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What does a hip prosthesis replace?
A prosthesis replaces the joint surfaces of the hip with artificial components. In a total prosthesis, one component is on the pelvic side and another on the femur side. The choice of intervention and implants depends on the assessment. This page mainly concerns a planned intervention, often for osteoarthritis; the course after a fracture is presented separately.
The operation aims to improve pain and function, but it does not guarantee a symptom-free hip or return to all activities. Your condition before the procedure, your other illnesses and daily difficulties matter. Ask what benefits are realistic for your priorities and what risks or limitations merit special discussion.
Understand the picture
A joint replaced, a function to be reconstructed
Pelvic side
A component replaces the surface of the socket.
Side of the femur
An artificial head is connected to a femoral component.
Around the joint
Muscles, balance and daily actions are part of recovery.
How to prepare your questions before the operation?
Describe what you want to find again: walking outside, sleeping more easily, working or taking care of your loved ones. Gather treatments already tried and possible health problems. The team should know your medications, but you should not stop or change them based on this guide alone.
Ask what is planned for pain relief, permitted weight bearing, walking aids and contact after discharge. Note any special precautions and how to change them. Information given to another person having hip surgery is not necessarily yours. A written and understood instruction is more useful than a list of general rules memorized on the internet.
Chapter sources [1]
What is physical preparation for?
Before the procedure, advice and exercises can help maintain abilities and prepare for returning home. The program takes current pain into account: it is not about successfully completing an intense workout to merit the operation. Learning to use support or get up can already be useful.
The physiotherapist can choose simple goals and check what you can do safely. Tolerated activity, appropriate strength work and explanations of what comes next facilitate preparation. Preoperative rehabilitation does not guarantee rapid recovery for everyone. Above all, it allows you to arrive with benchmarks, clarified questions and a coherent plan.
Chapter sources [1]
How to organize accommodation and the necessary assistance?
Think about movement between the bed, the toilet, the kitchen and the front door. Clear pathways and discuss difficult-to-use rugs, stairs, and seats. Prepare common objects at an accessible height. Technical aid should be chosen according to your needs, not purchased automatically because it appears on a list.
Plan how to obtain meals, groceries and transportation. If you live alone or have responsibilities for a loved one, report this before leaving. The team can assess necessary transfers and stairs. Returning home depends on safety and actual organization, not just the number of days since the operation.
What happens at the start of rehabilitation?
Mobilization generally begins early in the hospital when medical condition and surgical instructions allow. The team helps you get up, walk and perform certain movements with the appropriate support. The team explains the program to pursue and the signs that require contact. A short first walk is not an invitation to increase all the efforts alone.
Pain, fatigue and some swelling can influence the first few days. The rhythm is regulated with medical supervision. Before you go home, make sure you understand prescribed medications, wound care, appointments, and contact information if problems arise. Rehabilitation does not replace these elements of surgical follow-up.
Which complications require a rapid response?
Chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, feeling very unwell or loss of consciousness may signal an emergency: call 112 in Luxembourg. New pain and swelling in the calf or leg requires prompt medical attention. Do not massage them to try to make the symptom go away.
Contact the team promptly if there is a fever, drainage from the wound, increased redness, or unusually worsening pain. Sudden hip pain with inability to move or bear weight on the leg may correspond to another complication and requires urgent evaluation. Do not try to put the joint back into place yourself and do not wait for the next physiotherapy session.
In everyday life
Prepare for the first return home
Clarify
Keep the weight-bearing and exercise instructions and contact in case of problems.
Organize
Plan clear paths, practical help and transportation.
Follow
Compare what you can do and promptly report any unusual changes.
What precautions should be taken when moving?
Any restrictions depend on the surgical route, the procedure performed and your situation. Some teams give temporary limits for flexion and rotation combinations; others adapt the instructions differently. You must neither add permanent prohibitions not prescribed, nor remove precautions given by your surgeon.
Ask how to sit, sleep, dress, and enter a car according to your protocol. Also check when and how the rules will be reviewed. A general exercise from this library does not replace the postoperative program. If you do not understand an instruction, have it explained before testing the movement with a large range of movement.
How does physiotherapy support the return of function?
The program tracks allowed mobility, strength, gait, balance and tasks you need to regain. It takes into account fatigue and other joints. Some patients move forward with a well-explained independent program; others need more supervised support. The need is judged on the difficulties and objectives.
It is useful to agree on monitoring: what you do between sessions, how to increase effort and when to ask for help. Keeping a walking aid a little longer may be preferable to walking very unbalanced without support. The decision to reduce assistance is made based on safety and the quality of walking, not to respect the recovery date of a loved one.
Work, driving, sleep and sport: how to prepare for the recovery?
Returning depends on your abilities and the demands of the activity. Office work, standing and carrying loads do not raise the same questions. To drive, you must be able to control the vehicle and perform emergency braking safely, and medication must not impair your alertness; check team instructions and applicable rules.
Sleep may be disrupted at first. Find an authorized and comfortable position, and report worsening pain. Returning to sport is discussed according to the activity, the implant and the abilities. Walking more does not equate to being ready to run, jump or pivot quickly. Intimate activities can also be discussed to clarify appropriate positions and precautions.
Chapter sources [3]
How to recognize progress and when to see the team again?
Recovery can continue for several months and capacities do not all advance at the same pace. Pain may subside before strength or endurance returns. Concrete goals, like cooking a meal, climbing stairs or walking outside, help you track progress without comparing yourself to a single calendar.
If you make little progress, if your walking deteriorates or if you remain very limited, take stock with the team. A difficulty may require a rehabilitation adjustment, assistance, or medical evaluation. Signs of complications should never wait until an appointment scheduled several weeks later. Keep the post-operative contact number given to you handy.
Your questions
Should everyone avoid bending their hip more than 90 degrees?
No, the instructions are not universal. Some people receive special restrictions, others a different protocol. Follow the instructions from your own team and ask when they will be re-evaluated. Do not adopt a rule found for another intervention without verification.
Chapter sources [3]
Can I use the three exercises on the site immediately?
The post-prosthesis program must be chosen with the team who knows your operation and your permitted weight bearing. General page movements are not automatically appropriate. Their illustrations do not replace postoperative instructions.
Chapter sources [1]
When will I be able to walk without a cane?
It depends on your balance, walking, strength and the instructions you receive. Removing the aid too soon can make walking less safe. Ask for an assessment of progress rather than a universal date.
Chapter sources [3]
Is calf pain after surgery necessarily muscular?
No. New pain, especially with swelling, warmth, or difference between the legs, should be evaluated promptly. If it is accompanied by shortness of breath or chest pain, call 112. Do not replace this advice with massage or stretching.
Sources and references
- [1] NICE NG157 — Joint replacement
- [2] NICE NG226 — Osteoarthritis
- [3] NHS — Recovering from a hip replacement
- [4] NHS — Complications of a hip replacement
- [5] CGDIS Luxembourg — 112
Text updated on
Medical review: awaiting Hasib Selimovic.