To stay fit before a hip replacement, focus on low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling (stationary or recumbent), and chair yoga to build strength and cardiovascular health, while also incorporating specific prehab exercises (ankle pumps, thigh/glute squeezes, heel slides, leg slides) recommended by a physiotherapist to prepare muscles and improve mobility for recovery, all while listening to your body and using walking aids if needed.
Exercise 2: Strengthen your legs and hips
Hold on to a table or counter for support. Slowly move your leg out to the side and then back to the middle. Keep your leg straight and your toes pointing forward at all times. Repeat at least 5 times.
Improving your general fitness through regular exercise, eating a healthy, balanced diet, and stopping smoking (if appropriate) prior to surgery can all help you to be better prepared and to recover more quickly.
Exercise. Exercise is a very good way of managing arthritis pain and improving mobility. It also won't cause any further damage or harm to you or your joints. Being physically fit and strong before hip or knee replacement surgery is also really important in supporting the recovery process.
Whilst you are waiting for your surgery stay as active as you can. Strengthening the muscles around your hip will help your recovery. If you can, continue to do gentle exercise such as walking and swimming, in the weeks and months before your operation.
You will usually need to continue using a walking aid (walking frame or crutches) for at least 6 weeks. Your doctor or therapist will advise you if this needs to be longer. As long as you are permitted to fully weight bear 6 weeks after your operation, you may be able to progress to one stick or crutch.
How to prepare for a hip replacement
Any exercise – the best medical advice suggests that you should try to do 30 minutes of physical activity a day. In the early stages of your recovery even a few short walks each day really will make a difference to your health.
In a hip resurfacing procedure, a person's natural femoral head is retained. It may be appropriate for you to have hip resurfacing if you are an active person under the age of 60. Hip surface replacement has advantages and disadvantages, depending on each individual patient.
take over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to give you some hip pain relief. take it easy and get some rest, particularly if you've strained a muscle or tendon. put some ice on your hip – wrap the ice in a towel and put it on for no longer than 20 minutes every 2–3 hours.
We recommend that a family member stay with you the night you are discharged from the hospital to ease your transition home. Many are able to walk and manage their own self-care such as bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom without assistance.
low-impact exercise such as swimming, walking or cycling, and muscle strengthening in the hips – a physiotherapist may advise and support you with exercising. using walking aids. wearing special footwear or insoles for your shoes. pain relief medicines, gels or creams.
Seven days before surgery: Stop taking all NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as naproxen (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and aspirin. They interfere with blood clotting, which can increase blood loss during surgery.
WALKING OUTSIDE– Beginning with flat surfaces, walking can be progressed to uneven surfaces including hills and inclines/declines. Walking on different surfaces is a great way to build endurance before your joint replacement surgery.
If something doesn't feel right, don't force it — try something else!
Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement Procedure
In a single incision minimally invasive approach, your surgeon makes a 3-6-inch incision over the side of your hip to expose the hip joint. The muscles are minimally dissected to reach the joint. The femur is dislocated from the acetabulum.
The hardest orthopedic surgeries to recover from often involve the spine, complex joints (like the knee or shoulder), and multi-ligament injuries, with spinal fusion frequently cited as the most challenging due to its complexity, severe pain, lengthy rehab, and extensive changes to spinal mechanics, alongside major reconstructions for conditions like scoliosis or severe trauma. Other tough recoveries include total knee/shoulder replacements and multi-ligament knee reconstruction (ACL, PCL, etc.).
The 2025 revision includes new research and refined guidance on: Manual therapy techniques to improve mobility and reduce pain. Individualized strengthening, flexibility, and endurance programs. The use of dry needling for short-term symptom relief.
You may travel as a passenger in a car as soon as you leave hospital and certainly to get home from the hospital. You should not drive for at least six weeks or at your surgeon's discretion.
Balance rest and recovery with gentle exercise
Gentle exercise is beneficial, such as short, gentle walks around your home and outside. Supervised physiotherapy, like rehabilitation programmes and hydrotherapy, can also help improve recovery in the weeks following surgery.
Your doctor will outline a program to help prevent the development of blood clots after your surgery. This may include periodic elevation of your legs, lower leg exercises to increase circulation, support stockings, and medication to thin your blood.
Preoperative testing for hip replacement
Your testing may include a medical evaluation, blood samples, electrocardiogram, stress test, chest x-ray, and urine sample. The tests will tell us if your body is ready for surgery or if you have any conditions that may need special attention before moving forward.
Your operation might make it difficult at first to move out of a bed or chair, get to the bathroom or wash. So consider buying or renting equipment that will help you, such as raised toilet seat, toilet frame, perching stool, long handled grabber or sock aids. These can all help you to recover, and stay independent.