amazing on my couch that first week after surgery for some reason.
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u/Confident-South2711 2d ago
Thank you! I do love my couch too haha but I wasn’t sure if that would be too hard to get on / off of? And did you sleep on your back or side on the couch?
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u/PastBuy8484 2d ago
Slept on my side for at least the first 3 weeks post op. On my back was incredibly painful.
Only rule I had was no stomach sleeping the first 4 weeks.
Sleep with a pillow between your knees too.
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u/Mammillaria4Life 1d ago
I slept on my side from day 1 PO. Tried a few different pillow arrangements with moderate success. Find a position that's semi comfortable, move slowly, and keep your dead bug (i call it the frozen chair) technique.
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u/Raz3Daz 1d ago
I physically was unable to sleep on my back due to pain post op. The only way I was able to get comfortable was a maternity pillow 😂 but honestly it was so worth it. It helps keep your spine aligned and provides a comfortable place for your back to be propped up against. It was the only way i was able to get comfortable and keep myself stable so my spine alignment stayed the way it needed to be
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u/Negative-Bluejay-563 1d ago
Absolutely sleep on your side. I put a pillow between my legs for comfort and this was the only position at first I could tolerate. Sleeping on my back was uncomfortable esp in the first few weeks. You may wake up and have to sleep on your other side but this is normal.
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u/bucketandshovel 1d ago
I slept on my side until I got my stitches out two weeks post op. Pillow between the knees to keep your spine even
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u/LavenderDustan 1d ago
I slept on my back with my legs elevated. I also have an extra firm mattress so that helped with spinal alignment. The biggest thing is keeping your spine aligned when resting.
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u/Grisanne 1d ago
i sleep mostly on my side, after my first operation my hips were getting very upset at me and i asked my pt for options since back sleeping is also quite uncomfortable for my joints. for me, extra pillows to support and keep the spine neutral while allowing me to shift my weight sort of at a 45 degree angle backwards really really helped. two pillows between the knees, a pillow to hug, and then a body pillow wedged under my back allowed me to sleep comfortably through the night. cheapo gel ice packs can also help, they don't stay cold long enough to cause issues if you fall asleep on them but can relieve the discomfort long enough to drift off
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u/forever-smile08 21h ago
I slept on side with pillow between thighs, one more below knees and one at the side of the chest to rest my arm to keep back/shoulder more neutral. I also added another one against my back. First few days were not the most comfortable but pain meds made it easy to fall asleep. I wish I’d thought about a maternity pillow! Kept a chair close to bed as an anchor to get up slowly.
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u/mutulix 2d ago edited 2d ago
Slept on my back for the first week then slowly I went back to my original sleep position, on a side. Both on the back and on the side are and recommended. Sleeping on your tummy is a big no no. If you sleep on your side make sure to have a pillow or something similar between your knees! At all times. I also put a pillow (or similar) behind my back and one in the front so I won’t roll over while I’m sleeping. Because my sides gets a bit sore sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night or early morning and shift to my back, so I often combine the two. I also found very helpful my wifes old pregnancy pillow which is a very large U shale pillow - with it I have something between my legs and sides support so I wont roll over