Recovery after orthopedic surgery, week by week
After surgery, week by week: what to work on, what is normal, and the warning signs that mean you call your surgeon.
After hip arthroscopy, most people go home the same day, use crutches for one week to about two months, and return to desk work within one to two weeks. Hard exercise usually waits until around three months, and sport commonly takes four to seven months.
After hip fracture surgery, the aim is to stand and walk with a frame the day after the operation. Most recovery happens in the first six months and can continue for up to a year, and daily exercise, family support and preventing the next fall make the biggest difference.
Hip precautions usually mean no bending past a right angle, no crossing your legs and no twisting the leg inward for about six weeks, mainly after posterior surgery. Many surgeons now use fewer rules or none, because dislocation rates look similar either way, so follow your own surgeon’s list.
Most new knees end up bending to around 120 degrees, and you need about 90 for stairs and chairs. Some early stiffness is normal; a bend that stalls below 90 in the first few months is worth raising with your surgeon early.
After a meniscus trim, most people are back to daily life in about 3 to 6 weeks. After a meniscus repair, expect a brace, crutches and limited bending for around 4 to 6 weeks, and 4 to 6 months before sport.
For most people, a boot with early rehab gives about the same result at a year as surgery, with a slightly higher chance of re-rupture and fewer surgical complications. Either way, full recovery from an Achilles rupture takes about a year.
A mild ankle sprain usually settles in one to two weeks, and a bad one can take six to twelve weeks or longer. Early movement and balance training matter more than rest, because they are what stop the ankle from going over again.
Leg pain often eases soon after a microdiscectomy, but recovery takes about three months. Most people return to desk work around four to six weeks, heavier work takes up to three months, and numbness usually improves more slowly than pain.
Hip replacement recovery: walking the same day or next, off walking aids by two to six weeks, daily life back by about three months, full recovery up to a year. Week by week, hip precautions, what’s normal, and when to call your surgeon.
Swelling after bunion surgery usually lasts six months to a year, worse in the evening and after busy days. What’s normal month by month, what helps, choosing shoes while swollen, and when swelling needs a call to your surgeon.