After your Total hip Replacement  our physiotherapists and the staff of the Post-operative rehabilitation unit will assist you and supervise you excercise program to recover muscle and joint function to assist your return to the activities that you enjoy.

Once the physical therapist has completed an examination, you will commence on our standard post-operative hip rehabilitation pathway.  This is a standardised rehabilitation program to facilitate a consistent and successful recovery from your operation. Of course it allows for indiviual differences between patients, abilities and general health, and the nature of your hip disease and type of hip operation required. Our physiotherapists are specialists in Orthopaedic rehabilitation, and will monitor your progress carefully ,and adjust your program along the pathway  according to your ability. Any concerns are always discussed with your treating surgeon.

Physiotherapy in hospital after your Total Hip Replacement 

An important factor in your post operative recovery will be good control of pain and discomfort immediately after your operatiopn. A complex but effective regime of medication is used to minimise your post-operative discomfort and nausea, so enabling you to feel better quicker, return to normal eating and drinking and feel ready to tackle the next steps in your recovery. Your drain tube and intra-venous fluid line are removed the day after operation. Our physiotherapist will visit to begin post operative breathing excercises and simple hip and leg excercises to commence your rehabilitation. You will be made aware of certain post-operative precautions, advising care with movements and positioning of your leg to ensure you do not inadvertantly dislocate your new hip joint before the ligaments heal properly to stabilise the hip joint. Routine blood checks are done the day after operation.

The first steps with your new hip

You will probably be pleasantly surprised that the hip joint is not as sore as you expected. The tablets help to do this, and allow our physiotherapists to begin teaching you to use your new hip to walk again. You will have a program of excercises for the hip muscles to do on a smooth board in your bed. You may need some help initially from the nurse for this when the physiotherapist has left. When you are progressing satisfactorily, you will be helped out of bed to begin walking with a frame. This may be the second or third day after your operation, and you will also be able now to shower and use the lavatory:- always a most welcome post operative milestone!

By the third or fourth day after your operation, you will be taught how to use crutches to walk around the ward, you will be able to sit out in the ward in a special post-operative hip chair, and will start to see some real progress occurring with your rehabilitation. It may take five or more days until you regain improving independence, and find you can get in and out of bed yourself, with minimal or no help, take yourself to the lavatory, and go for walks on your crutches unsupervised and independently. Your analgesic tablets will be reduced now. When you reach this level of mobility, a decision can be made on your hospital discharge, either to a rehabilitation unit or directly home. This decision will depend on a number of factors, apart from your progress. Also considered are your age, your fitness, your home support situation, and your own and your family's wishes.

 Further Rehabilitation after discharge from hospital

The next five or six weeks will involve increasing activity to restore hip function, mobility and personal independence. A physiotherapist will teach graduated increasing excercise to build up strength, hip mobility, improved gait, and better physical endurance. You will be able to take walks down the street, and perhaps around the block as your function improves. Yo may be able to travel in a car by four weeks, but will need to be guided by your surgeon's advice before doing this. In the rehabilitation unit you may also start using facilities of the gymnasium, and excercising in a hydrotherapy or swimming pool. This is an exciting time as you find pleasure with improving function, ability, and relief of your pre-operative hip pain.

Your post operative visit to the surgeon

You will have an appointment to see your surgeon approximately six weeks after your operation.  At this time your progress is re-assessed,  the need for post operative precautions has usually passed, and you can return to most normal daily activities. You will probably require a stick when outdoors for the next six weeks, and some care with activity and movements, but will otherwise be able to cope with most daily activities well. You will be able to go out to shops, and begin driving now. Your surgeon will also review your rehabilitation excercise program now. You may still have some mild soreness, and need to take mild analgesic(pain relieving) tablets. This is not unususal and you should not be concerned unless the pain is severe, in which case you must contact your surgeon promptly.

Further Follow up of your New Total Hip Replacement

In general, your surgeon will arrange to see you for appointments six weeks, three months and one year from your operation. At your three month apponintment you will be able to complete your rehabilitation, unless there are any difficulties occurring, and an X-Ray may be taken to check that your replacement has incorporated satisfactorily. At your one year  follow up, progress is recorded, any difficulties you might experience are discussed, and an X-Ray of your joint is checked.

Because unexpected problems can occur with any artificial device (and a Total Hip Replacement is no exception), you should contact your surgeon, via your local doctor if you develop any unexpected symptoms with your hip at any time in the future. You will also be recalled for a routine check up on your hip replacement in the future, because problems may develop slowly without causing symptoms, if the joint bearing surface starts to wear out, and this may be evident with an examination and routine X-Ray. The usual follow up recall will be about six years and ten years from operation. After that the reviews may be more frequent, depending if there is any sign of deterioration.  It is important for younger patients to be reviewed, older patients are less likely to develop wear complications, so most patients will not be recalled after turning eighty years old, unless there are incipient signs of hip problems.