TUESDAY, May 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Hip replacement is a major, arduous elective surgery, and rehabilitation afterwards takes time, according to an expert from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. It'll also take coordinated planning between yourself, your care team and your family and caregivers, said , an orthopedic surgeon and expert in minimally invasive and robotic-assisted total joint replacements at Hopkins. Hospital stays after a hip gets replaced are not long, Thakkar said.
“Most patients can start walking and can go home the day of the surgery,” Thakkar said in a Hopkins news release. "Most people don’t need bed rest. In fact, moving your new joint keeps it from becoming stiff.
" Post-surgical overnight hospital stays are typically only mandated for folks with underlying medical conditions (for example heart or lung issues that might need monitoring). Or, if you do not have someone who can take you home and then help you out there, an extra night in the hospital might be warranted. Inpatient rehab at the hospital could also be advised for patients who've had particularly complex hip replacement surgeries, Thakkar added.
“Patients will have physical therapy before the hip replacement surgery, and then work with a physical therapist right after the surgery to reinforce exercises before they go home,” Thakkar explained. Next, rehab continues for a few days post-surgery, and appointments will be set up to see occupational and physical therapists. You'll a.