Recovery guide
Inspire Recovery Guide
Worried about a symptom? See when to call usQuick answer: Recovery after Inspire surgery is easy for most people. Most are back to normal, non-strenuous activity within a few days, usually with over-the-counter pain relief only. For 1 week, avoid heavy lifting, strenuous activity, swimming and travel. For 2 weeks, avoid reaching overhead and lift little to no weight with the arm on the side of your implant (usually the right). Your implant is turned on in our office about 1 month after surgery.
Recovery at a glance
- Day of surgeryMost people go home the same day.
- First few daysSore incisions and tongue. Most are back to light activity within a few days.
- Week 1No heavy lifting, strenuous activity, swimming, baths or travel.
- Week 2No reaching overhead, and little to no weight in the implant-side arm.
- About 1 monthWe turn the implant on in our office.
What should I expect?
Inspire is placed through small incisions in the upper neck and chest. Most people go home the same day. In the first days after surgery, expect:
- Pain and soreness around the incisions.
- Mild swelling around the incisions. The neck incision may swell more because the nearby salivary gland (the submandibular gland) becomes inflamed. This is temporary and usually goes away within 2 to 3 weeks.
- Mild oozing from around the incisions.
- A sore tongue for a few days.
- For some people, a headache or earache on the side of the implant. This is temporary.
How do I care for the incisions?
- You may shower 24 hours after surgery. Let warm, soapy water run over the incisions. Do not scrub them.
- Do not swim or soak the incisions in a bath, pool or hot tub for 1 week.
- Call us if an incision keeps draining or the redness around it gets worse.
How should I manage pain?
Most people have mild to moderate pain that over-the-counter medicine controls well. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen together work better than either one alone.
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol): 1,000 mg every 6 hours, no more than 4,000 mg in 24 hours (or 3,000 mg if your package says so, or if you have liver problems or drink alcohol regularly).
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin): 400 mg every 8 hours with food, or naproxen (Aleve): 1 tablet (220 mg) every 8 to 12 hours with food, no more than 3 tablets in 24 hours. Skip them if you have a stomach ulcer or kidney disease, or if your surgeon told you not to take them.
- If we prescribed medicine, take it exactly as directed.
- If you take aspirin or a blood thinner, follow your surgeon’s instructions on when to restart it.
Call us if the pain gets worse or becomes severe instead of easing.
When can I get back to normal?
You do not need bed rest. Most people are back to normal, non-strenuous activity within a few days. Eat a regular diet.
- After anesthesia: for 24 hours, do not drive, drink alcohol, use machinery or sign important papers. After general anesthesia, we recommend having an adult stay with you the first night.
- Neck rolls: 10 clockwise and 10 counterclockwise, 3 times a day.
- For 1 week: no heavy lifting or strenuous activity, no swimming, and no travel: stay within about an hour’s drive of our office or a hospital emergency room, and do not fly.
- For 2 weeks: do not reach overhead, and lift little to no weight with the arm on the side of your implant (usually the right).
What these limits mean: heavy lifting means anything over about 10 pounds (a gallon of milk weighs about 8), such as a full laundry basket, a case of water or a suitcase. Strenuous activity means anything that makes you breathe hard, strain or sweat: running, weight training, yard work, hard cycling or sports. Walking, light housework, desk work and showering are fine. When the limit ends, start at about half your usual effort and build up over a week; if bleeding starts, stop and rest.
When will my Inspire be turned on?
Your implant stays off while you heal. It is usually turned on in our office about 1 month after surgery, when we set it up and show you how to use the remote. Until then, ask us whether to keep using your CPAP if you have one.
When should I call?
Call us for
- A temperature of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher that lasts more than 24 hours or starts 3 or more days after surgery, or any temperature of 102°F (38.9°C) or higher. Use a thermometer, and check it just before the next dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen, because both lower fever.
- Pain that gets worse or becomes severe
- An incision that keeps draining, or redness around an incision that is getting worse
Call 911 or go to the ER for
Shortness of breath, chest pain, or swelling in the neck that is quickly getting bigger.
Austin 512-339-4040 · Lakeway 512-682-4798 · Marble Falls 830-992-2830 · Dripping Springs 512-339-4040
Questions patients ask
Recovery is easy for most people. Most are back to normal, non-strenuous activity within a few days, usually with over-the-counter pain relief only. Avoid heavy lifting, strenuous activity, swimming and travel for 1 week, and for 2 weeks avoid reaching overhead or lifting with the arm on the implant side.
You may shower 24 hours after surgery. Let warm, soapy water run over the incisions without scrubbing them, and do not swim or soak them for 1 week.
Mild swelling around the incisions is expected. The neck incision may swell more because the nearby submandibular salivary gland becomes inflamed. This is temporary and usually goes away within 2 to 3 weeks. Call 911 for neck swelling that is quickly getting bigger or for trouble breathing.
Some people have a headache or earache on the side of the implant after surgery. This is temporary. Call us if the pain gets worse or becomes severe instead of easing.
Your implant is usually turned on in our office about 1 month after surgery, once you have healed.
Not for 1 week. For the first week, do not fly, and stay within about an hour’s drive of our office or a hospital emergency room.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not replace an in-person evaluation. If your surgeon gave you different instructions, follow theirs.
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