What is the normal recovery time? Time on crutches? Time with a cane? Time before I can begin most normal exercise?

1 to 2 weeks 2 crutches, 1 to 2 weeks 1 crutch. No cane. What is normal exercise? Actual daily living means 4 to 5 weeks. More strenuous activities can begin from then one, like patient feels for himself. Patient has to be his own barometer.

At home they walk with a pair of crutches usually for about 10-15 days and when completely comfortable discard the crutch on the side of the operation first. Then when the other crutch is also felt unnecessary, this is also discarded. Walking, climbing stairs or cycling can be done for long periods of time.

There is no post –op restrictions after a Hip Resurfacing operation and the patient can use it as a ‘normal hip’. However the soft tissues around the Hip Joint,which were contracted at the time of the hip disease,will take time to relax following the excellent movement that has been restored in the hip. Hence if there is pain while attempting a certain activity like sitting on the floor, it implies the patient is not yet ready for that particular activity. One can give a gap of about a week and then try it again. Like wise the activity level improves in a stepwise manner till the soft tissues also become normal. Patient is ready for sports (inclusive of contact sport) at about 3 months post-op.

Using minimally invasive techniques, advanced multimodal pain management and rapid progression physical therapy, the recovery is quite rapid. The hospital stay for total hip replacement or hip surface replacement is only one or two days and most patients do not even finish taking their prescription (#40) narcotic tablets after they go home. Crutches are only used for one to two weeks and return to work is quite rapid. By six weeks postoperatively most patients have significantly less pain than before surgery and walk one or two miles with a slight limp. Full healing occurs by one year. For more details, see my discussion in the hip information section.

Most patients are instructed to use two elbow crutches for three to four weeks after operation. You will then be advised to use one walking stick on the unoperated side for a further three to four weeks. This timetable depends on the extent of reconstruction that was necessary and the quality of bone before operation and may need to be modified to suit each individual.