Hip replacement surgery is a major procedure that requires a significant amount of recovery time. As many know, this is a very common procedure for martial artists.

I’ve lost count of the number of martial arts colleagues who have had their hips replaced. It is especially prevalent among those from kick-based martial arts. In my case, I am 99% sure that my right hip problem stems from my days in Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do. Anyway, the pain in my right hip significantly impaired my ability to engage in physical activities. For example, I used to accumulate 10,000 steps every day. By January, I was averaging only 1,760 steps per day.

I tell you, the pain sucked.

Feeling my physical fitness was at stake, I pushed to get my hip replaced as soon as possible. Thank goodness that I went ahead with the surgery on January 26th.

I am 58 years old, so I am not content to recover from the surgery. This is my life’s “now or never” inflection point. As mentioned above, I was dissatisfied with my fitness before the surgery. After the initial recovery phase, I intend to rebuild myself from the ground up. More on that in an upcoming post.

Anyway, recovering from my hip replacement surgery has been an interesting journey, and I’d like to share some tips with you.

Here are five essential tips to ensure a successful hip replacement recovery:

(1) Follow your doctor’s orders: Your doctor will provide specific instructions on caring for your hip after surgery. You must follow these instructions closely to ensure a successful recovery. Since I had the lateral approach done, this dictated the extent of my activities for the first four weeks and four months.

For the first four weeks, I was instructed not to do any side lifts or sideways motions with the operated leg. The reason is simple: the muscles next to and underneath the lateral incision must heal.

Next, the doctor firmly instructed me NOT to do the figure 4 leg cross for four months for the same reason.

Click here to view the video.

(2) Do physical therapy exercises: Physical therapy is essential to hip replacement recovery. Your physical therapist will provide exercises to strengthen your hip and improve your range of motion. Doing these exercises as directed is essential to help you recover faster.

In my case, the North York General Hospital’s (In Toronto) website has a series of YouTube videos to prepare patients for hip surgery. Included in those videos are recommended post-surgery exercises. The in-house physical therapist visited me the day after my surgery and guided me through the basic range of motion exercises. They advised me to do these exercises two to three times a day for two weeks. Then, I was referred to the local physiotherapy clinic.

A word to the wise: strictly follow their instructions.

If they say, “Do two sets of this exercise, ten reps each set twice a day.” Do them and no more! They are pretty experienced at this. The last thing you need is to have a massive setback. Slow and steady is the key.

Below is a snippet of the last physical therapy session, during which my therapist noted how uneven my hips were. That will even out over time.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

(3) Manage your pain: Pain is a normal part of hip replacement recovery, but it is important to manage it effectively. Take your pain medication as prescribed and use ice or heat therapy as directed by your doctor.

During my pre-surgery consult, my surgeon advised me that a nurse would ask me regularly to rate my pain. Indeed, within 5 minutes of waking up from my surgery, the nurse asked me to rate my pain on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst. The kind of medication they will give you depends on the pain you report. In my case, my pain was, at most, 3. As a result, they selected extra-strength Tylenol, and I took that for several weeks. I didn’t have to take the heavy stuff, thank goodness!

To paraphrase Clubber Lang, I pity da fool who doesn’t take pain medication!

(4) Take care of your incision: After surgery, your incision will be covered with a bandage. To prevent infection, it is important to keep the incision clean and dry. Your doctor will provide instructions on how to care for your incision.

Listen to your surgeon and his/her team. My incision was closed with steri-strips. Not staples, thank goodness! I took the bandage off seven days after my surgery, and the steri-strips came off with the bandage. The incision was long but amazingly clean and free of any infection.

(5) Drink lots of water and nap frequently: I tell you, you will need to drink massive amounts of water. I woke up a few mornings with a dry mouth, indicating that I did not sufficiently hydrate myself the day before. Due to the invasiveness of hip replacement surgery, hydration will be a key part of your recovery. Additionally, you may feel the need to nap frequently. Snooze as much as you can, as that will aid the recovery process.

Following the above suggestions, you’ll return to what you love doing soon!

I can’t wait to get back to training!

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