What are 6 Practical Tips for a Successful Hip Replacement Recovery?
A hip replacement can be a potentially life-changing operation, despite being a common one. If you are someone that is considering hip surgery, it’s vital that you understand the ways in which you can support yourself after the operation. Here we have listed some practical tips to help you in your recovery!
Preparing your home
Before going into surgery, ask family and friends to help you rearrange your house so that you have easier access to everything you might need. Reorganise your bathroom and kitchen area so that important things are at your waist-level and within very easy reach, including your daily essentials like coffee and tea, or face flannel and soap.
You’ll also want to use walking aids around the house that will make your transition back into the home a lot easier. Make sure you have already thought about this beforehand!
Planning
How long you take it off will largely depend on how you feel, so it’s important to allow yourself a considerable amount of time to recover as fully as possible before you return to your regular job. Up to three months can be expected for proper rehabilitation following an operation, and this can be even longer if you have a job that is physically demanding.
Again, this planning can be carried out before your operation to give you peace of mind!
Balancing recovery and rest with exercise
While it might be important to rest post-surgery to give yourself time to recover, it’s equally as important to get yourself moving. If you stay still for a prolonged period of time, you can eventually become stiff, and this could hinder potential recovery time even more. Gentle exercise, such as a short, gentle walk, can be incredibly beneficial.
Nutrition
A balanced, healthy diet is also key for recovery. Healthy drinking and eating are important for your overall health anyway, but after surgery the body is in the process of healing. A varied, healthy diet plays a vital role in the healing process. This is one that contains all the most important nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
Sleeping
A comfortable bed and solid sleeping habits will help support you in your recovery. Additionally, having sex is not advised over the course of those first six weeks of recovery. Remember to also consider your hip position in order to avoid any muscular strain, dislocation or injury to the hip.
Travelling
Flying – Avoid flying for the first six weeks post-surgery. After this period of time, you can take short-haul flights, but should not use long-haul flights for three months. This is because sitting still for prolonged periods of time can increase your risk of developing blood clots in your legs.
Driving – If you already drive, check with your insurance company first about whether your policy actually covers driving following surgery. You could find that you’re not insured for a given number of weeks. You can typically return to driving after about six weeks, though it’s also true that if your hip operation is on your left-hand side you can start driving an automatic car within a week. Avoid driving for about six to eight weeks post-surgery if it is your right hip that is giving you trouble.
Day’s Mobility
At Day’s Mobility we have a number of excellently made products that can help you in the event of hip replacement surgery. From walking aids, to scooters, stairlifts, and wheelchairs, we have any product that you might require for potential mobility issues! You'll struggle to walk post-surgery and these could be massively helpful for you. If you want to find out more about our products and who we are, click here.