Going for a hip replacement surgery is a decision that entails a lot of forethought and preparation. As with any major decision, you cannot rush into considering a hip replacement surgery without doing your due diligence: learning about its success rate, potential risks, what the recovery looks like, among others. While there are a number of variables that may affect your recovery after a hip replacement, having a general idea of what to expect with your recovery can help you adequately prepare for it and handle the associated discomforts with relative ease.
Recovering at the Hospital
Immediately after the procedure, you’ll have to stay in a recovery room for a few hours. During this time, the doctor will monitor your pulse and blood pressure, comfort level, and alertness.
Your doctor will start giving you pain medication, and possibly, a prescription for blood thinner, which is aimed at reducing your risk of a blood clot since you won’t be as active immediately following your surgery.
A hip replacement surgery can be done on an outpatient basis; you can go home the same day, as long as there are no complications.
Incision Healing Time
The healing time of minimally hip replacement surgery is remarkably shorter compared to that of a traditional hip replacement. In a minimally invasive hip replacement, the incision takes approximately six weeks to heal.
To ensure proper wound healing and reduce your risk of infection, bathing and swimming should be put off until your wound has fully healed.
Recovering at Home
At first, doing your usual functional activities, such as cleaning, cooking, and bathing, may take some getting used to. You will need to have someone (a family member or a friend) to help you accident-proof your home and stay with you the first few days after your surgery to ensure you’ll be able to perform your daily activities safely.
If you don’t have any support system, you may have to stay at a rehabilitation facility and get supervised by a physical therapist until you regain your full physical ability to carry out your daily tasks on your own.
Once you get home, you will have to make sure you continue doing the exercises your physical therapist recommended that you do. While seemingly painful and inconvenient, exercises are meant to help you regain your muscle strength and flexibility, and hip range of motion, so you can get back to your usual routine quickly and safely.
If necessary, your healthcare team may arrange for a home health aide or physical therapist to come to your home from time to time to assist you with your recovery and/or to check on your progress.
Resuming Normal Activities
If you have a desk job, which involves less physical activity, you can usually go back to work about two weeks after your procedure. However, if your job is physically demanding, you may need to take off for six weeks.
If you had surgery on your left hip, you may be able to drive in one or two weeks. On the other hand, if the surgery was on your right hip, it could take up to a month for you to be able to drive.
You can resume low-intensity sports, such as golf, as soon as you feel comfortable, but you may need to wait up to six weeks before you can resume high-intensity ones.
World-Class Surgery Center in Naples, FL
At the North Naples Surgery Center, we take pride in our highly qualified, caring staff and state-of-the-art medical equipment, which are among the essential components of a highly successful surgical outcome.
To learn more about our facility, contact the North Naples Surgery Center, serving Naples and the nearby Florida region, by calling 239-591-2803 today. We look forward to serving you!
