Hip Replacement Exercises: Easy Does It

Hip Replacement Exercises: Easy Does It

Whether you’re preparing for or recovering from hip replacement surgery, you’re going to be needing some hip replacement exercises.  Why before surgery?  Because if you begin an exercise routine before, it will actually help you to recover faster.  Your body will already have built up some of the strength and endurance that it will need to negotiate that new hip.

In fact, when it comes to both hip and knee replacements, it’s becoming a more common practice for doctors to begin patients on physical therapy prior to surgery.  Both groups of joint replacement patients will demonstrate improved lower extremity muscle strength with pre-surgery exercises, but only hip replacement patients will actually show some functional improvement of the afflicted joint even before they undergo surgery.

In one study, patients who exercised prior to joint replacement surgery were 73% less likely to be discharged to an inpatient rehab facility rather than their own homes.

What are examples of exercises that you will probably be expected to do after or even before your surgery?  Different forms of therapy are available, of course, but commonly, as beginning post-operative exercises, doctors will recommend heel slides, straight leg raises, and gluteal sets.

Heel slides involve sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.  You will slide your heel toward your buttock by bending your knee, keeping your heel on the ground.  You will then slowly straighten your knee and slide your leg back to where it started.  Then relax, and repeat 10 times.  This exercise is beneficial in strengthening the quadriceps at the hip and the hamstrings at the knee.

Then you have straight leg raises for strengthening the hip joint itself.  These involve lying on your back on a flat surface and bending the knee of the leg that’s not recovering from surgery at a 90-degree angle while keeping your foot flat on the ground.  The recovering, or operative, leg should be kept straight.  Slowly lift the operative leg six inches off of the ground using your front thigh muscles, hold for five seconds, and slowly lower it back to the floor.  Relax, and then repeat 10 times.

Gluteal sets help to strengthen the gluteal muscles of the hip; strong gluteal muscles will assist with hip extension and also lead to the stabilization of the joint.  You will lie on your back with both knees bent at a 10- to 15-degree angle and squeeze your buttock muscles together.  Hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat 10 times.  You should do three sets of 10 three times a day.

Remember, other exercises and exercise routines are available to you, these are just some basics to get you started.  The stronger your new hip becomes, the more you’ll be able to do, but be sure and listen to your doctor’s advice about how much physical activity is appropriate for you.