THR ( HIP REPLACEMENT ) - PRIMARY & REVISION

TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY - RULES TO BE FOLLOWED AT HOME

If you have any questions or concerns, please ask UR doctor.

Activity

The total recovery time after a total hip replacement varies from person to person. For most people, recovery is a six to eight week.

Surgery can cause you to feel weak and tired.

Common sense will tell you when you are doing too much. On the other hand, too little activity can delay the return of your strength and stamina.

Follow these guidelines to help keep your recovery process on track.

Follow the home exercise program your therapist (PT) has shown you. This includes the instructions for weight bearing.

The correct use of your crutches or walker will prevent injury to your hip. You may need to use a cane until you can walk without a limp. By six to eight weeks most patients no longer need to use a cane, walker, or crutches.

Walking is good for you. Set a time to walk, at least twice each day. Let pain be your guide. As you get stronger, increase the distance you walk each day.

Keep doing your exercises 3 times a day for 3 months. Then switch to a maintenance program doing the same exercises 3 times a week for at least one year.

Hip Dislocation Precautions

Do not cross your legs at any time.

Do not bend your hip more than 90° at any time. Your knee should never be higher than your hip.

Do not let your hip turn inward.

To prevent falls, use caution when getting up too quickly after eating, lying down, resting, or using the toilet.

Sitting

It is fine for you to sit in a comfortable chair as long as your knees stay lower than your hips and your legs are not crossed. You may wish to use chairs with side arms or a pillow on the seat . Avoid sitting for long periods of time.

Sleeping

You may be given a wedge-shaped pillow to place between your legs for six weeks while sleeping. This helps prevent crossing your legs.

If you are not given a wedge shaped pillow, please place two pillows between your legs while sleeping.

By six weeks, you may be able to sleep with just one pillow between your legs.

Lifting

Extra weight increases the force on your new hip.

You should not gain or lift over 30 pounds.

Housework

You may do light housekeeping.

Remember to maintain your hip dislocation precautions.

Sexual Activity

When you are ready, you may resume having sex. You must maintain hip dislocation precautions.

Choose positions that do not cause you to sit with your knees raised higher than your hips.

Do not let your knees touch each other. Do not allow your foot and leg to roll inward.

Bathing

Sponge bathe for two weeks after surgery to avoid getting the incision wet. Your incision may be closed with staples or sutures. If you have staples, your doctor will decide when you may shower. In most cases, this is 24 to 48 hours after your staples are removed.

Care of Your Incision

Proper care of your incision helps to prevent infection.

Keep your incision clean and dry.

Change your dressing every other day and as needed. You may leave it open to air when the incision is dry.

Do not wash directly on the incision. Wash around the incision gently with soap and water and then let it air dry.

Do not use any creams, lotions, ointments, or alcohol near or on the incision.

Check the incision daily to be sure it is clean and dry and check it for redness, swelling and drainage.

Some redness and swelling is normal.

A small amount of clear or slightly blood tinged drainage from your incision is normal.

Check for Signs and Symptoms of Infection

A persistent fever of 100.5ºF or 38.1° C for 24 hours.

Increase in swelling.

Increase in redness around the site.

Increase in drainage from site.

A mild fever is common following joint replacement surgery. A fever does not always mean infection. The fever should slowly decrease in time.

Ice Therapy Method

Ice the incision area for 20 minutes as often as needed. Do not put the ice directly on the skin. Use a ready-made ice pack or put ice in a plastic bag and wrap in a towel before you use it.

Swelling

As you become more active, you may notice some swelling in your leg or foot. There are some things you can do to prevent or decrease this swelling.

Raise your legs between periods of walking. Lie flat on your back and raise the operative leg above the level of your heart. Maintain hip dislocation precautions.

Keep doing your ankle pumps and quad sets.

If swelling occurs after you exercise, use the ice therapy method to the site.

Pain Management

You may need to use pain medicine at home.

In most cases you should not take Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAIDS) medicines (i.e., ibuprofen- for 6 weeks after your surgery. Ask your doctor when it's okay. Do not take aspirin unless prescribed by your doctor.

If you aren't sure about a medicine, please call the dr

Some patients find pain relief from methods other than pain medicine.

These include:

Ice therapy.

Constipation

Many things can cause constipation. They include: surgery, narcotic pain medicine, decreased activity level, and a change in your diet.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT or blood clot)

Patients who have total joint replacement are at a greater risk of getting a deep vein thrombosis or blood clot. Symptoms of a dangerous blood clot include: severe leg swelling.pain, redness and/or tenderness in calf.

A blood clot in your leg can break off and travel to your lungs. This is called a pulmonary embolism. Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include: shortness of breath.

Chest pain when you inhale.

If you have any of these symptoms, call your doctor.

Blood Clot Prevention

To decrease the risk of a blood clot, you may be taking medicine to thin the blood for 2 to 4 weeks after surgery. Your doctor will decide how long you will need to take it.

Elastic Stockings (TED stocking)

To improve blood flow and decrease the risk of getting a blood clot, you will need to wear elastic stockings. You should wear them on the operative side during the day for 6 weeks. You should remove them 2 times each day for one hour at a time. You don't have to wear them at night. But you may do so if you wish. Please wear them until your doctor tells you to stop wearing them. You should wash your elastic stockings with soap and water. Let air dry.

Driving and Travel

You may travel over two hours 6 to 8 weeks after your surgery. Stretching every hour will decrease stiffness as you travel.

Metal joint implants may trigger metal detectors in airports. You can get a joint replacement card at your clinic visit-It will simply provide information to airport security.

Future Medical or Dental Treatment

Do not have routine dental work done for 3 months after your joint replacement.

You should check with your orthopedic doctor before dental visits or other surgery. It is likely you will need to take a dose of antibiotics before your dentist appointment or other surgery to protect your hip joint from infection.

Always tell your doctor or dentist before you go in for treatment for:

Dental care (includes routine cleaning).

Major or minor surgery.

Colonoscopy, endoscopy.

When to Call the Doctor - after surgery

If you have an infection in other places like your bladder, throat, or lungs, etc, these infections can "travel" to the hip and cause problems.

Increased tingling or numbness in your leg or foot.

Increased pain, swelling, or redness in or around your incision site.

An increase in the amount of drainage, change in the color of drainage, or any odor from your incision. Be ready to describe what the drainage looks like, how it smells, and how much there is.

Anew blister(s) near or on the incision.

A temperature above 100.5ºF or 38.1° C for 24 hours.

Sudden increase in pain or pain not relieved by medicine.

A sudden "popping" feeling in your hip.

You cannot move your hip.

Severe leg swelling, pain, redness and/or tenderness in either calf.

Shortness of breath or chest pain when you inhale.

A new chest pain or a new problem with breathing.