"Guess everyone's different with this stuff..."
Yeah, totally agree with that. Recliners never worked for me either—I ended up feeling more restless and uncomfortable than before. Weirdly enough, what helped me most was using a heated neck wrap (the kind you microwave) around my jaw area. It seemed to calm the ache better than ice packs or anything else I tried. Guess it's trial and error until you find what clicks...
Interesting you mention heat helping more than ice...have you noticed if the warmth ever increases swelling for you? Usually, we recommend ice initially to keep swelling down, but honestly, everyone's different. I've had patients swear by warm compresses too. Maybe the heat relaxes your muscles enough to ease tension around the graft area? Whatever works, right? Hope you're feeling better soon...bone graft recovery can be rough.
I've noticed the same thing—heat seems to ease my muscle tension better than ice. Ice helps initially, but after a day or two, warmth feels more soothing. Haven't noticed any extra swelling, thankfully...guess everyone's body reacts differently. Hang in there, recovery does get easier.
Interesting you're mentioning heat—I had a similar experience after my bone graft. Ice was helpful the first 24-48 hours, but after that, heat packs seemed way more effective in easing the lingering soreness and muscle stiffness. My surgeon initially recommended sticking to ice longer, but when I switched to warmth, recovery felt smoother. Bodies definitely respond differently, but I'd suggest checking with your doc to see if heat therapy might be beneficial earlier on...sometimes docs stick to general guidelines rather than individual needs.
Glad you mentioned this—I felt kinda unsure about switching to heat sooner because my surgeon was pretty set on ice too. But honestly, after a couple days, ice just wasn't cutting it anymore. I gave heat packs a try, and it felt like my muscles finally relaxed a bit. You're right, everyone's body reacts differently, and docs sometimes stick to textbook advice. Definitely gonna bring this up at my next appointment...thanks for sharing your experience!
