No matter how long you’ve waited for your hip replacement, you’re likely looking forward to your life after surgery, when you’ll have greater mobility and less pain in your hip. However, many of the key steps to a successful hip replacement surgery are taken outside the operating room. How you prepare and recover are just as important as the procedure itself. And it all takes patience.
Below, we’ll lead you through some of the steps you can take to ensure the best recovery process after hip replacement surgery, plus provide some answers to your questions around resuming everyday activities.
Your recovery depends on the type of hip replacement surgery you have
Everyone is different, and that means there are no hard-and-fast rules about how long recovery takes after hip replacement surgery. The cause of your hip joint pain and dysfunction – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteonecrosis or injury – and the type of hip replacement surgery you undergo will also determine how long it takes to heal.
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint, where a ball at the top of each thigh bone (known as the femur and the femoral ball) fits into a socket on the lower sides of the pelvis. There are different types of hip surgery:
Total hip replacement
The entire hip joint, both ball and socket, is replaced with artificial components. Most patients are able to walk the same day, and your postoperative care team will help you take your first post-surgery steps before they send you home.
Hip replacement revision
Artificial hip replacement components can last anywhere from 10-20 years. After that time, you may need surgery to address normal wear and tear. In rare cases, you may need a revision surgery earlier if there is damage to the artificial joint through dislocation, bone fracture or infection.
Other types of hip replacements:
In certain instances, a joint replacement surgeon may recommend:
- Partial hip replacement – Only part of the hip joint is replaced in a partial hip replacement. The socket remains intact, and the top of the femur and femoral ball are substituted with artificial components. This can be common for people with a hip fracture, but very rare for those getting a hip replacement due to arthritis.
- Double hip replacement – In rare instances, a surgeon may recommend total hip replacements for both hips at the same time.
Plan for your recovery before you have surgery
Surgery can be nerve-wracking, but knowing that you’re ready for the recovery and all its potential challenges can help alleviate those feelings. Here are a few things you can do to feel physically, mentally and emotionally ready for your hip replacement recovery.
Start preparations early on
Surgery can be hard on the body, so it’s a great idea to be at your healthiest before your procedure. Exercise is a great starting point, and you’ll want to eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep and monitor your mental state in the weeks leading up to your surgery date.
Also, it’s often required for people to attend at least one physical therapy session with a physical therapist before surgery. A physical therapist can work with you to identify stretches and movements to help improve strength and flexibility before your surgery.
Find a focused exercise routine
When you have a painful hip, it’s hard to keep up with a fitness routine. But immediately after your surgery, you’ll need to rely more heavily on other parts of your body as your hip heals. To prepare for this shift, a physical therapist can help you focus on exercises that strengthen your core, upper body and legs.
Make your home a healing environment
Before your surgery, designate a room in your home as your recovery area. It should be easy to reach using crutches or a walker, and on the same floor as a bathroom, so you don’t need to climb up and down stairs. Here’s how to make it as comfortable as possible:
- Put a bed in your recovery room if there isn’t one, and be sure to include plenty of pillows to use for elevating your leg and hip
- Stock up on entertainment like books, magazines and music, or set up a TV to watch your favorite shows and movies
- Have a spot to keep essential items within arm’s reach of the bed – things like water, pain medications, a pen and paper, the remote and your phone
You’ll also want to prepare a few meals ahead of time that you can freeze and eat later on, and it can help to have plenty of canned goods on hand. Put kitchen and bathroom items you commonly use within easy reach, so you don’t have to bend down or reach high to get them.
Ask for help
Many hip replacements are outpatient procedures, meaning you’ll go home to recover on the same day as your procedure. Others often go home the next day, so you may need at-home help with things like cooking, laundry and pet care – plus assistance with transportation, grocery shopping and other errands – for the first few weeks after surgery. If you live alone, reach out to family members, friends or neighbors for help ahead of time. You can also ask your postoperative care team about a trained caregiver visiting you at home.
Take things slow for the first one to two weeks after hip surgery
You should be able to leave the hospital or surgery center the same day or the day after your hip replacement procedure. Following a major surgery like hip replacement, you can expect certain side effects in the week immediately after, including stiffness, swelling and pain. While uncomfortable, these are usually normal signs of the healing process.
In the first week or two after your surgery, you’ll want to focus on just the following:
- Resting – This should be your top priority because your body needs rest to heal. Plus, recovering from hip surgery is a great time to enjoy some relaxation (in between physical therapy sessions and exercises). Give yourself permission to take it easy!
- Reducing swelling – Keep swelling to a minimum. Applying ice and keeping your leg elevated above your heart can help hip swelling.
- Managing pain – Your doctor will work with you on a plan to help manage pain that may include prescription pain medications and over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve) and acetaminophen (Tylenol).
- Performing recovery exercises – Small exercises you can do in bed and regular, short walks around the house and neighborhood will help maintain healthy blood flow in your legs and feet.
Your doctor can clarify how much pain and swelling you should expect, and what your incision should look like as it heals.
Watch for postsurgical complications
Complications after hip replacement surgery are rare, but they can happen. That’s why it’s important to monitor your recovery and be able to recognize the signs that something is wrong. Your care team will provide education before you leave the hospital or surgery center, but blood clots and infection are two complications to look out for.
Blood clots
Hip replacement surgery can interfere with your natural blood flow and clotting, raising your risk for a blood clot in a deep vein of your leg or groin, a condition known as deep vein thrombosis. Signs of a blood clot include:
- Swelling in your leg
- A blue, red or otherwise discolored hue to the skin
- Leg pain, tightness and discomfort, similar to a pulled muscle
- Warmth in the leg that you can feel
A blood clot in your leg can detach and travel to your lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism, which is a medical emergency. In order to prevent blood clots from forming, be sure to keep up with physical therapy and other exercises. Your doctor may also prescribe blood-thinning medication.
Infection
Only about 1-2% of hip replacement patients develop an infection following surgery. Most often these infections are treated with antibiotics, but if there’s a major infection in the deeper tissues around the hip, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove and replace the artificial parts. Infection can occur immediately after surgery or months, even years, down the line.
Redness, swelling and warmth can be expected at the surgical incision site following surgery. The redness should start to fade after a couple of weeks and by the time you pass the six-week mark, the swelling and warmth should be mostly gone. But it’s not uncommon to have occasional swelling for the next several months or even a year. This swelling may be worse if you’ve been very active or spent a lot of time on your feet.
In the case of infection, this redness and swelling will get rapidly worse, despite how much you rest, ice, compress and elevate the area. These symptoms may also be accompanied by new stiffness and pain in the joint, plus fever and whole-body chills. Contact your care team right away if you notice any signs of infection.
Resume regular activities slowly
It’s best to follow your care team’s instructions when it comes to the timing of resuming daily activities, but on average, here’s how long it can take:
- Walking – You should be up and walking with an assistive device before you leave the surgery center, usually the same day of your surgery. Be sure to get your doctor’s okay before putting full weight on the side with the new hip, and then increase movement and activity slowly.
- Driving – This depends on which hip was replaced. After surgery on your left hip, you can typically resume driving in 1-2 weeks. After surgery on your right hip, it may take a month to drive confidently again.
- Returning to work – Your surgeon may make some specific recommendations based on the type of work you do. For example, a job that doesn’t involve a lot of movement or heavy lifting can be resumed within a few days. If your job involves manual labor, you may need to make certain modifications before you can return to full activity.
- Exercising and playing sports – Returning to sports can be tricky after hip surgery. You may be able to do low-impact activities almost right away, but you might need to wait a little longer for more intense activities like weightlifting, hiking, dancing and tennis. If you’re unsure about your ability to engage in certain sports, talk to your doctor or physical therapist.
Keep up with physical therapy
You’ll start rehabilitation almost immediately after surgery, and a physical therapist will lead you through exercises to increase flexibility and strength in the joint. They will also give you exercises to do on your own at home. Together, you’ll focus on your ability to perform daily tasks like getting in and out of bed and climbing up and down stairs.
If you have specific goals around movement or activities, your physical therapist can help to focus and personalize your recovery.
See your doctor for follow-up care
After your procedure and before you leave the hospital or surgery center, your care team will ensure that you have your first physical therapy appointments scheduled, you have a plan for pain management, you have someone at home to help you, and that you know how to use your walker or cane correctly.
Your follow-up appointment with your surgeon will be within the first couple of weeks after surgery.
The most important part of hip replacement recovery is patience
After living with pain and limited mobility, it’s understandable to want to get back to your daily life and favorite activities as soon as possible. But being patient with your body during the healing process can ensure your new hip serves you well for years to come.
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