Sleeping on stomach

[Aerial]

Is sleeping on your stomach allowed in the early post surgery recovery phase? 

[wayne-0]

I slept on my stomach and side starting 8 nights post op. I just made sure I kept the pillow between the legs at all times.
Wayne

[PistolPete]

I'm 4 1/2 weeks post op and just started being able to sleep on my stomach a few nights ago.  I've been sleeping on my side with the pillow between my legs at around day 6 or so.  It will be hard for you to sleep on your stomach early on IMHO.

[curt]

     Aerial, I've never heard of a restriction of any kind, only the advice to keep a pillow between your legs.  The difficulty is in getting onto your stomach and back without twisting your leg/hip in the process.  It can be done but involves a cirque de soleil act of squeezing your legs together so you can roll with your legs togetheras a unit.  I found that lifting up with your arms to elevate your upper body and then rolling the legs made it work, but then I was uncomfortable and had to roll back!   The simplest things seem to be the hardest I think.  Keep pluggin'

Curt

[mikebaker]

Hi Aerial, I remember with my first hip sometimes unknowingly rolling on to my stomach from my side with a pillow between my legs such that I was sleeping lying on my pillow. I called the doctors office and they were not that worried about it as I really could not control it (I was sleeping) and to continue following the hip precautions (no twisting, no passing mid line, 90 degrees sitting etc.). I never started that way for sure and think that if it was painful I would have been woken up in the process. So I would continue to follow the precautions with lying on your back or un-operated side with a pillow between your legs and not worry too much if you end up somewhere else like I did. Once you reach certain timelines the restrictions will be lifted but every doctor is different.

[Tin Soldier]

I got stuck on my stomach at about 5 days post op.  I so badly wanted to lay on my front, but rolling over was very painful because of the leg crossing bit.  My wife had to help me get back over.  It was kinda funny, but it hurt. 

If you have the posterior approach there shouldn't be any restrictions on laying on your stomach.  Other than what others pointed out about crossing the legs or adducting without a spacer like a pillow between legs.  Keeping your legs from moving side to side when rolling over is not easy. 

The hip capsule is tight from the trauma and even when I could lay on my front without too much problem rolling over, my hip was still uncomfortable laying on my front because the leg was too straight.  Probably took about 3 weeks before I didn't notice that tightness when laying on my front.   

[ScubaDuck]

I had almost the exact same experience as Tin.  I woke up on my stomach and panicked.  Maybe because we had the same surgeon.  ;)

I found once I could roll over on to my stomach that putting a pillow under my hips helped with the stiffness Tin described.

Best wishes.

Dan