Your experience of hip replacement - posterior, anterior, lateral anterior

Hi @KC1

I will be 9 weeks post total hip replacement (right side) on Monday.

I had an Epidural at 16:15 and was back in my room by 17.30, eating dinner at 18.30. I had a combination of ceramic, metal and plastic inserted into a 13" wound running down the side of my leg. A catheter, drain and drip had been put in.

I was up fairly early after breakfast the next day with the physio moving me about and after the drain drip and catheter were removed I walked to the toilet with help. I went to the toilet unaided later in the day and got told off but hey, the nurses were busy. Lots of exercises , lots of moving about using two walking sticks, crutches only when pain levels were too high.

After doing the stairs with the physio the next day I went home.

Surgical stockings for 8 weeks and blood thinners for 4 weeks. I couldn't use our shower as it's over the bath and used the old fashioned strip wash method with wet wipes wrapped around the back brush for anything below hip level.

I was discharged by my surgeon after 6 weeks as he was thrilled with my progress. I do have another physio appointment on Monday which I don't think I really need but booked it for reassurance.

I am mobile with no sticks walking around the house and can do most things myself. I use one stick outside for my own reassurance as if I do too much walking my hip tells me off.

I use nordic walking poles for walking around the countryside.

I didn't need any special equipment at home that we hadn't already installed including a second stair rail, grab handles at the bath, small steps on the steps at front and back door, litter picker type grabber, folding dressing stick and long handled shoe horns.

Would I do it all again, yes.

Do your exercises, try to keep a positive mental attitude - it's easy to sit in a chair thinking you don't want to move because it hurts so you stay there. You need to move, the pain will slowly eases. Please feel free to ask anything you're worried about.

Good Luck!

Trish xx

Hi Karen

Yes, I was warned about dislocation. You will soon know if you move the wrong way and learn not to! I've only done that a couple of times - turning over in bed, getting in/out of bed (some people use something to lift their leg when getting out of bed but I was taught to do it unaided in hospital and within 24 hours of being home I'd mastered it), twisting/bending more than 90 degrees/sideways will also give you a signal not to do it.

I think gardening will be trial and error for a while but not something you will be able to continue when you come out for a while. Being 9 weeks I can get onto the floor in an awkward style and get up off the floor in an even more awkward style but I didn't try to do it until i was 7 weeks.

I can stand in the garden and play catch with the grandchildren but can't run or jump with them. It's just trial and error - if it hurts, don't do it as much/at all.

Try not to worry about dislocation - just as likely to happen slipping on ice in winter but then again a normal person would be likely to dislocate as well. Take turning/twisting slowly and if it hurts, stop. Wouldn't do any bungee jumping, parachuting or trampolining either 😂

love n hugs

Trish xx

Hi @KC1 I agree with all Trish says. I had my left THR last December. I live alone and coped with just minimal visits from family for the first few days. I was home after two nights but could have been home earlier - I chose to stay in and be looked after until I felt more confident. The first two weeks were the worst, but really not bad at all. My biggest problem was trying to sleep at night. Lying on my back was difficult but I could sleep in a chair downstairs more easily.

Getting about, up stairs and down again, getting dressed, getting washed all took time but now I'm back to normal, or really even better as I hadn't realised how much pain I'd been in. My hip is now part steel and part plastic, my scar is completely healed, although one end of it took a few weeks. My scar is towards the back and I can't really see it - around six inches long.

Before my surgery my two year old granddaughter used to use my stick and pretend to be an old lady - now I can roll around on the floor with her. My Fitbit tells me I am averaging over 11,000 steps a day with no problem - last week I topped 20,000 on one day. It is essential to do your exercises. My physio told me after six months I would feel back to normal but actually I would continue to improve for 12 to 18 months if I exercised properly. I did have some problems bending and walking without a limp initially but I was given different exercises and now I have sorted those problems out.

My physio told me after two weeks that I was no more likely to dislocate my new hip than my old one. I did feel very fragile at first and walked cautiously but now I rarely think about it and am much, much more steady on my feet. More so than in years I think.

I can do most things, although I have now developed carpal tunnel syndrome apparently from leaning too heavily on my walking stick pre-op. So I can't dig in the garden or do anything too heavy but everything else is back to normal.

Happy to answer any questions if you have any, but I would definitely do it all again, and much earlier!