Arm Dislocation, Tendinitis, Fractures, Bursitis, and Rotator Cuff Injury all sound like a nightmare that God forbids to happen to anyone, it’s a misfortune that is going to cost restless nights and agony-filled days while staying in recovery.
A shoulder surgery, whether it’s an aftereffect of an accident or a problem rectification in your shoulder, is never a welcoming thought, let alone going through the process.
However, there are ways you could iron out the hurdles by using a recliner because a traditional bed otherwise can be incredibly painful and uncomfortable to use.
In that case, a recliner, however, works wonders in many ways you couldn’t think was possible especially when sleeping, henceforth, in this guide we are going to discuss how to sleep in a recliner after shoulder surgery so you can enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Benefits Of Using A Recliner after Surgery
You might wonder why I would even use a recliner when I already have access to A regular couch, chair, or even my bed. Well, here are a couple of reasons that will answer your query,
Better Support For Assistive Accessories
After going through surgery like Hip replacement, Knee replacement, or even an Abdominal surgery, it is fairly certain that you might need to use assistive accessories like a walker or crutches to help you move around; in that case, a recliner offers plenty of compatibility with it.
Boost Oxygenated Blood
After surgery, the last thing you would want is a blood clot to develop. In order to prevent your body from struggling with proper circulation and oxygenation, recliners certainly work wonders in keeping you elevated to reduce swelling and improve circulation.
Personalized Adjustment
Lastly, a recliner is a godsend for those who require tailored experience through adjustable headrests and footrests to provide optimal comfort for your head and legs.
If you combine that with adjustable massage intensity and heat settings to cater to your personal preferences, consider a rapid increase boost in your recovery.
How To Sleep In A Recliner After Shoulder Surgery
The best way for me to demonstrate how you could enjoy a restful slumber is by sharing my own experience when I was going through recovery from shoulder surgery, after all, empathy is an effective way to get my point across.
Prepping The Recliner
When I got discharged from the hospital, the first thought that lingered in my mind was looking for my old recliner that was collecting dust after all these years because it goes without saying there was no other way I could get a good night’s sleep on a regular bed, at least without being monitored by a caretaker round the clock, which was not ideal in my scenario, so I had to make my good old recliner a complete sickbed.
Getting straight to the point, first of all, you will need pillows and extra blankets to ensure the recliner gets reinforced with enough upholstery so that it can stay comfortable and cozy. Use pillows to make a wedge for your neck and abdomen region so that it doesn’t strain your upper and lower body.
For added comfort, you could lay a soft sheet made of wool or any other fabric that doesn’t irritate your skin on top of the pillows to ensure your body remains comfortable, as you would be spending most of your time on this recliner.
Bonus points if you actually do find a sheet that promotes air regulation this could prevent the icky feeling if you are living in hot regions.
On the flip side, you could use an extra set of sheets or a shawl to cover yourself if you are living in Colder regions, keeping in mind that covering your injured hand is important because it’s going to sting a lot once the ambient temperature isn’t in a favorable state.
Trial & Error
Depending on your surgery type, there is no “one angle that suits everyone” type scenario here, so you need to experiment around to make the backrest recline until it’s comfortable with your body incision.
On my first night in the reclined sickbed, I must have adjusted that lever a hundred times trying to find the perfect angle.
Lying flat on my back was out of the question, with my shoulder aching something awful. But too upright, and I felt like a sitting duck. After much trial and error, a gentle 45-degree tilt did the charm.
If you aren’t really good at attaining an altitude with your recliner, make sure you use your smartphone while downloading a bubble-level app that will give you an indication of the surface and its tilt.
Personally, I would say it’s more about rinsing and repeating the whole process until you get the job done and are comfortable for a longer duration while taking a nap.
Additionally, you could even use super-sized body pillows or cylinder-shaped pillows to provide further support for your body; it could prevent your body from slouching too much. As for neck support, the “Good old U-shaped” pillow will undoubtedly do the trick for your neck.
Pain Management & Personal Adjustment
Look, it’s understandable that you may not find comfort right away even if you have tweaked your recliner to your liking, it will always have imperfections and the only way to fight discomfort is to adapt to it by going through the healing process.
Speaking from personal experience, no matter how cozy and ergonomic my recliner felt, after a rotator cuff surgery, there was a throbbing pain radiating all over my body whenever I was off the prospective pain medication.
While sipping icy water and painkillers did help dull the ache, I tried my best to keep the discomfort factor as low as possible by not making sudden moves or lifting Anything heavier, even if I had the strength to.
Additionally, if your recliner also has heating modules, you could crank up the heat and even fiddle with the massager to soothe the muscles, which drastically helps with the pain, especially if you are living in a colder region.
Thermal energy also helps with recovery quite easily because it remains in an ideal state.
Moreover, vibration modules in the recliner will help relax the tense muscles quite easily as they tame the body and jump-start blood circulation.
Make sure you also perform regular Wrist rotations and stretches, followed by a warm shower for pampering. These will eventually help you tone down the pain and get your body into the state of zen, so you can be ready for bedtime, or shall I say recliner time?
In Conclusion
There will be some nights that feel endless and no matter what you would try, the discomfort will cease to exist, however, my tips mentioned above will help you overcome those nights because I speak from my personal experience that I have gained through trial and error.
While the hurdles might discourage you as you may have limited mobility having a caretaker would drastically help in such a situation, always remember, healing is an inevitable process, after all.
So make sure you show perseverance and resilience, carefully follow my guide on how to sleep in a recliner after shoulder surgery, and hope for the best. As always, thank you for stopping by, and I wish you a speedy recovery.
I am a furniture expert with a passion for recliners. With years of experience in the industry, I offer invaluable insights and creative ideas for selecting the perfect recliner to suit any space and your needs.