Slumber Support

Description

Slumber Support

Designed, manufactured and registered as a medical device in the UK

“I purchased a Slumber Support recently and I would like to say that I have found his product very, very useful. It enabled me to sleep reasonably easily after I ad a hip replacement two weeks ago. I did find trying to sleep on my back, as advised by the hospital most difficult, but with your product I have had better sleep. Many thanks, and I will certainly recommend Slumber Support to anyone I now who has to have a hip replacement. I will contact the BMI hospital in Edgbaston Birmingham, about your product.” – Roger Danson

Hips – Can be used to support your hip from beneath whilst sleeping on your side. In addition it may be used post-operatively allowing the patient to lie on their side significantly reducing the chance of adduction. Post-operative use of this product should only be undertaken after professional advice from a qualified surgeon or physiotherapist.

Back – May be used to alleviate lower back pain with referred symptoms into the leg, by maintaining the lumbar spine in a neutral position and preventing the supported leg rolling forward so putting a torsion on the lower spine.

Knees – To support your knee from below, helping it from medical movement whilst sleeping on your side.

Dimensions: 45cm x 96cm x 10cm (One size only)
Filling: Polyester Fibre
Colour: Cream
Cover material: 100% cotton (Dry clean only)

Please note:

For reasons of hygiene, Slumber Support cannot be returned once the packaging has been opened, unless there is a manufacturing fault. Your statutory rights are not affected.

Slumber Support is a LARGE cushion which is designed to keep patients stable on their side whilst keeping the operated leg parallel to the bed and fully supported (see the picture). The size of the cushion is important as it anchors the patient safely on their side, reducing the chance of adduction whilst sleeping. A smaller cushion would not achieve this. Post-operative use of this product should only be undertaken after professional advice from a qualified surgeon or physiotherapist.

Please note: there will be an additional charge for delivery to the Scottish Highlands and Islands off the mainland. Call for details as we have to get the price directly from our courier.

Background information from Mark Dowen, Designer of Slumber Support:

“At the end of 2009 I had a full hip replacement. Luckily I had an excellent surgeon and despite my worries everything went far better than I thought. After a couple of days I was walking and started exercising. Although the wound was a little uncomfortable it did not prevent a speedy recovery. Like all patients I was told to sleep on my back with a wedge between my legs. The first two nights were not too difficult as my body was full of anaesthetic and I felt pleased to be doing well. I returned home under strict instructions not to do lots of things – one of which was to remain sleeping on my back for the next six weeks. I understood why – to prevent the risk of abduction of the new hip joint, however in theory this sounded plausible but in practice it proved impossible and here started the worst part of the entire ordeal. Like most people I sleep on my side and now with the extra discomfort and lack of sleep this became an obsession so no matter how hard I tried to sleep on my back it was virtually impossible.

After a week of almost total sleeplessness I was beginning to understand the term sleep deprivation with all its side effects. In desperation I went to see the physiotherapist who seemed to understand the problem as most of her full hip replacement patients suffer similar sleep difficulties. She suggested I use a couple of pillows between the knees. Unfortunately the lozenge shape of the pillows meant that they would easily squeeze out from between the legs and the length of the pillow did not support the full leg, ankle and foot. The width of the pillow made it difficult to alter any leg angle and if you needed to change the position at night the softness made them very difficult to adjust. Another week followed of little sleep and hours fighting with the pillows (and, by now, a grumpy and tired wife!).

To save my sanity, something had to be done! Fortunately my company manufactures various forms of mattresses, so I went to work designing a very simple support that would fit between my legs, keeping my legs completely separated, wide enough to allow the lower part of the legs to move without coming off the pillow and long enough to support the thigh, knee, calf, ankle and foot even when moving in sleep. We used a special dense vertical weave polyester to give maximum support and comfort to the weight of the leg but stiff enough to move up, down and sideways. We added a handle to the top to make positioning even easier. To keep the cushion in position during sleep I used a loose fitting waist belt with simple Velcro adjustment. I consulted my physiotherapist throughout the design process for advice as I obviously did not want to risk any injury or harm. Within a couple of days I had something highly effective and easy to use and for the next four weeks I was able to sleep safely and comfortably on my side.

Since my operation I have spoken to many people who have undergone the same procedure and suffered from sleep-deprivation. Any quick search of the Internet shows how many people this affects, as there are now thousands of hip operations each year.

I felt so strongly that there were no appropriate hip support products on the market that I have further developed the Slumber Support by registering it as a medical device and gaining a CE mark on the product. I understand that most surgeons want to reduce the risk of abduction to zero, but this has to be balanced by the quality of life and period of recovery of the patient who shouldn’t be expected to manage without sleep for six weeks.”