How to behave after hip arthroplasty: general recommendations

The rules that must be followed after hip replacement:

1. In the first days after the operation, you can sleep only on your back, you can turn on your side after 3 days under the supervision of the medical staff and on the unoperated side. Sleep on the unoperated side can be two weeks after endoprosthetics.
2. In the first days, you must avoid a large amplitude of movements: do not move sharply, turn your foot, etc.
3. Sitting on a chair or toilet, make sure that the operated joint does not bend more than 90 degrees, you can not bend, squat, cross your legs and throw them one on top of another. Sleep preferably on a high bed, the chairs should also be high (like bar)
4. The first six weeks after surgery, try to avoid taking a hot bath, giving preference to a warm soul. It is strictly forbidden to visit the baths or saunas (to avoid thromboembolic complications) during the first 1.5 to 3 months of the post-operation period.
5. Regularly you need to practice physical therapy.
6. Sexual relations are resolved in 1,5-2 months after operation
7. Such sports as horse riding, jogging, jumping, weightlifting are better to exclude, preferring swimming and walking.

Nutrition after arthroplasty of the hip joint

After discharge and return home, the patient must eat a balanced diet. At the advice of a doctor, it is desirable:

• Take certain vitamins;
• Follow the weight;
• Replenish the diet with iron-containing products;
• Limit consumption of coffee, alcohol and excessive intake of vitamin K.

In what cases should I see a doctor after an operation to replace a joint joint?

Disturbing symptoms, indicative of possible inflammation and complications of the rehabilitation period, can be: high temperature (above 38 degrees), redness around the seam, discharge from the wound, chest pain, lack of breathing, increased pain in the joint, swelling. If these alarms occur, you should immediately contact your doctor.

In some cases, the patient after hip replacement is advised to take X-rays periodically, take urine and blood tests so that doctors can follow the healing process.

The first control examination is usually performed 3 months after the operation. During it, it becomes clear how the joint "stands" and whether it is possible to load the foot completely. The next follow-up inspection is 6 months later. The purpose of this examination is to find out if you have osteoporosis or other pathologies of bone tissue. The third follow-up visit is carried out one year after the replacement of the joint. In the future it is recommended to visit the attending physician at least once every 2 years. Usually, the prosthesis serves 15 years, sometimes 20-25, after which it is recommended to replace it.

Factors that accelerate joint wear and lead to complications:

• Hypothermia, colds leading to an inflammatory process;
• Overweight: increases the load on the joint;
• Development of osteoporosis (loss of bone strength), the appearance of which contributes to a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol, the use of steroid hormones, malnutrition;
• Wearing heavy weights, sharp movements and jumps on the operated leg.