While hip replacement surgery is quite a common procedure, it is still life-changing. Recovering from a procedure like this depends from person to person, and how well they follow the instructions from the doctor. However, in order to increase the success of recovering from a hip replacement and improving your quality of life with it, here are a couple of tips.
Preparing your home in advance is essential
If you already know that you are going to get a hip replacement, then you should immediately consider preparing your home to fit your needs after the procedure. Considering that you will have your hip replaced, you should not move things around the house, so it is best to ask your friends and family to move things around.
Putting essentials to easy-to-reach places is quite important, as you will not be able to climb anything for quite a while. Another thing that you should do is find someone to take care of the chores such as cleaning around the house, cooking, and shopping for the first two weeks after the surgery.
Organize your home and take time off work
Take some time off work
How long you should take time off work usually depends on how fast you go through recovery, but it is important that you take enough time off in order for the hip replacement surgery to be a success. You do not want to do anything that will stress your new hip right away, and rehabilitation usually takes up to three months. So if your work is physically demanding, take a longer break than a few weeks.
Once you start going to work, you should consider how you get there. If you are used to riding a bike or driving a car, you should consider a different way of getting there. If your work is not close, you should avoid it for some time, as it will ruin the recovery.
The balance between rest and exercise is important
Something that every orthopaedic doctor is going to tell you, is that you should find the perfect balance between having a good rest and a gentle exercise while you are recovering from a hip replacement surgery. While being in bed or just sitting all day may be comfortable at first, it is not the best way to approach recovery.
Make sure that you get at least some exercise every now and then, such as going for a small walk, and doing certain exercises that you are told by your doctor. Of course, do not overdo on the exercises, as these too can have a negative impact on your new hip.
Nutrition plays a big role in recovery
Keeping a healthy nutrition is one of the most important things to recovery. Just like you would have to keep your nutrition full of healthy drinks and meals while you have a viral infection, it is just important to have it after a hip replacement surgery. While you should avoid gaining weight by eating too much fats, losing weight is highly unadvised after hip replacement surgery as well.
Think how you sleep
If you happen to have a habit of sleeping on a certain side, you might have to change that, as you do not want your new hip joint to bear the weight. It is also important to have a comfortable bed that can support you properly. Obviously, intercourse is something that you should completely avoid for at least six weeks after you get a hip replacement, and once you feel ready, take things slowly.
Avoid flying to holidays
Even if resting and going on a holiday usually goes hand in hand, when it comes to recovering and resting during after a hip replacement surgery, that is not the case. You should avoid flying by plane for at least six weeks after surgery, and after that for at least three months, avoid longer flights or drives. The main reason is because long sitting periods can cause deep vein thrombosis in your legs.
Golf is one of the best hobbies to take as your recover from a hip replacement surgery
Slowly return to hobbies
As you notice that your hip is getting better, and that the recovery is going smoothly, you can slowly turn those gentle exercises you were doing back into your hobbies. Of course, once you return to your hobby, you should not go all out right away, and if you do not have any hobbies, here are a couple of good ones that you might want to get into:
- Golf
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Running
Final word
We know that getting through hip replacement surgery is not easy, and that recovering from it requires a lot of discipline. However, if you put your mind to it, the time required for your hip to recover will pass much faster, and before you know it, you will feel fantastic.