How to recover following Hip Surgery?

Recovery

Your recovery time can vary and often depends on your general health and physical ability.

You may feel tired for up to three months after your hip replacement surgery. The muscles and tissues surrounding your new hip will take time to heal. Your body will need time to recover from a major surgical intervention.

You should be able to stop using your crutches at 4-6 weeks after your hip replacement operation, if not sooner. Your pain and swelling will continue to improve with each passing day and week.

Your new hip replacement will continue to improve for up to 2 years after your operation. 

In the long term, it is best to avoid extreme activities and impact sport. You can take up activities like swimming, cycling, hiking, walking, golf, cross-trainer etc. 

Your Consultant and your physiotherapist can advise you in detail on the do’s and dont’s after a hip replacement.

Looking after your new hip in the recovery phase:

• you should continue to take painkillers or anti-inflammatories to help manage any pain and swelling, to enable you to do your exercises.
• you should use your walking aids but aim to gradually decrease your reliance on them as you progress through the recovery phase.
• you should do your exercises religiously to help prevent stiffness.
• you should work with your physiotherapist to achieve a good outcome.

Enhanced recovery

Research shows the earlier you start eating, drinking and walking after your operation, the better is the outcome. All One Health Group Orthopaedic Consultants offer their patients an enhanced recovery programme which is a rehabilitation programme aiming to get you back to full health quickly.

Physiotherapy

To improve the outcome after your operation, you will receive physiotherapy during your inpatient stay and subsequently after your discharge from hospital. However, it is important to treat the recovery as a shared responsibility between the physiotherapist and you.

The therapist will help you return to normal activities, as well as prevent blood clots, improve circulation, increase range of movement, and eventually strengthen the surrounding muscles through specific exercises. You will also be given advice on practical ways to adjust your lifestyle for the first few months after your hip replacement operation.

Prognosis

Your hip replacement will continue to improve, slowly and steadily for up to 2 years. The long term outcome of your hip replacement is extremely good. Generally, 95% of the patients are happy with their replacements and more than 90% of hip replacement joints last in excess of 10 years. 

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