How Do You Sleep With an Arm Sling After Shoulder Surgery?

How do you sleep with your arm in a sling after shoulder surgery? I’m excited to tell you that you don’t. You just don’t wear a sling. You don’t have to wear a sling at night unless you want to. It’s your call. We give our patients slings. We don’t scare them into wearing them all the time. We have looked at other surgeons who are similar in philosophy and our data. There’s minimal difference in wearing a sling. When establishing your recovery timeline and setting up your sleep environment, modern protocols focus heavily on patient comfort. If you are recovering from a same day shoulder surgery, it speeds up your recovery and makes it a better experience for you as a patient, but it doesn’t decrease complication rates. It doesn’t decrease the failure rates of the surgery. Not wearing your sling won’t damage or mess up the surgery.

So, at night, sleep with some pillows behind your back or underneath the right elbow or an operative elbow just to get in a comfortable position.

As a leading Shoulder Surgeon in Dallas, I want to make your post-operative transition as smooth as possible. We have a bunch of videos we’ve given people on tips and tricks to sleep through the night, but you don’t have to wear your sling at night.

We have a bunch of videos we’ve given people on tips and tricks to sleep through the night, but you don’t have to wear your sling at night.

Ready for a new shoulder? Schedule your replacement surgery with Dr. Kevin Kruse today at (469) 809-1718.

If your symptoms are ongoing or getting worse, it can help to learn more about shoulder arthroscopy and when specialist evaluation may be appropriate. Depending on the diagnosis, patients may also compare this with total shoulder replacement to better understand their options.