If you are a candidate for hip replacement surgery you should be equally concerned about the recovery phase at home after the surgery. Many patients these days opt to recover at home. In such cases, it is important to suitably make adequate preparations at home before heading out for hip surgery. This will make the recovery process smooth and safe.
Home Safety After Hip Surgery
It is important to consider making modifications that will reduce the risk of falls and injuries. It is important to place all the items of daily use at arm’s length and keep them on a raised position from the ground. Read on further for more hip replacement surgery recovery tips.
Precautions
Following a hip replacement surgery, you should follow the doctor’s instructions as far body movements are concerned. You should not bend your shoulders to a level lower than your hips (over 90 degrees). Your knees should not be bent above the level of your hips either. These positions cause a lot of pressure on the hip implants newly introduced.
Recovery Timeline
Time for recovery after the hip replacement surgery varies by the person. However, any patient that has undergone surgery cannot hope to walk around the house without a walker in less than 4 to 6 weeks’ of time. You may be able to start driving after a month. You can start to drive only after the doctor clears you up for this activity. In general, complete recovery takes about 6 months.
How to Prepare Your Home
It is important to prepare those parts of your home that you will access soon after returning from hip surgery. For example, the bedroom on the ground floor can be your room soon after the surgery in case it is not so. In case you have to climb stairs this activity must be done only once a day.
In case you are going to rest on a chair during the daytime, ensure that the chair has extended armrests that you can push down to support yourself when getting up from the chair. If you are going to use a couch, make sure that the level is not so low that your hips go down below the level of your knees. This would cause extra pressure on the hip parts that have been replaced.
Using a Walker
It is almost imperative that you use a walker for a few weeks after the hip replacement surgery. To ensure that the walker fits into your bathrooms, ensure that you measure the doorway width with tape so that you know whether you have to take it in sideways. The walker is between 24 and 28 inches in width and has a depth of 20 inches.
In case you have to navigate through other narrow spaces in the house, it is a good idea to let your physical therapist know about these so that they can advise the correct steps to be taken in such cases. Rugs and carpets can be removed during this period so that the legs do not get caught in them causing you to trip and fall.
Tips to Prevent Falls
Climb stairs only once in a day if you have to and ensure that you install railings beside steps that you find in the house. It is also a good idea to seek someone’s help in climbing the steps.
Your bed should only be so tall that your feet are touching the floor when you sit on it. You should install bars in the bathroom and toilets for stability to avoid falls lest you slip. Place slip-resistant mats in the shower area. The soap and shampoo should be placed on stands that are at the waist levels or higher. Keep shower shelves handy so that there are fewer chances of dropping the soap or other items on the floor.
If you follow all these precautions during the recovery phase at your home after a hip replacement surgery, the recovery process is smooth and safe and this also serves to increase the lifespan of the new hip implant in your body.
Why Choose Bone & Joints 360
If you are a resident of Mumbai and are a candidate for a hip replacement surgery, Bone & Joints 360 is the best orthopedic hospital in Mumbai that you can choose. In addition to housing the latest equipment and a team of expert joint replacement doctors, the hospital is also proud of its exceptionally trained and caring staff members that ensure a smooth recovery phase at the hospital and further at the patient’s home after the surgery.