Important Things To Consider Before Getting A Total Hip Replacement

Living With A Hip Replacement

After their initial recovery period, an individual should continue to practice healthy lifestyle choices, such as sticking to an exercise routine that helps to keep the hip muscles strong and flexible. Doctors often recommend low impact aerobic activities such as swimming, cycling, or walking. Even if the surgery is a success and recovery goes smoothly, a replacement hip is generally less flexible than a healthy, natural hip, of course. Although hip replacement surgery improves the patient’s quality of life, such as they are pain-free and are able to easily put on socks and shoes, some patients may still need a reaching tool to help them complete this simple task.

Other activities might even cause stress to the hip, such as sitting cross-legged on the floor, and a patient may not be able to comfortably do this again. Despite these few limitations, most individual’s expectations are met when it comes to living with their new hip. One research study discovered that more than eighty-seven percent of the expectations set by patients were met post-surgery. A staggering ninety percent of patients reported that their expectations were completely met when it came to eliminating medications, improving their ability to walk and move, improving their ability to work and participate in recreational activities, as well as relieving nighttime pain and inflammation.