It is quite common to feel fatigued after surgery, regardless of whether it was a minor or major procedure. This is because your body expends a lot of energy afterward trying to heal. There is an immune response that kicks in, which can be physically draining as well.
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. This fatigue will slowly resolve over the course of the first 6 weeks following surgery.
We conclude that fatigue after hip arthroplasty was not predicted by physiological variables but was largely predicted by preoperative levels of fatigue. Implications: Fatigue is common after major surgery and delays recovery. It is usually attributed to the physiological response to 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.
Postoperative pain is common after surgery and can cause fatigue through its effects on sleep and mood.
How long does post-surgical fatigue last? There is no set time limit on how long post-surgical fatigue lasts. This is because different procedures have varying effects on your body. The more intensive the surgical procedure is, the longer your recovery time will be, including the exhaustion you're feeling.
Tiredness, exhaustion, or severe and prolonged fatigue are common after surgery – even minor surgery. This is, in part, due to the effects of anesthesia, which often wear off more slowly in older people.
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.
The second complication we try to avoid is loosening of the implants. This can happen when patients do too much walking and stress the implants prior to the ingrowth process. Generally, I advise patients to walk only a few hundred yards a day total until they get to around six weeks.
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.
Surgery is an ordeal, so take it easy. Rest when you are tired, eat well and get as much gentle exercise (such as walking or swimming as directed by us or your physician) as possible. Physical activity helps combat fatigue. The latter is an essential part of successful postsurgical rehabilitation.
Muscle fatigue was defined as the inability to successfully repeat a specific task (Williams and Ratel, 2009). In the current study, hip muscle fatigue was considered as the inability to perform more than one active hip flexion, lying supine.
After surgery, your body undergoes repair and recovery, which drives a higher baseline metabolic rate and draws on your nutrient stores. So it isn't surprising such intense activity at a cellular level results in feeling tired after surgery.
Conclusions. Important levels of fatigue are common in knee and hip OA patients. After evidence-based tailored conservative treatment targeted to improve pain and physical function, a small decrease in fatigue levels was found.
If you bend over too far at the waist, your hip can pop out of its socket. The same thing can happen if you lift your knees higher than your hip.
Repetitive motions and high-impact activities can damage an implant over time. These types of activities include running, heavy weightlifting, jumping, and more. You may need to avoid sports, such as soccer, cross-country running, racquetball, or basketball, which involve these repetitive motions.
Try to sit in a straight back chair (avoid low sofas, recliners, or zero-gravity chairs) for the first 6 weeks.
Best Sleeping Positions After Total Hip Replacement
The best position to sleep in after total hip replacement is on your back with a pillow between your legs. You can also sleep on your non-operative side with two pillows lined between your legs.
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.
Do You Need More Sleep When You Are Recovering from Injury? Yes, growth hormones need to be released in greater amounts when our body is healing from an injury. These hormones are released during the 'deep sleep' phase of your sleep cycle, which recurs approximately every 90 minutes.
Sleep is very important
The importance of rest after surgery is stressed by doctors because your body is going to do a lot of healing while sleeping. After all, your body does the majority of its healing while you're asleep. It's important that you're able to take a nap whenever you need to.
When you are in the recovery process following an accident or a major surgery, your body is working hard to heal. If you're not getting enough sleep, your immune system may become compromised and have trouble fighting common infections. And that's the last thing you need while you're healing.