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HomeSummaryReview of the conditionConsidering surgeryPreparing for surgeryAbout the procedureRecovering from surgeryRehabilitationPhysical therapy Rehabilitation options Can rehabilitation be done at home?Usual response Risks Duration of rehabilitation Returning to ordinary daily activities Long-term patient limitations Costs Conclusion

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Minimally-Invasive Total Hip Replacement Surgery

Last updated Friday, August 10, 2007

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Rehabilitation

Physical therapy

Physical therapy sometimes is needed following hip replacement surgery. Patients will be instructed on appropriate weight bearing and range of motion movements. Some patients may wish to perform stretching and strengthening exercises.

Rehabilitation options

Supervised rehabilitation is needed for the first one to two weeks following hip replacement surgery. Some rehabilitation can be done at home as well.

Can rehabilitation be done at home?

Yes, after hip replacement surgery, some exercises to regain mobility can be performed at home if needed.

Usual response

After hip replacement surgery and adequate rehabilitation, patients usually experience decreased stiffness and improved mobility if they perform the prescribed stretching and strengthening exercises and range of motion movements.

Recovery from hip replacement surgery varies. It usually takes a total of four weeks recovery for those having minimally–invasive surgery and a total of 8 weeks for those having the traditional operation.

Risks

Following hip replacement surgery, the potential risks with rehabilitation are:

Doing too much exercise or range of motion movements, thus causing pain and muscle soreness
Not targeting the appropriate muscles, thus potentially causing persistent weakness and a delay in full recovery
Failing to avoid vulnerable positions of the hip and leg, which could cause a risk of hip dislocation.

Duration of rehabilitation

Rehabilitation should be continued as long as necessary. This is usually about four to five weeks.

Returning to ordinary daily activities

When a patient may return to daily activities following hip replacement surgery depends on the procedure he or she underwent. Patients will be able to walk within one to two weeks of surgery. It will likely be four to six weeks for those who had minimally-invasive surgery and eight weeks for those who had the traditional operation before a patient may return to normal, pre-surgery activities.

Long-term patient limitations

After hip replacement surgery, patients may for the most part, return to most activities, including athletic activities. The only limitation is that they cannot bend their knee up to their chest as this could dislocate the hip joint.

Costs

The patient’s insurance company can provide a reasonable estimate of:

The rehabilitation cost and
The degree to which these should be covered by the patient’s insurance.

Surgery for Minimally-Invasive Total Hip Replacement Surgery - degenerative joint disease at the University of Washington

If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-598-4288 (outside the Seattle area: 800-440-3280) to make an appointment.

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