Most hip replacement patients are able to walk within the same day or next day of surgery; most can resume normal routine activities within the first 3 to 6 weeks of their total hip replacement recovery. Once light activity becomes possible, it's important to incorporate healthy exercise into your recovery program.
3 to 6 Weeks After Hip Replacement Surgery
You'll likely be able to walk without a walker or crutches.
You will walk without support when you feel you are safe and can walk comfortably without dropping your hip or limping. Some patients can do this within 2 weeks after surgery while others take 6-8 weeks or longer.
Walking is the best exercise for a healthy recovery, because walking will help you recover hip movement. Initially, the use of a walker or crutches will help to prevent blood clots and strengthen your muscles which will improve hip movement.
Most patients will continue to need the cane for walking until 2-4 weeks postoperative; if you feel that you still need it for safety/balance, please continue to use it.
The Don'ts
Don't cross your legs at the knees for at least 6 to 8 weeks. Don't bring your knee up higher than your hip. Don't lean forward while sitting or as you sit down. Don't try to pick up something on the floor while you are sitting.
3-4 weeks post-op
Continue with the above exercises and continue to increase the distance that you walk outside, some patients by this time may be comfortable walking as much as a mile a day. Hopefully you may feel confident enough to go to the local shop or supermarket.
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.
“On average, hip replacement recovery can take around two to four weeks, but everyone is different,” says Thakkar. It depends on a few factors, including how active you were before your surgery, your age, nutrition, preexisting conditions, and other health and lifestyle factors.
However, even the most successful hip replacement is not immune to postoperative aches and pains, the most common of which are pains in or around the buttocks.
You have a window of time immediately after your surgery in which you can restore the range of motion in your new joint. If you don't move and engage in physical therapy, however, scar tissue develops that restricts movement and your muscles weaken.
Proper walking is the best way to help your hip recover. At first, you will walk with a walker or crutches. Your surgeon or therapist will tell you how much weight to put on your leg. Early on, walking will help you regain movement in your hip.
After 2–3 months of partial or total hip replacement, a person may be able to resume daily activities but should continue with daily physical therapy and regular walking. As pain and stiffness typically subside by this point, a person may be able to work on improving the following in their hip: strength. flexibility.
It is common for patients to be tired following a total hip replacement, which is due in part to anesthesia, blood loss, pain, and the necessity of prescription pain medications.
Many people who have undergone a total hip replacement have had a significantly altered gait pattern, or limp, for some time prior to surgery. Besides reducing pain, alleviating a limp is the priority for many during the recovery period. Improving your ability and efficiency of walking is a multifaceted process.
Most patients achieve maximum recovery of neurologic function by seven months; however, recovery may continue for up to 12 to 18 months following the injury.
It's best to avoid sleeping on your affected side for at least six weeks. After your doctor gives you the go-ahead, listen to your body, and only lie on your operative side when you feel comfortable.
A crucial part of successful rehabilitation is physiotherapy. The NHS recommends that patients have a minimum of six weeks' physio after a hip or knee replacement but, according to a new study, the amount of physiotherapy people actually receive depends on where they live.
Everyone recovers differently, but it's often possible to return to light activities or office-based work within around 6 weeks. It may take a few more weeks if your job involves heavy lifting. It's best to avoid extreme movements or sports where there's a risk of falling, such as skiing or riding.
Talk with a Senior Living Advisor
Many people can return to normal activity 12 weeks after their procedure. It's important to avoid overdoing it — and to expect some good days along with some bad ones. Sometimes, full recovery from hip replacement surgery takes six months and up to a year.
There are many reasons for a limp. This is expected for the first few months after your operation. The majority will have settled after 3 months, some may continue to limp up to 12 months after the operation.
There are few long-term limitations after hip replacement
Replacement joints function very well, but they're not native joints. They're not designed for you to be a marathon runner. If you treat them with respect, they will last you the rest of your life.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends a waiting period of 4–8 weeks post-surgery before recommencing driving in an automatic car. Current advice for drivers of manual vehicles and patients of right-sided THA is not as clearly defined in the literature.