Bone, joint and muscle care
What to expect after hip replacement
Insights from Previous Patient Experiences
The first and most important thing to remember is: no two people heal at the same rate. Your recovery will be uniquely yours, and you can’t compare it to anyone else’s. Your progress will be measured by you, your surgeon and your physical therapist. However, many patients have common post-surgery experiences, and we think you might find their comments helpful.
Appetite and Weight
It’s normal to have some loss of appetite after surgery. You may not feel like eating as much, or as often, as you did before your hip replacement. This change in appetite may cause some unexpected weight loss, but this is normal. On a positive note, less weight means less stress on your joints.
Fatigue
In addition to any sleep issues, you may feel fatigued earlier in the day than you used to. This is normal—you’re working harder at everyday movement.
Medication
There is nothing wrong with taking your prescribed pain medication as needed. You will eventually—the sooner the better—stop needing the strongest pain meds and switch to over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen. Prescription pain relievers may cause constipation, so your doctor will tell you what you can take to help prevent it.
Pain
Hip replacement is serious surgery, and postoperative pain is both normal and expected. At first, your pain might impact your ability to exercise, walk and generally move the way you are accustomed to. Sitting, standing up again and using stairs might be challenging and frustrating. The pain will slowly diminish as you exercise and as your hip area heals, but it may take weeks. Remember: everyone recovers at their own rate.
Other Pain
As you start walking again, your back might hurt. Your good leg might hurt. This is because your body has gotten used to walking with a compensating gait that lessened your hip pain. Now your new hip, leg and foot are straight, and your gait is aligned. It will take time for your body to adjust to these changes and become accustomed to a new way of moving. This may take months, not days or weeks.
Physical Therapy (PT)
Physical therapy is absolutely essential to your recovery. You’ll start the same day as your surgery, and it will continue for several weeks, starting with either two weeks of visits at home or sessions at an outpatient PT facility. These sessions usually occur three times a week, and progress will be steady as long as you commit to the process.
Sleep
Sleeping through the night may be a problem for a couple of months. You may feel the need to get up, to use an ice pack for pain or walk to relieve stiffness. This may occur several times a night, particularly early on. Additionally, you may feel restless, as if there is no comfortable position for your leg. This will improve over time.
Swelling
Immediately after surgery, your hip will be swollen, and it will take time for that swelling to gradually disappear. Additionally, your hip will feel warm to the touch. This is normal, and like the swelling, it will take time to subside.
Walking Assistance
You will need to use a walker and then a cane to help you walk after your hip replacement. How soon you transition from the walker to the cane will depend on your balance, stability and strength as assessed by your physical therapist. While many patients hope to abandon the cane quickly, it is a helpful tool for both your balance and your comfort.
The Two Keys
The two most important things to focus on after hip replacement are strength and endurance.
- Strength will come from working with your physical therapists. They’ll create a personalized program for you where you’ll use weights and exercise equipment to strengthen your muscles through repetitive motion.
- Endurance is addressed through walking—and lots of it. The more, the better. Using your cane, even after you feel that you don’t need it anymore, will make longer walks easier. If you use it on the side opposite your new hip, it will take some weight off.