Your Guide to Preparing for Hip Replacement Surgery — Is Physical Therapy Necessary?

You’ve recently been hit with the reality that you need to start preparing for a hip replacement.

You’ve grown tired of dealing with the pain, and you can’t wait to get back to doing everyday activities without the aches and nuisances that come with your hip problems. 

But you’re curious, “Is physical therapy an option when preparing for hip replacement surgery?”

You’ve likely guessed right; physical therapy before hip replacement surgery can be extremely beneficial. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through: 

• The importance of physical therapy before hip replacement surgery
• The best exercises to do
• Additional ways to prepare for surgery

• Should I Do Physical Therapy Before Hip Replacement Surgery?
• What Does Physical Therapy Before Hip Replacement Surgery Look Like? 
• Establishing Your Goals When Preparing for Hip Replacement Surgery
• The Best Exercises to Prepare for Hip Replacement Surgery
• FAQ About Preparing for Hip Replacement Surgery
• PRO~PT Can Help You With Preparing For Hip Replacement Surgery and Recovery After Hip Replacement Surgery

There’s no doubt about it.

Starting physical therapy prior to your hip replacement surgery will not only help recovery time but may also:

• Reduce pain
• Shorten your hospital stay
• Reduce the risk of complications after surgery

By strengthening and stretching your hip muscles with the help of your physical therapist, you may be able to reduce the pain and increase mobility while preparing for your hip replacement surgery. 

In some cases, physical therapy helps patients enhance muscle and tissue strength, and flexibility, resulting in: 

• Decreased pain
• Increased elasticity
• Delaying (even preventing) the need for hip replacement surgery

According to the Arthritis Foundation, patients who participated in prehabilitation prior to a hip replacement greatly reduced their odds of inpatient rehabilitation. 

Prehabilitation exercise programs may include …  

• Strength training
• Aerobic
• Flexibility exercises 

… for at least six weeks before hip replacement surgery.

Physical therapists are specially trained to work with patients before and after hip replacement surgery, but what exactly does physical therapy before a hip replacement surgery entail? 

Prehabilitation physical therapy while preparing for hip replacement surgery will look different for every patient, based on their specific needs.

Your physical therapist will educate you on what you can expect from your surgery and provide you with exercises and procedures to do before surgery. 

These may involve: 

• Precautions necessary after surgery
• Lower body strength training and flexibility exercises
• Learning how to use a walker or crutches

At PRO~PT, we understand the importance of customizing treatment plans to meet your specific needs.

If you are unsure of where to start when preparing for hip replacement surgery, one of our physical therapists can help give you a better understanding of what you can expect from surgery, and establish goals for pre-and post-surgery.

One of the most significant ways physical therapy can prepare you for hip replacement surgery is to help you get back to doing normal things as quickly as possible once you’re discharged from the hospital. 

For this reason, it is important to discuss your goals with your physician and physical therapist before and after your hip replacement surgery. 

Are you looking to get back to the gym multiple times a week? 

Or are your grandchildren excited to run around the yard with you after your recovery?

Maybe it’s simply doing everyday activities pain-free without the constant reminder of your hip problems.  

Prehabilitation can help you set and nail your post-operative goals.

As you prepare for hip replacement surgery, your physician or physical therapist may talk to you about your nutrition and workouts that can be done to help improve the outcome of your hip replacement. 

Increasing your strength before surgery can not only ease the pain of recovery but may also make it easier for you to get in and out of bed, as well as beginning to walk again post-surgery.

What exercises help to prepare for hip replacement surgery? 

Keep reading to learn about the best exercises you can do under the guidance of your physical therapist. 

Most patients understand the importance of lower body exercises before a hip replacement surgery, but many times they don’t consider the fact that improving their upper body strength is essential for using crutches or a walker during recovery.  

Consider doing the following exercises to improve your upper body strength to prepare for hip replacement surgery. 

Your physical therapist may even recommend using weights or resistance bands to help improve your strength while doing these exercises.

To do a bicep curl, you should: 

1. Start by sitting up straight in a chair, keeping your elbows close to your body and your wrists straight. 
2. Bend your arms, moving your hand up to your shoulder, and hold for several seconds.
3. Slowly lower your arms back down. 

Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Tricep extensions are another great exercise physical therapists recommend for upper body strength while preparing for hip replacement surgery. 

To do elbow extensions, do the following: 

1. Start by lying on your back with one of your elbows bent at a right angle. 
2. Use the opposite hand to support your bent arm. 
3. Straighten your arm and lift your hand toward the ceiling. 
4. Slowly return your arm back down to the right angle. 

Repeat this exercise 10 times on each arm.

Practicing bed mobility exercises while preparing for hip replacement surgery will make getting in and out of bed easier, especially during recovery. 

To do upper body bed mobility exercises, you should: 

1. Start by lying flat on your back. 
2. Come up on both of your elbows, slowly straightening your arms behind you, and come into a sitting position.
3. Lower yourself back onto your elbows and slowly lie flat on your back again. 

Repeat this exercise 10 times.

We’ve touched on upper body exercises you can do to help prepare for recovery, but what about lower body exercises? 

Lower body exercises can prepare the muscles and joints for surgery and familiarize your body with the movements and exercises you’ll be doing post hip surgery. 

Let’s look at a few of the lower body exercises our physical therapists recommend doing when preparing for hip replacement surgery.

Although ankle pumps may not provide much additional strengthen after surgery, they are essential to prevent circulation issues, such as blood clots, and reduce swelling while recovering from a hip replacement surgery. 

Ankle pumps can easily be done by: 

1. Lying flat on your back or sitting in a chair
2. Pulling your toes upward toward your head
3. Pointing your toes down towards the ground 

While preparing for hip replacement surgery, consider doing 2 sets of 10 ankle pumps twice a day.

Heel slides promote flexibility and strengthen your muscles as you prepare for surgery. 

To properly do heel slides, you should: 

1. Lie flat on your back with your knees and toes pointing toward the ceiling. 
2. Slowly bend one leg, while keeping your foot on your bed.
3. Bring your leg toward your body, as close as feels comfortable, and hold for five seconds.
4. Slowly straighten your leg and flatten your knee against your bed.

Practice 10 repetitions on each leg two to three times a day.

Walking is a great exercise that helps build strength and promotes flexibility and movement while putting minimal stress on your joints. 

Prior to surgery, consider walking up and down stairs while using the handrail or the assistive device you will be using post-surgery. 

The best way to prepare your body by walking is to: 

1. Start by stepping with the side of your body that will not be operated on, and then stepping with the opposite leg, and your assistive device, to meet your non-surgical leg.
2. Repeat this until you reach the top of the stairs. 
3. Once you reach the top, do the reverse—step down with your assistive device on the side of your body that’s being operated on, then bring your non-operative leg down to meet the other. 
4. Continue this until you reach the bottom of the stairs. 

When preparing your body for hip surgery through walking, do what makes you feel comfortable. 

If you can walk up and down the stairs two times, once or twice a day, you’ll be better at using your assistive devices post-surgery.

Preparing for hip replacement surgery can be intimidating. 

Many patients come to physical therapy feeling overwhelmed about where to begin — both physically and mentally. 

To make the process easier, we’re answering some of the most common questions we get when preparing our patients for surgery.

Aside from preparing your body for hip replacement surgery, it is important to prepare your home, too. 

Preparing for surgery is not just important for your safety, but for proper recovery. 

Consider doing the following things to prepare your home for hip replacement surgery: 

1. Store items you use regularly in easy-to-access places. This might include cleaning supplies, food, toiletries, etc. Avoid placing items on shelves that may be too high or too low to reach—using a step stool or kneeling may be difficult and unsafe right after a hip replacement surgery. 
2. Prepare easy-to-reheat meals before surgery. A week’s worth of meals will make life easier while your body recovers. 
3. Prevent tripping hazards or falls by:
   1. Moving cords to places they cannot be tripped over, like up against walls
   2. Making a bed on the first level of your home, to avoid climbing any stairs
   3. Having a high-seated chair that has arms in the rooms you’ll be in most frequently to make transferring to and from sitting and standing less painful

Your physical therapist may also suggest making temporary changes to your home, such as … 

• Purchasing a raised toilet seat
• Adding a bed rail to your bedside
• Putting grab bars in your shower

… prior to going into surgery, so that your home is properly set up for your safety when you are discharged from the hospital.

Prior to a hip replacement surgery, we always recommend patients reach out to a family member, friend, or medical provider to come assist with certain tasks, especially in the days immediately after being discharged from the hospital. 

Things like …

• Using the toilet
• Transferring from your bed to your assistive device
• Moving from your assistive device to sitting/laying

… can be very difficult to do without assistance within the first few weeks of surgery. 

Reaching out before surgery can help you feel comfortable with the plan you have in place for when you return from the hospital.

Absolutely! 

Starting physical therapy after hip replacement surgery not only speeds up recovery time, but it also helps with: 

• Restoring movement of the hip joint
• Reducing pain and swelling
• Strengthening muscles
• Increasing flexibility

If you are unsure of the best time to start physical therapy post-surgery, don’t stress. 

Call your physical therapist and talk with them about post-surgery guidelines. They will work with your doctor to create the safest and most beneficial plan for your specific needs.

Unsure of how you can prepare for hip replacement surgery? 

PRO~PT’s highly trained staff is here to help. 

Whether you’re preparing for hip replacement surgery or looking for ways to make recovery easier—we’ll work with you to create a customized treatment plan for your specific needs. 

Reach out to us today to schedule an appointment and learn how you can better prepare for hip replacement surgery and recovery.