Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is crucial to the overall outcome and healing process after hip surgery. Even with arthroscopic surgery where the soft tissue damage is minimised there is still significant damage to soft tissues that takes time to heal.
Post surgery rehabilitation is often prescribed as early as the day after surgery. A physiotherapist will teach you exercises to strengthen the joint and apply techniques to increase the joint range of motion.
The overall goal is to prevent contraction and tightening of muscles around the joint while strengthening them through controlled exercise so that the patient can get back to their daily routine as quickly as possible.
Exercise
Exercise is key to recovery, rehabilitation and treatment of Hip Arthritis. Maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle relives pain and helps to increase motion before and after surgery. Postoperative exercise it self, is extremely important, not only for increasing motion and muscle strength but also for retaining circulation and reducing the risk of blood clots. Simple exercises, such as ankle rotations and pumps help to improve blood flow and reduce the risk of any adverse side effects post surgery. Although full recovery will take months, introducing simple exercise early on will speed up recovery and keep your body healthy during the rehabilitation period.
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapists are also part of the rehabilitation process after hip replacement surgery. Occupational therapists are usually available to assess how capable the patient is before discharge from the hospital. Their role is to advise on how to complete daily activities safely without incurring any further injury or accidents. This can be an important part of the rehabilitation process as you may need help with your day-to-day tasks to reduce the the risk of further injury.