Some activities and sports are harder on the hips than others. Talk to your surgeon about when you can start doing activities and sports you enjoy.
As a guideline, walk every day. Start with short walks that you take often. Slowly build up to longer walks a little at a time. Be careful not to overdo it or to fall and injure your hip.
You may feel some stiffness in your new hip, especially if you need to bend your hip. How much stiffness and hip movement you have after surgery often depends on how much stiffness you had before surgery. But the goals of a hip replacement include a better range of movement and less stiffness.
Ask your surgeon about any sports or other activities you want to do. The following is just a guideline.
First 3 months after surgery
After 3 months
- swimming and other pool exercises (without any twisting movements, such as a whip kick)
- low-impact exercises that
don’t involve jumping, twisting, quick starts or stops, or other movements that put a sudden force on your hip
- walking on a treadmill
- golfing, dancing, or hiking within your limits
- riding a bike (Put the seat and handlebars as high as you need to so it’s comfortable.)
- gardening (Use a raised garden bed or long-handled tools to make gardening work easier.)
Activities to avoid
- Don’t lift and push heavy objects (25 lbs. or 11 kg).
- Don’t do any activities with jumping, twisting, quick starts or stops, or other movements that put a sudden force on your hip.
- Don’t do contact sports (like hockey or football).
