Did you just have surgery and are looking for an orthopedic wedge pillow? Keep reading to learn which wedge pillows are helpful after some of the most common surgeries.

Back Surgery

After any type of back surgery, an orthopedic wedge pillow or pillow(s) are a must. Positioning your back optimally while you sleep will help your body heal correctly and help you recover faster. Which one you need depends on whether you sleep on your back or on your side.

Back sleepers will need a knee wedge pillow. Elevating your legs on knee wedge pillow takes away the arch in your lower back that happens when you lie flat. Eliminating this arch allows the muscles in your back to rest and keeps your spine in a neutral position. This position allows for optimal spinal healing and restoration.

For side sleepers, a side sleeper system is best. A side sleeper system consists of a leg separator pillow, a side sleeper wedge, and a supportive neck wedge pillow. Sleeping with these three pillows maintains a straight spine and balances your muscles. This way, your muscles are not rotating your spine while you sleep.

Knee Surgery

After knee surgery, the best orthopedic wedge pillow is a contoured leg wedge pillow. The initial goal after any knee surgery is to decrease the swelling in your leg and achieve full range of motion in your knee. This is best accomplished with a contoured leg wedge.

The contours in a leg wedge cradle your entire leg to avoid any pressure points or sore spots. The gradual incline helps restore your ability to straighten your knee all the way. Initially, if you are unable to straighten your knee completely, you can place a small rolled up towel under your knee until you are able to straighten your knee completely on the wedge.

Additionally, the gradual incline improves circulation in your leg and helps your body eliminate swelling. The faster the swelling is eliminated, the faster you regain your range of motion. This helps maximize your rehabilitation potential.

Shoulder Surgery

After shoulder surgery, you won’t be able to sleep flat on your back. The pressure on your shoulder when lying flat makes flat-back sleeping unbearable for a time. The best way to get sleep after shoulder surgery is by sleeping on a 12-inch orthopedic wedge pillow. Sleeping on this amount of incline decreases pressure on your shoulder and helps make sleeping easier.

Chest Surgery

After any sort of chest surgery, open heart surgery for example, an orthopedic wedge pillow is a great sleep aid. For one, sleeping at an incline will help you get into and out of bed. It also helps improve circulation which promotes healing and recovery.

Hip surgery

Hip surgery is similar to knee surgery in that the goals immediately after surgery are to decrease swelling and gain mobility. The best way to do this is by sleeping on a knee wedge pillow. Resting your legs on a triangular shaped knee wedge decreases tension on your hip flexors, places your back and hips in a neutral position, and promotes circulation.

An orthopedic wedge pillow is an important tool to have after any surgery to ensure you have a speedy recovery!

-Hillary Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy

Learning how to sleep with asthma can be a real challenge. Have you ever considered how sleeping in an elevated position can help?

Best sleep position for asthma

Discovering how to sleep with asthma is an important part of allowing your body to heal. The best sleep position for asthma is sleeping on your back with your head and torso elevated on a wedge pillow. Sleeping with your torso elevated does several things to combat nighttime asthma symptoms.

First, it helps your sinuses drain. Sleeping flat on your back causes mucous to pool in your sinuses and can make asthma symptoms worse at night. It is important to keep mucous and fluid moving rather than building up and staying still. The best way to do this is to sleep in an inclined position and allow gravity to assist the flow of fluid out of your sinuses.

Second, an inclined sleep position alleviates nighttime asthma symptoms by opening your chest cavity. Sleeping flat on your back can cause a feeling of tightness throughout your chest and lungs. This feeling of discomfort and tightness can trigger coughing, wheezing, and make breathing more difficult. You can combat this by using a wedge pillow to elevate your torso. This will work to increase your ease of breathing.

Third, sleeping on a wedge pillow helps with the circulation of fluid through your lungs. To help asthma at night, sleeping elevated uses gravity to move fluid while you sleep. This is important for lung function because it helps keep fluid from pooling in your lungs.

What kind of wedge pillow do I need?

When you are first learning how to sleep with asthma and are looking for a wedge pillow, you will quickly find that there are many different heights and kinds. Which one do you need?

For adults, the ideal height for a triangle wedge pillow for asthma is 12 inches. After placing your regular neck pillow on top of a 12-inch triangle wedge pillow, your head and chest will be at the ideal height to combat asthma symptoms.

Children who suffer from asthma can use a 7-inch triangle pillow wedge to sleep elevated at night. This height provides comfortable elevation for smaller bodies and still helps the sinuses and lungs drain. Sleeping on a wedge pillow will help children who suffer from nocturnal asthma sleep better.

In addition to a triangle wedge pillow for your upper body, you may want to use a knee wedge pillow to elevate your legs. Sleeping with your legs and torso elevated increases circulation throughout your whole body. Increasing full body circulation has many benefits, one of which is controlling asthma during the night. A knee wedge pillow will also keep you from sliding down the triangle wedge as you sleep.

Now that you know how to sleep with asthma, you can continue your healing journey. Get ready to experience true rest, even in the midst of the challenges that asthma can bring.

-Hillary Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy

It’s no secret that asthma attacks at night prevent you from getting a good night’s rest. Here is why an asthma pillow wedge can improve your ability to sleep through the night.

Nocturnal asthma

Nocturnal asthma occurs when asthma attacks happen during the night. These sleep disrupting attacks are characterized by coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. Because sleep is affected, sufferers are often plagued by fatigue and lethargy during the day.

Why does nocturnal asthma occur?

There are several reasons that may explain why asthma attacks occur at night. When we sleep, mucous builds up in our sinuses and our airways typically narrow. For someone with asthma, the combination of these two factors may trigger an asthma event. 

Additionally, when we lie flat, our lung volume decreases, and our airway resistance increases. This means that our lungs take in less air and our airway is up against greater resistance. This combination can making breathing even more difficult for someone with asthma.

Sleeping with an asthma pillow wedge

Individuals who suffer from nightly asthma attacks can benefit from sleeping elevated on an asthma pillow wedge. Sleeping elevated does several things. First, it increases the body’s ability to drain mucous. Instead of mucous building up in the sinuses overnight, sleeping on a wedge uses gravity to help the mucous drain out of the sinuses. This makes breathing easier.

Sleeping on an asthma wedge also helps to open the chest and lessen airway restriction. When you elevate your torso, it lessens gravity's ability to restrict your airway. This positional change can decrease the triggering of coughing attacks and wheezing.

Which asthma wedge do I choose?

Ten inches is the ideal height for an asthma pillow wedge for most adults. If you feel like you would benefit from sleeping even more upright, go ahead and get a twelve-inch asthma wedge. Either way, the effects of gravity on your chest will be lessened, and your ability to drain mucous will be improved, resulting in easier breathing.

If you are looking for a sleep solution for a child who suffers from nocturnal asthma, try a seven-inch asthma pillow wedge. This incline is ideal for a child. It positions them in a way that minimizes gravity’s effects on their chest while keeping them comfortable during the night.

Look for an asthma wedge pillow that is CertiPur-US® certified. Foams that bear this rigorous certification are free from ozone depleters, flame retardants, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals, formaldehyde, phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and they meet the standards for low VOC (volatile organic compound emissions for indoor air quality). Because these foams are made free of these harmful ingredients, you can feel good about bringing them into your home.

Additionally, be sure to get at least 2 wedge pillow pillowcases and 1 additional cover for your asthma pillow wedge. It is important to frequently wash your wedge pillowcases and covers to keep them free from allergens and asthma triggers. Having additional cases and covers will ensure that you can always have a clean case and cover on your asthma wedge.

An asthma pillow wedge will empower you to sleep better. When you do something that helps you sleep better, you feel better and live better.

-Hillary Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy

A foam wedge for bed is just one of the many tools that can help you sleep on an incline. We would argue that it’s the best, and here is why.

Economical

A foam wedge for bed is the most economical way to elevate. The highest quality foam wedge pillow is much less expensive than a hospital bed, electronically adjustable bed, or a recliner. While a fully functional hospital bed may not be a practical option for you to purchase, a high quality wedge pillow is very practical. And since a top of the line foam wedge for bed helps you accomplish the same elevation goals that an adjustable bed does, why not choose the less expensive option?

Versatile

The versatility a foam wedge for bed offers is second to none. They come in different sizes and can be used for many different purposes. There are contoured incline wedges for side sleepers and triangle wedges for back sleepers. Back sleepers also have the option of choosing a 7 inch, 10 inch, and/or a 12 inch wedge, depending on whichever is most comfortable for them.

Foam leg wedges come contoured or triangular depending on your individual needs and preference. They also come in short or long depending on the length of your legs. Pro tip, leg wedges topped with memory foam add additional comfort to leg elevation.

You can also individually tailor your wedge system to your body. For example, do you have acid reflux, sleep on your back, and have long legs? Then you need a 7-inch, triangle, upper body wedge, and a long, triangular shaped, leg wedge. The personalization options are limitless!

Practical

Foam wedge pillows are practical. Rather than choose an expensive, electronic bed that you are stuck with even if you don’t love it, a foam wedge can easily be changed out. It is easy to purchase a variety of wedges to be used for different purposes and at different times.

Foam wedges are also easy to maintain. Be sure to look for high quality foam wedge pillows with specially made pillowcases and covers. This makes washing and cleaning a breeze. Easy maintenance increases the longevity of your purchase.

After weighing the options, it’s hard to argue with the fact that a foam wedge for bed is the best overall investment you can make to elevate your body.

-Hillary Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy