Hip Resurfacing Surgery Recovery

Hip resurfacing surgery is a type of arthroplasty, which is a new entrant in the arena of surgeries related to the hip bone. This was developed as an alternative to total hip replacement.

Depending on the other health aspects of a patient as well as the doctor, the required decision is taken by the patient. As mentioned, its recovery time is more, as compared to total hip replacement, as it is intricate and complicated. There are several aspects to the healing time involved in this surgery, which have been discussed in the next sections.

The procedure involves reshaping of the hip ball joint, rather than removing it completely. In addition to that, metal prostheses are fitted, which allow the joint to move freely. This reduces the chance of dislocation as well.

In short, the ball joint of the hip is restructured and is capped with the metal prostheses. So, it is not as simple as just removing a whole part and fitting another. However, it reserves more bone substance than the total hip replacement surgery. Now let's check what is the period of recovery from this surgery.

Time required for recovery usually depends on many factors - the age, gender, overall health of the patient, etc. Following are the stages involved in the process, take a look.

In the Hospital: After the surgery, the patient has to be in the recovery room for an hour, so that the fluids are drained from the hip and a post operative X-ray is taken. It starts off from the point you are out of the operation room.

You would be immediately put under observation and checked for blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and all other vital processes. The focus would immediately be on the blood circulation in the legs and maintenance of the sensitivity of your feet.

The Initial Stage: There is going to be some amount of hip pain after you undergo surgery. However, the good news is that, it is usually a matter of weeks and after that, the pain will decrease.

If the pain does not go down in a few weeks or you are not able to maintain your balance, speak to your doctor immediately. A physical therapist would be working with you, while you are still in the hospital for faster recovery.

The Next Stage: Once you can stand on your feet, post surgery, cane or crutches can be further used to support the legs. This is basically the rehabilitation period. The physical therapy will be carried out in this stage as well, once you go back home.

In these few weeks of rehabilitation, it is essential that the patient does not bend the hip or waist. The physiotherapist will further assist the patient in going about the daily chores, keeping in mind, the limited mobility. In fact, that is important, as you would not want to hurt your hip again.

The Last Stage: The last stage is extended from the 6th week post surgery, up to a year, approximately. This is the stage for building the strength of the hip joint. Although, the mobility would increase in this stage, the patient should not rush into things.

The physical therapy and exercises are going to be helpful in speedy recovery. An important thing to remember here is that, till about a year or so, after the surgery, the patient should preferably avoid running, jumping, or getting involved in any high energy and impact activities.

Finally, to cut a long story short, it takes about 3 to 6 weeks for recovery, but it can vary, depending on the age, gender, and overall health of the patient. Even if the patient can walk and do his daily chores in around 6 weeks, it takes some more time for the hip joint to be totally fit.