The following activities are generally not recommended after hip replacement: running, jogging, squash, racquetball, contact sports, sports where jumping is involved, heavy lifting (over 50 lbs).
Activity. It is important to gradually increase your out-of-home activity during the first few weeks after surgery. If you do too much activity, your hip may become more swollen and painful.
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.
That's right, no restrictions. After an anterior hip replacement you can do anything you want to.
How long does it take to recover after a hip replacement? “On average, hip replacement recovery can take around two to four weeks, but everyone is different,” says Thakkar.
Can you run and jump after a hip replacement? High-impact activities such as running and jumping are not recommended after a hip operation unless specifically advised by your doctor.
Stair Climbing and Descending
Stair climbing is an excellent strengthening and endurance activity, and it also requires flexibility. At first, you will need a handrail for support and will be able to go only one step at a time. Always lead up the stairs with your good leg and down the stairs with your operated leg.
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.
If you feel pain, you have probably just overdone it a little. Ease back on your activities for a day or two and then gradually increase them again. If you have severe pain, consult your GP.
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.
Post-surgery, massage therapists should defer to guidance from the orthopedic or physical therapy teams regarding when to begin massage near the affected joint—often about six weeks after surgery. Until that time arrives, it's best to focus massage efforts away from the site.
Loosening of the Prosthetic
Over a longer time period, one or both prostheses may loosen their bond to bone. This loosening may (but will not always) cause pain and other problems, such as poor joint biomechanics, and necessitate further surgery. The risk of prosthetic loosening increases over time.
The risk for dislocation is greatest in the first few months after surgery while the tissues are healing. If the ball does come out of the socket, your doctor can perform a procedure (called a closed reduction) that can usually put it back into place without the need for more surgery.
Patients should scrupulously avoid hip movements such as bending far forward from a standing position, or internal rotation of the flexed hip. Operation-specific risk factors include suboptimal implant position, insufficient soft-tissue tension, and inadequate experience of the surgeon.
Hip replacement patients are given a long list of things not to do—do not bend the hips or knees further than 90 degrees, do not cross the legs, do not lift the leg to put on socks, and much more. These movement restrictions protect the new hip from dislocation.
You should not bend your hip beyond 60 to 90 degrees for the first six to 12 weeks after surgery. Do not cross your legs or ankles, either. It's best to avoid bending to pick things up during this period.
After a hip replacement many patients can kneel down after completing the precautionary period of three months. The safe way to do this is to perform a single-legged kneel whereby the patient kneels on the knee of the operated side only. This means that the other hip has to bend whilst the operated hip stays extended.
You can expect to experience some discomfort in the hip region itself, as well as groin pain and thigh pain. This is normal as your body adjusts to changes made to joints in that area. There can also be pain in the thigh and knee that is typically associated with a change in the length of your leg.
Try to sit in a straight back chair (avoid low sofas, recliners, or zero-gravity chairs) for the first 6 weeks.
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.
Almost all doctors agree that low impact sports are fine and should be encouraged after hip replacement. These are activities such as golf, swimming, bowling, pleasure horseback riding, stationery cycling, ballroom dancing, walking and low-impact aerobics.
It can take upto 6-8 weeks for the tissues to heal and hence the prolonged hip precautions before being able to tie shoe laces, bend down and pick up things, crossing the legs, sleeping on the side or even driving.
Total Hip Replacement Rehabilitation
If the prosthesis is not cemented into place, it is necessary to allow four to six weeks (for the femur bone to "grow into" the implant) before the hip joint is able to bear full weight and walking without crutches is possible.