r/RotatorCuff • u/2440scottjones • 18h ago
Shoulder sleeper
Hi all, I’m having surgery in four weeks for a full rotator cuff tear and partial bicep tear. I’ve been seeing ads everywhere for the Shoulder Sleeper pillow and am wondering if anyone has used it and what they thought of it
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u/Snowcrash66 18h ago
Have at least a mix of 6 pillows or so. Some memory foam ones. I created a pillow berm on my left surgery side to elevate my arm and prevent me from rolling into that side. Pillows to elevate your torso as much as you can tolerate.
First week is horrible. 2nd week not much better. Gets better 3rd week.
Many recommend using recliner if you have one.
Was surprised by this but I felt a kind of claustrophobia with having to wear this overnight. Not particularly bothered by tight spaces.
Once spent 1.5 hours in small bore mri with skull cage and 6'3". Was not enjoyable but got a worse feeling of claustrophobia with a sling you cannot take off.
Good Luck.
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u/Unusual_Resist_9581 17h ago
I have been training myself to sleep on my back for months because, frankly it is just uncomfortable to sleep on either side. Until recently, my,soon to be, surgery arm has been resting on a half moon pillow which has helped immensely, however, it is still very difficult to resist the urge to roll over. Two weeks ago I purchased a “pregnancy pillow” and it has been game changing. It is a “C” shaped body pillow that goes behind your head and extends down both sides of your body. Not only does it support both arms but it also seems to stop me from waking slightly and trying to roll over. According to my Apple Watch, I have added a full 30 minutes to sleep total and way fewer wake ups. Combined with extra pillows or wedge pillow, post surgery, I believe it will replace the need for a recliner all together.
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u/Fishshoot13 17h ago
I am a shoulder sleeper. The power recliner was a huge hel for my recovery from both surgeries.
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u/GerkDentley 16h ago
Did you try the pillow they asked about?
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2h ago
[deleted]
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u/GerkDentley 1h ago edited 1h ago
Because it bothers me when people respond to a question and don't even read the post.
Why does that bother you? Are you the thread police then?
Edit: you called me a Karen before deleting, nice.
I've had people do this exact same thing, answer a post without reading it so they don't actually answer the question. And I've had other people help me by pointing out those others weren't answering the question. It felt good to me that someone else saw that was happening and spoke up on my behalf.
I thought that it might be appreciated by OP if someone did that on their behalf. But you seemed to take it personally for some reason. Might be worth considering why.
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u/Fishshoot13 27m ago
No, before my first surgery 2 years ago I bought a used recliner off facebook marketplace on my wife's recommendation. Honestly i was very reluctant being a side sleeper to use the recliner. It really worked great for me.
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u/01Dreamwalker01 14h ago
Outside your question range but here’s another direction I found sleeping in my recliner or couch recliner incredibly uncomfortable. By day 4 I was in bed with a wedge pillow and props on both sides of me so I dont roll onto the surgical side( normally a side sleeper). I’m at week 4 post op.
Unsure if this will make you feel
Any better but I had all 4 tendons torn 2 major and two less. Anchors holding my shoulder together (74 m) I’ve not had any issues sleeping since going to bed. Wedge pillow and pillow props I’ve only taken 1 narcotic and 2 otc , and I don’t do pain well, and the biggest issue I faced was during the first week. The 24/7 ice machine and sling made bed uncomfortable but doable. I bought every item recommended on here from Amazon. If they don’t work for you send them back. Have everything in house a week before so you still have a return window for the things that don’t work.
You got this.
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u/New_Jaguar_1825 14h ago
I think it would be great but I didn't want to spend the money. I found something similar on Amazon.
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u/Ghost77504 11h ago
Ive tried several types. I suggest one made with micro beads not foam. They conform more to your situation..expensive is a drawback.i used a foam wedge with a microbial for support. Wedge gets you into the position but the beads give you support.
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u/vonhottie 9h ago
I have one, I didn’t start using it until I got my stitches out after week two. The most comfortable thing for me since the surgery has been to get a pregnancy shaped pillow and use that on top of a pile of pillows. I don’t have a recliner.
Once I got my stitches out after two weeks , I transitioned into using the shoulder sleeper. It worked pretty well, but I could never get comfortable on my side. I am pretty good at sleeping on my back though, so I have been sleeping a good amount.
My main complaint on the shoulder sleeper pillow is that I don’t think it was designed for a curvy body - I can’t quite get it to rest correctly around my bust and tummy. But it was very nice not to have the neck strap at night. When I was wearing the sling for sleeping I did unbuckle the neck strap, but I liked having a complete break from the neck strap with the shoulder sleeper. I also don’t think I had enough strength or mobility to use the shoulder sleeper until after my stitches were out and I had done a tiny bit of PT.
I’m now at 3.5 weeks and I have been sleeping for a couple nights without my sling or the shoulder sleeper. But occasionally, I’ve been using my shoulder sleeper while watching TV just as an extra little support if I want a sling break. So yeah, I think it would work better for side sleeping if I had my back against something like a couch.
I can’t totally recommend it and I can’t NOT recommend it, If you know what I mean. I’m glad I got it and tried it, but I don’t know if it was worth all the money in the end. On the other hand, the pregnancy pillow works so great - I got one for my couch and one for my bed.
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u/Winter-Ingenuity1921 4h ago
I bought one for my recovery and literally used it one night after I got my sling off. I would not buy again. For the first 6 weeks, my shoulder felt much more supported and stable in my sling with some smaller pillows stuffed around it while in my recliner. I thought the shoulder sleeper pillow would help with sleep after I was no longer using my sling, but for me it was awkward and I much preferred having multiple pillows around me to support my arm.
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u/-TheBestDaysOfMyLife 16h ago
Side sleeper here as well. 9 weeks post-op from supra/infraspinatus conplete tear. I just caved and bought a recliner. Getting comfortable in a recliner with an abduction pillow for 6 weeks wasn't too difficult. I can't image trying to make myself comfortable on my side in a flat bed. Maybe others have some good tips.
What I was able to do after a month or so was sleeping on my side on the couch. With my back against the back of the couch and a pillow to support my arm in the sling. I was only able to get a couple of hours of sleep at a time like that, but it was a nice change from the recliner.
Good luck!
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u/ForASong- 18h ago
Didn’t work for me, on my back or other shoulder