Are you facing hip replacement surgery? Or perhaps you have just had the operation, and your surgeon recommended physiotherapy. Or maybe you already had some treatment and still have a way to go for complete recovery.
Total hip replacements (arthroplasty) commonly help patients with severe arthritis or a hip fracture if more conservative treatments don’t make enough difference. Hip replacement surgery aims to relieve pain, improve the hip joint’s mobility, and restore or (at least) improve your ability to safely walk, stand, run, and climb stairs. Your physical therapist will work with you before and after a total hip replacement to strengthen your muscles and restore movement.
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Two Types of Hip Replacements
The two types of hip replacements are simply a total hip replacement or a partial hip replacement.
A total hip replacement, Arthroplasty surgery, removes damaged bone and cartilage and replaces the entire ball-and-socket joint. The socket is your hip bone, and the ball is on the top of your thigh bone. Total hip replacement treats conditions like:
- Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid or Traumatic arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Loss of bone tissue (Avascular necrosis)
- Some hip fractures
- Tumors – benign and malignant
A partial hip replacement, hemiarthroplasty surgery only replaces the ball part on the top of your leg when the hip socket doesn’t need to be replaced. This surgery is primarily for elderly or frail patients or for a fracture of the thigh bone.
How Physiotherapy Help Helps Hip Replacements
Your physiotherapist can help you both before and after your hip replacement surgery.
Before your surgery, your physiotherapist will answer questions and help you know what to expect. Plus, with hands-on manual therapy and targeted exercises, your physiotherapy treatments condition your body and prepare you for surgery.
You may receive recommendations for changes in your home for improved safety and to support recovery, like using a raised toilet seat, handrails, bed rails, and grab bars in the bathroom.
A few days after your hip replacement surgery, you’ll have your first visit with a physiotherapist. They will review any precautions and start to help you restore full function.
You’ll continue physiotherapy for several weeks after surgery. As you make progress in your recovery, you will continue to work on:
- Walking
- Climbing stairs
- Balance
- Transferring from your bed, chair, and car
- Full leg and hip movements
Your physiotherapist will perform hands-on therapies and teach you muscle strengthening exercises to help you heal and get back to the activities you enjoy.
The Best Physiotherapy for Hip Replacements
The best Aurora physical therapy for hip replacements is individual for each person. Your physiotherapist assesses and reassesses your condition regularly, adjusting your therapies to your pain level, function, and lifestyle.
But most patients start with more gentle, hands-on therapies and move toward more active exercise and stretching as they heal. During your healing journey, you’ll work on range-of-motion, stretching, and weight-bearing activities.
Then, in the later stages, your physiotherapist incorporates exercises to simulate your favorite activities like lifting, pushing, pulling, climbing, agility, or even jogging.
If you’re facing hip replacement surgery, or have already had your operation, contact P.T. Advantage in Aurora, ON, for more information.
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