Taking care of your new hip joint

After you have hip replacement surgery, you will need to be careful how you move your hip, especially for the first few months after surgery. In time, you should be able to return to your previous level of activity. But, even when you do your everyday activities, you will need to move carefully so that you do not dislocate your hip.

You will need to learn exercises to make your new hip stronger.

After you fully recover from surgery, you should not downhill ski or do contact sports, such as football and soccer. You should be able to do low impact activities, such as hiking, gardening, swimming, playing tennis, and golfing.

Some general rules for any activity you do are:

When you are getting dressed:

When you are sitting:

When you are bathing or showering:

When you are using stairs:

When you are lying in bed:

When you are getting into or riding in a car:

Do not drive until your health care provider says it is OK. The waiting period before you can drive will vary depending on whether your right or left hip was replaced.

When you are walking:

Harkess JW, Crockarell JR. Arthroplasty of the hip. In: Azar FM, Beaty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 3.

Rizzo TD Jr. Total hip replacement. In: Frontera WR, Silver JK, Rizzo TD Jr, eds. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 61.



Review Date: 12/12/2022
Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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