The success of your surgery will depend in large measure on how well you follow your orthopaedic surgeon's instructions regarding home care during the first few weeks after surgery.

Wound Care: You will have stitches or staples running along your wound or a suture beneath your skin. The stitches or staples will be removed about two weeks after surgery.

Avoid getting the wound wet until it has thoroughly sealed and dried. A bandage may be placed over the wound to prevent irritation from clothing or support stockings.

Diet: Some loss of appetite is common for several weeks after surgery. A balanced diet, often with an iron supplement, is important to promote proper tissue healing and restore muscle strength. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids.

Activity: Exercise is a critical component of home care, particularly during the first few weeks after surgery. You should be able to resume most normal light activities of daily living within three to six weeks following surgery. Some discomfort with activity and at night is common for several weeks.

Your activity program should include:

• A graduated walking program, initially in your home and later outside
• Walking program to slowly increase your mobility and endurance
• Resuming other normal household activities
• Resuming sitting, standing, walking up and down stairs
• Specific exercises several times a day to restore movement
• Specific exercises several times a day to strength your hip joint
• May wish to have a physical therapist help you at home

» Avoiding problems after surgery

Blood Clot Prevention: Follow your orthopaedic surgeon's instructions carefully to minimize the potential risk of blood clots, which can occur during the first several weeks of your recovery.

Warning signs of possible blood clots include:

• Pain in your calf and leg, unrelated to your incision
• Tenderness or redness of your calf
• Swelling of your thigh, calf, ankle or foot

Warning signs that a blood clot has traveled to your lung include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain, particularly with breathing

Notify your doctor immediately if you develop any of these signs.

» Preventing infection

The most common causes of infection following hip replacement surgery are from bacteria that enter the bloodstream during dental procedures, urinary tract infections, or skin infections. These bacteria can lodge around your prosthesis.

Following your surgery, you may need to take antibiotics prior to dental work, including dental cleanings, or any surgical procedure that could allow bacteria to enter your bloodstream. 

Warning signs of a possible hip replacement infection are:

• Persistent fever (higher than 100 degrees orally)
• Shaking chills
• Increasing redness, tenderness or swelling of the hip wound
• Drainage from the hip wound
• Increasing hip pain with both activity and rest

Notify your doctor immediately if you develop any of these signs.

» Avoiding falls

A fall during the first few weeks after surgery can damage your new hip and may result in a need for more surgery. Stairs are a particular hazard until your hip is strong and mobile. You should use a cane, crutches, a walker or handrails, or have someone help you until you improve your balance, flexibility and strength.

Your surgeon and physical therapist will help you decide what assistive aides will be required following surgery, and when those aides can safely be discontinued.

» Other precautions

To assure proper recovery and prevent dislocation of the prosthesis, you must take special precautions. Do not cross your legs. Do not bend your hips more than a right angle (90 degrees). Do not turn your feet excessively inward or outward. Use a pillow between your legs at night when sleeping until you are advised by your orthopaedic surgeon that you can remove it. Your surgeon and physical therapist will give you more instructions prior to your discharge from the hospital.

» How your new hip is different

You may feel some numbness in the skin around your incision. You also may feel some stiffness, particularly with excessive bending. These differences often diminish with time and most patients find these are minor compared to the pain and limited function they experienced prior to surgery.

Your new hip may activate metal detectors required for security in airports and some buildings. Tell the security agent about your hip replacement if the alarm is activated. After surgery, make sure you also do the following:

• Participate in a regular light exercise program to maintain proper strength and mobility of your new hip.
• Take special precautions to avoid falls and injuries. Individuals who have undergone hip replacement surgery and suffer a fracture may require more surgery.
• Notify your dentist that you have had a hip replacement. You will need to take antibiotics before any dental procedure for a minimum of two years after your surgery and possibly longer, depending on your past health history.
• See your orthopaedic surgeon periodically for routine follow-up examinations and X-rays, even if your hip replacement seems to be doing fine.

Your orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with extensive training in the diagnosis and nonsurgical and surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves.

» Follow up Protocol

• You may need to see your doctor after 6 weeks of the surgery for him to assess your progress
• Thereafter at 3 months after surgery with an X ray
• Thereafter at 6 month s and then on a yearly basis

Please note that since this is an artificial joint you need to have it assessed with your doctor annually or as decided by him. This ensures that if there is a problem it can be rectified in time before things get worse.