Hip Replacement (THR): Precautions and Exercises for the First 6 Weeks

A total hip replacement (THR) relieves pain dramatically, but for the first weeks the new joint needs protection while the tissues around it heal. Your surgeon will tell you which precautions apply to you, as they vary with the surgical approach.

Common precautions

• Do not bend the hip beyond 90°: avoid low chairs, low cots and squatting.
• Do not cross your legs when sitting or lying down.
• Do not twist on the operated leg, but turn with small steps.
• Sleep on your back, or on your side with a pillow between your knees if allowed.

Set up the home before discharge

• A raised toilet seat or commode chair (Indian-style toilets are not safe early on)
• A firm chair with armrests
• Raise the cot height if it is very low
• Clear walking paths and remove loose mats
• A long-handled reacher for picking things off the floor

Early exercises

1. Ankle pumps, 20 times every hour
2. Buttock squeezes, 10 times
3. Heel slides, bending only within the safe range, 10 times
4. Lying on your back, slide the leg out to the side and back, 10 times
5. Standing at the counter, lift the leg out to the side, 10 times

Walking

You will start with a walker and progress to a stick, usually over 4–6 weeks. A physiotherapist checks your walking pattern so you do not develop a limp that becomes a habit.

Seek help urgently if you have

• Sudden severe hip pain, a "clunk", or the leg looks shorter or turned
• Fever, wound discharge, calf swelling or breathlessness