Most people walk on their new hip the same day or the next, go home within one to three days, and stop using a walking aid somewhere between two and six weeks.
Daily life is mostly back by about three months. Full recovery, including strength and stamina, takes up to a YEAR.
Hip replacement is usually an easier recovery than knee replacement. The biggest early job is walking a little and often, and following your surgeon’s rules about positions while the hip settles.
Week by week
- Days 0 to 3: standing and walking with a frame, usually on the day of surgery or the next. Ankle pumps and thigh squeezes straight away. Stairs practice before you go home
- Weeks 1 to 2: short, frequent walks around the house with a frame or crutches. Tiredness is normal. So is bruising down the thigh
- Weeks 2 to 6: walking further, often moving to one crutch or a stick. Gentle strengthening for the hip and thigh
- Weeks 6 to 12: most people walk without an aid. Stationary bike, swimming once the wound has healed, back to most daily tasks
- Months 3 to 12: strength, stamina and confidence keep improving. A limp or tired hip at the end of a long day is common for a while
Walk little and often. The hip gets better with use, not rest.
Hip precautions: do you still need them?
- It depends on how your surgery was done. Ask which approach your surgeon used
- Posterior (from the back): you may be told for about six weeks not to bend the hip past a right angle, not to cross your legs, and not to twist the operated leg inward. Many surgeons now use fewer rules than they used to
- Anterior (from the front): usually fewer restrictions
- Dislocation is uncommon, around 1 to 2 in 100, and most likely in the first few months
- Whatever you’re told, follow YOUR surgeon’s list, not a general one online
See hip replacement precautions.
Normal things that worry people
- Bruising down to the knee in the first week or two
- Swelling of the thigh and ankle, worse at the end of the day
- One leg feeling longer. Often it’s tight muscles and settles within a few months as the pelvis levels out. If it’s still bothering you at three months, raise it
- A numb patch beside the scar. Usually shrinks over months
- Clicking or clunking. Painless noises are common
- A limp for some weeks while the hip muscles regain strength
What helps
- Short walks several times a day, building up a little each week
- Your exercises, every day: especially strengthening the muscles on the side of the hip. They’re what stop the limp
- Elevate the leg and ice when it swells
- Stairs: up with the good leg, down with the operated leg, holding the rail
- A raised toilet seat and a firm, higher chair make the first weeks easier, especially after posterior surgery
When can I…
- Drive: usually around 4 to 6 weeks, once you’re off strong painkillers and can brake hard. Left hip in an automatic car may be sooner. Check with your surgeon and insurer
- Go back to a desk job: often 4 to 6 weeks. Physical jobs, around 3 months
- Sleep on my side: usually on the good side with a pillow between your knees early on. Ask your surgeon when you can lie on the operated side
- Fly: check with your surgeon, especially in the first six weeks. Walk the aisle, drink water and ask about compression stockings
- Play sport: walking, swimming, cycling, golf and doubles tennis are generally fine after about three months. High-impact running and jumping are often discouraged. Talk it through with your surgeon
How long will it last?
Large registry studies show roughly 9 in 10 hip replacements are still going at 15 years, and more than half at 25 years. The most common reasons for a redo are loosening, dislocation and infection.
Call your surgeon today if
- The hip suddenly clunks, the leg looks shorter or turned, and you can’t put weight on it. It may have dislocated
- Your calf is painful, swollen or warm. It could be a clot
- You’re short of breath or have chest pain. Call emergency services
- The wound is red, spreading, weeping or leaking, or you have a fever
- Pain is getting WORSE, not better
For the knee, see knee replacement recovery week by week.
Walk early, strengthen the side of the hip, and follow your own surgeon’s position rules.