While total hip replacement surgery is becoming more prevalent, each individual’s rehabilitation is unique. Recovery times vary based on the muscles and other soft tissues severed during surgery, the type of prosthetic hip you receive, and other considerations such as whether or not you have home support.
No matter what your health condition is, your medical care team will give you post-operative instructions that are made for you. These suggestions for what to do after surgery can help you figure out how to deal with pain, get physical therapy, and get back to normal everyday activities like driving.
Controlling hip pain with medications
Your physician will prescribe pain medication for your use. Keep in mind:
- You may suffer more discomfort after leaving the hospital or outpatient surgical center as the anesthetic progressively wears off (ASC). During this time, opioids or other pain medications prescribed by a physician may be necessary.
- You will notice that you require your prescription pain medication less frequently and/or in lower amounts as time passes.
- You will eventually require simply over-the-counter pain medications. This may occur between two and eight weeks after surgery. Individuals are unique.
- Eventually, the majority of people are also able to discontinue using over-the-counter pain medicines. This transition has a variable schedule.
- Without your hip surgeon or pharmacist’s approval, do not combine prescription pain drugs with other medications, including sleep aids.
- Consult your physician if you have a history of substance misuse and are worried about taking an opioid.
Participating in physical therapy
Before being released from the hospital or surgery center, all patients will have supervised physical therapy. Physical therapy may be performed following discharge:
In a rehabilitation center
- At a physical therapy center serving outpatients
- According to written instructions and pictures supplied by your surgeon or physical therapist, at home.
- Home-discharged patients are typically expected to engage in unsupervised physical therapy on their own. Expect to engage in multiple bouts of 20 to 30-minute-long workouts per day.
Returning to a daily routine
You may require assistance with duties such as making meals, cleaning, and doing the laundry if you are discharged from a hospital or surgical facility. Employ your spouse, a family member, a friend, or a paid helper.
- Fortunately, this time is typically brief. Approximately one or two weeks after surgery, you should be able to:
- Effortlessly navigate your home.
- Walk to your mailbox, around the block, or even further.
Prepare meals for yourself
You may be able to stand without a walking aid at the kitchen counter one to two weeks after surgery. Always follow your surgeon’s or physical therapist’s instructions.
Bathe regularly
To protect the surgical incision, some patients are first instructed to forego showering for a few days. (Depending on the type of bandage and other circumstances, showering guidelines can vary, so follow your surgeon’s advice.)
People who are released from rehabilitation institutions are often sent home within a week or two.
Driving after hip replacement surgery
Several variables affect the length of time required to resume driving:
- You must discontinue the use of any drugs that may induce sleepiness or impair your judgment, including opioids.
- You must have sufficient stamina and normal reflexes in order to drive.
- You may be recommended to wait at least one month before driving after right hip surgery. This precaution ensures that you have the strength and coordination in your right leg to operate a vehicle’s gas and brake pedals.
- If you have hip replacement surgery on your left hip and your vehicle has an automatic transmission, you may be ready to drive in as little as two weeks. Above all else, paying attention to your body and your physician’s instructions is advisable.
Dr. Mehra, the best hip replacement doctor in Chandigarh, we’re very proud of how we help people get healthier. If you have hip pain, call us today at 0172 262 3525 or get in touch with us online.