A hiatal hernia pillow can be a very important tool in managing symptoms of this condition. While having a hiatal hernia is common, symptoms can be very uncomfortable, especially when lying down flat. Let's take a look at what a hiatal hernia is, the symptoms that come with it, and how a wedge pillow can help!

What is a hiatal hernia?

A hiatal hernia occurs when the top of the stomach works its way up past the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle that helps with breathing. Besides helping you breathe, it also separates the chest and abdominal cavities.

If the diaphragm becomes weak, the stomach can bulge up past the diaphragm. When a portion of the stomach is moved higher than the diaphragm, stomach acid can flow up into the esophagus and cause heart burn, chest pain, regurgitation, etc. In order to confirm whether or not you have a hiatal hernia, your physician will need to run some tests. 

Managing symptoms of a hiatal hernia

Besides using a wedge pillow for hiatal hernia, there are several simple things you can do to ease your symptoms. First is decreasing pressure on your abdomen. Decreasing pressure on the abdominal region decreases the ability of stomach acid to venture back up into the esophagus. In order to do this, try eating smaller meals and spread them throughout the day. Secondly, try to lose weight if you have a high percentage of body fat centered around your abdomen. Thirdly, avoid wearing tight fitting clothing. Finally, try to avoid eating acidic foods.

Sleeping with a hiatal hernia

If you have a hiatal hernia and sleep on your back, a wedge pillow for hiatal hernia can help you sleep more comfortably. Sleeping elevated on a hiatal hernia pillow allows gravity to help keep stomach acid in the stomach and out of the esophagus. This is important because if stomach acid gets into the esophagus, symptoms of burning and chest pain can develop.

When looking for a hiatal hernia pillow, look for one that is 6-8 inches tall. A triangle, hiatal hernia pillow is an excellent option for back sleepers. For side sleepers, a contoured wedge pillow is preferable as it conforms to the body’s natural curves and gives you maximum side-sleeping support.

Don't try to position yourself correctly by stacking multiple pillows under your torso. Stacking regular pillows often results in frustration because your pillow tower will not support your body correctly or maintain its position overnight. A wedge pillow for hiatal hernia is a much more practical and ergonomic solution.

A hiatal hernia pillow is a great tool to help you manage hiatal hernia symptoms while you sleep. Whether you sleep on your back or on your side, sleeping slightly elevated is sure to help you sleep soundly. 

-Bryan Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy

A wedge pillow after shoulder surgery helps you sleep. Let’s face it, recovering from any type of shoulder surgery is no small feat, and sleep in an essential component of your recovery. Without sleep, your healing could be delayed.

Why sleep is essential after surgery

Sleep is a necessary part of healing. When we sleep, our brain enters repair mode. We may be resting, but our brain is releasing hormones that promote healing and tissue repair. It tells our body to fix blood vessels and rebuild any damaged muscles. Our brain also directs our body to replenish white blood cells so we are able to fight off infection and other organisms that may be hindering our healing. Without sleep, these processes get disrupted.

How to use a wedge pillow after shoulder surgery

Immediately after any shoulder surgery, sleeping is painful for a while. Whether you are sleeping in or out of a sling, you must protect your shoulder. The best way to do this is to sleep on your back, inclined with a wedge pillow for shoulder surgery. Sleeping flat will not be comfortable for several months because it increases pressure on your shoulder. This is why you may find that a foam wedge pillow will be your best friend.

An ideal wedge pillow after shoulder surgery is one that is 12 inches tall. This amount of incline offers you enough support to alleviate the pressure you would feel in your shoulder if you were lying flat. In addition to an incline pillow, you will want to place a supportive pillow on top of the wedge, under your surgical arm. Placing a supportive pillow under your arm allows your shoulder muscles to fully relax.

Because a 12-inch bed wedge is fairly steep, it is also recommended that you sleep with a knee wedge pillow. Propping your legs on a knee wedge pillow helps prevent you from sliding down your incline wedge during the night. It also relaxes the muscles around your spine, allowing your back to fully rest overnight.

Transitioning to side sleeping

After 6-8 weeks of sleeping reclined on a wedge pillow, you may be ready to transition to sleeping on your side. At this point in recovery, most people are not ready to sleep on their surgical arm. However, a bed wedge can be used to start trying to sleep on your non-surgical arm.

Depending on your level of pain and mobility, you have two options for side sleeping. If you are still experiencing a significant amount of pain, you will want to transition to a contoured side sleeping wedge. This wedge still has a slight incline which helps alleviate any pressure you experience when lying flat. It also has unique contours that specifically alleviate shoulder pressure and pain.

When sleeping with a contoured, wedge pillow after shoulder surgery, try sleeping on your non-surgical arm first. You can also use a long and firm body pillow for additional shoulder support by resting your surgical arm on top of it. A supportive body pillow not only supports your surgical arm, but also supports your back and hips when put between your legs. 

As you continue to heal and your pain decreases, you can try sleeping on your surgical arm. A contoured, memory foam-topped wedge, will cradle and support your shoulder as you begin to sleep on it again. The combination of a contoured incline wedge and a supportive neck pillow takes pressure off of your surgical arm while you sleep.

Side sleeping after recovering from shoulder surgery 

As your healing journey progresses and you are ready to side sleep without an inclined pillow wedge, be sure you continue to care for your shoulder. Sleeping on your side without adequate support can cause wear and tear on your shoulder. Since we typically sleep 7-8 hours each night, its important to position ourselves in a way that does not cause harm.

There are three essential components to side sleeping. First is a supportive neck pillow. I recommend a contoured neck pillow because it supports the natural curve of your neck. Second is a side sleeper wedge pillow. This small wedge will support the curve of your lower spine. The combination of these two pillows supports the weight of your body so you are not “crushing” the shoulder you lie on.

Finally, use a leg separator pillow. Depending on what you find comfortable, you can rest your arm on top of the pillow or give it a “hug.” It can also be used to support your hip and back by placing it between your legs. Or, you can use it to do both at the same time!

A wedge pillow for shoulder surgery is something that will help you in your recovery. When you sleep better, you feel better and heal better!

-Hillary Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy

A foot elevation pillow is an essential part of recovering from any type of ankle surgery. Elevating your foot on a foot elevation wedge will help control swelling and promote tissue healing. This means you can get back to doing the things you love, as soon as possible!

Phases of healing after ankle surgery

After ankle surgery, your body will go through several natural healing phases. Understanding these healing phases helps you understand why a foot wedge pillow can help your recovery.

Immediately after ankle surgery you experience an initial "hemostasis" period. This is where the body works to stop bleeding that has occurred from the trauma of the surgery. The body does this by activating clotting agents called platelets. These platelets create a wound bed that provides a solid foundation for the subsequent healing stages.

A foot elevation wedge becomes very important in the next phase which is called the inflammation phase. The inflammation phase lasts several days. Its job is to bring cells to the surgery site and initiate the rebuilding process.

A foot elevation wedge is also beneficial during this next phase called the proliferation phase. The proliferation phase of healing overlaps with the inflammation stage. During proliferation, the body begins rebuilding its tissues.

The final phase of healing is called the remodeling phase. This is where the tissue that was rebuilt in the proliferation phase continues to develop and mature. Throughout this phase your ankle tissue will continue to build and re-organize until it is fully healed.

Tips to optimize healing

There are several things you can do to optimize this healing process. First, follow the incision care protocol your physician gives you. When you follow their protocol, it maximizes the actual incision site healing. Excessive scarring and infection may result if incision care is not done correctly. 

Second, follow your doctor's precautions when it comes to weight-bearing. Depending on the surgery, your body may need to gradually adapt to your body weight. It may be necessary to get into weight bearing slowly in order for the tissues and/or hardware to properly heal. You can delay healing and disrupt the natural progression of the healing steps if you overload your ankle too soon.

Third, the management of swelling and inflammation in the ankle is absolutely essential. This is where a foot elevation pillow comes in. Using a foot elevation wedge to manage swelling correctly ensures that the inflammation phase does not last too long. If the inflammation phase lasts too long, it can slow down and delay the proliferation and remodeling phases. A delay in these phases can delay healing.

Managing swelling and inflammation is one of the hardest parts of recovering from ankle surgery. This is because people spend most of their time standing or sitting. When you stand or sit, gravity can "pool" swelling into your foot and ankle.

If an ankle gets too much swelling, it can create ischemia, also known as decreased blood flow. This is because excessive swelling can increase pressure on the veins of the foot and lower leg. The increase in pressure can decrease blood flow to your foot. 

Using a foot elevation pillow to combat swelling

An excellent way to control excessive swelling is to use a wedge pillow to elevate your feet. You can use a foot elevation pillow when you sit up in bed or when lying flat. Elevating your feet uses gravity to help some of your swelling re-circulate.

Elevating your feet also helps improve blood flow. To further enhance blood flow, try performing ankle pumps or other non-weight-bearing ankle exercises while you elevate (if appropriate and prescribed by your doctor or physical therapist). This will heighten the effect of your foot wedge pillow. 

The most ideal foot elevation wedge has three important characteristics. First, its length allows your heel to hang off the edge of the pillow. Second, it has contours that allow for even weight surface area distribution. Third, your foot wedge pillow should hold your ankle higher than your knee and hips to allow for gravity to assist in decreasing swelling.

Elevating your ankle on a contoured wedge pillow for 15-20 minutes, several times a day, is a good way to enhance your healing process. If you have had or are going to have an ankle surgery, optimize your healing with a foot elevation pillow!

-Bryan Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy

A wedge pillow for back pain is an important tool for managing back soreness and discomfort. Using a wedge pillow to position your back correctly helps you sleep much more comfortably.

The best wedge pillow for lower back pain

Most people spend 7-8 hours sleeping each day. This means that in regard to back pain, sleep position is very important! Your sleep position can help reduce inflammation and jump start healing. The best way to sleep is to have the spine in a “neutral position.”

A neutral position is one where the natural curves of your spine are fully supported. When this is the case, the muscles and ligaments that attach to your spine are at rest. The best way to maintain this position is by using one or more bed wedges for back pain.

If you are a back sleeper, you can use a knee wedge pillow to create a slight bend in the knees and hips. This allows the ligaments, facet joints, and muscles in the low back to stay in a resting position. Using a specifically designed wedge pillow for lower back pain is preferable to stacking traditional pillows under your legs.

The specific shape of a sleeping wedge for back pain supports the full weight of your legs. Because your legs are completely supported on a stable base, your back can be completely at rest. Unlike traditional pillows, a wedge pillow for back pain is so stable, it is easy for your body to maintain its neutral position overnight.

For side sleepers, the best wedge pillow for lower back pain is a combination of two pillows: a leg separator pillow and a side sleeper wedge. This combination ensures that your spine maintains a neutral position overnight. When the muscles and ligaments in your back and hips are relaxed, you are able to sleep more comfortably and wake up with less pain.

Why else do you need a wedge pillow for lower back pain?

Low back pain is one of the most common ailments in the world. It is also one of the most debilitating. Anyone that has had a sudden onset of low back pain knows that it can affect just about every part of daily life.

One of the most important things you can do to manage a sudden onset of back pain is to get your body moving as soon as possible. Gentle movements in pain free positions help decrease inflammation and encourage muscle relaxation. Two important ways to get your body moving are walking and a core activation program.

A wedge pillow for lower back pain can help you perform gentle core exercises without pain. If you have back pain, pelvic tilts are the first exercise you should perform. This exercise is a key component of deep core activation that inhibits the painful muscles in your back.

To perform a pelvic tilt, first rest your legs flat on top of your wedge pillow. When you inhale, use your diaphragm and watch your belly rise. When you exhale, draw your belly button down towards the bed. Then, gently tilt your pelvis backwards using your core muscles. You should feel your lower back gently press into the bed. Repeat for 2 minutes with the rhythm of your breath.

The second exercise to perform on your low back pillow is called knee rocks. Place the soles of your feet on the slant of the wedge pillow so your knees are up in the air. Gently rock your knees side to side so you feel a gentle stretch. Hold 5-10 seconds on each side. Perform knee rocks for 2 minutes.

Whether your injury is acute or chronic, decreasing inflammation by using a wedge pillow for back pain is an important step to resuming your normal life again. When you combine an early core strengthening and walking program with a bed wedge pillow for back pain while you sleep, you help reduce inflammation as fast as possible!

-Bryan Blare, Doctor of Physical Therapy