| When you get up after a descent nights sleep you | | | | couch and sit. Move that new joint. It wants to |
| want to be ready to tackle the new day after your | | | | move after being laid up all night. Getting up and |
| surgery. After surgery you will find the knee | | | | walking around will work wonders. high stepping in the |
| replacement will be more temperamental then the hip. | | | | walker for instance is a good way to stretch all the |
| Increased pain, possibly swelling, along with tightness | | | | surrounding muscles and get the joint moving. Make |
| may be found after remaining still through the night. | | | | sure your standing balance is good enough to do this |
| Now of course your quality of sleep will differ after | | | | however. if needed have someone watch for safety. |
| surgery because its rare to find many people that | | | | 3. Take in a Protein Shake: That's right,now is the |
| can sleep through the night after joint replacement | | | | time first thing in the morning to give your body and |
| surgery to begin with. As time goes on and it heals | | | | the and the new joint replacement what it needs to |
| your nights and, the ability to rest will improve. | | | | heal itself and to make it as strong as possible. Your |
| Following are three tips that worked tremendously | | | | muscles rely on protein to heal and rebuild |
| well for me and it will bring your hip or knee back 100 | | | | themselves. We tend as patients not to eat as well |
| per cent. | | | | after surgery initially due to the medications. We are |
| 1. Take Your Pain Medication. Again depending on | | | | then starving our bodies of the precious nutrients |
| how many weeks out from surgery you are, if you | | | | that it requires to rebuild itself. I find that a good |
| do not take your medication first thing in the morning | | | | protein shake with a banana mixed in along with |
| you may find the pain slowly gets out of control the | | | | glutamine added will speed the healing process up |
| rest of the day. Be sure you take something with it | | | | considerably. |
| to avoid getting nauseated. Taking medication for | | | | You can take the protein with either skim milk or |
| pain on an empty stomach will only cause nausea and | | | | water. Getting yourself hydrated first thing in the |
| vomiting and then you tend to avoid the medication | | | | morning keeps the GI tract moving as well. Starting |
| all together to avoid those symptoms. Trying to get | | | | the day off right will make it more manageable and |
| off the pain medication too fast is not advised. | | | | keep the pain and discomfort to a minimum. |
| 2. Get Up and Stretch: When you get out of bed | | | | Remember though no matter how the day unfolds |
| have something to eat, take the pain medication and, | | | | after a joint replacement it will improve after each |
| move around a bit. Do not go to the nearest chair or | | | | passing day. |