How To Recover From A Hip Replacement With Ease

After getting a hip replacement, many people go through a painful and difficult recovery and are often looking for the fastest way to recover and feel like themselves again.

However, if you are currently awaiting hip replacement surgery, and worried about how well you will recover…

Or if you have already had hip replacement surgery and you are struggling to regain your strength, mobility and get back on your feet…

You can learn about the most successful strategies our physical therapy team has used, to help our patients all over the tri-city area achieve the fastest recovery possible.

“What Should I Do Before Hip Replacement Surgery?”

There are two recommendations that can improve your recovery before you have your hip replacement surgery:

• Prepare your home, and get someone arranged to help after surgery

After a hip replacement, it is common to have discomfort, have limited mobility and feel very tired.

To make this time as easy as possible, rearrange your home so everything you will need is easily accessible by placing things at waist level, and within easy reach.

If possible, ask friends or family to help out with household chores like cleaning, cooking and shopping during your recovery to ensure you don’t do too much, too soon.

• Start "prehab" to gain strength before surgery 

You may be aware of the importance of physical therapy after surgery, and how much it can speed up recovery.

But "prehab" is equally as important and can make a huge difference to your recovery time.

Depending on your situation, certain exercises may be more beneficial than others, and therefore we would recommend arranging a free Discovery Visit with a member of the team to find out about how we could help you before your hip replacement surgery.

“Will I Be In Pain After Hip Replacement Surgery?”

It is VERY normal to experience discomfort after hip replacement surgery, and in the short term using medication to relieve pain may be required.

However, we understand that people are reluctant to rely too much on painkillers, due to the potential side effects.

That’s a big reason our post-hip replacement patients come to us, because we can offer natural, drug-free pain relief and speed up the recovery process.

“How Long Will Recovery Take?”

We understand that after surgery, you are desperate to get back to doing what you love – that’s probably one of the main reasons that you chose to have the surgery in the first place – and it can be a frustrating time when you are uncomfortable and unable to move freely.

Recovery times do vary from person to person, based on a large number of factors, such as age, general fitness and the activities you do.

Thankfully, there are things that you can do to give yourself the best chance of recovering from hip replacement surgery as fast as possible, and regain your independence, interests and hobbies.

“What Is The Fastest Way To Recover From Hip Replacement Surgery?”

To maximize the speed of your recovery, physical therapy is recommended and extremely beneficial.

Our team is able to spend time with you tailoring a personalized exercise plan that will get you back to doing the things you love as soon as possible.

A common concern for people post-surgery is doing exercises alone and the fear of doing them wrong.

As a result, people tend to avoid their exercises, and don’t move often enough which delays recovery and makes the pain last much longer.

Alongside exercises, and hands on treatment, our team can guide you towards walking without the need for a walker, or crutches. 

The next step would be moving onto light exercise such as swimming and progressively increasing your walking.

The most important part of this is monitoring your progress carefully, and our team is able to give you guidance on when it’s safe for you to take things to the next level of movement – which is a very difficult and confusing thing for you to determine on your own.

After your hip replacement surgery you Doctor may suggest physical therapy but some Doctors do not. Make sure to bring up physical therapy to your Doctor or arrange your free physical therapy consultation and talk to one of our physical therapists about how you can arrange physical therapy yourself after surgery. You can schedule your consultation by filling out a short form, or if you prefer to talk over the telephone, you can call us on 989-573-8588.