When Will I Get Out Of Bed?

Most total hip replacement patients get out of bed on the day of surgery or the first day after. It is felt that faster mobilization speeds rehabilitation and prevents medical complications.

You will first get out of bed with assistance and move to a chair. You will then stand with a walker or crutches. Some surgeons will allow you to put full weight on your operated leg right away. Other times, you will be partial weight bearing and increase weight as your surgeon allows.

You will have physical therapy for gait training and instruction in how to walk with a walker or crutches. If you have had an extensive reconstruction, your surgeon may delay any weight bearing at all until your hip is healed and it is safe to bear weight.

Getting out of bed helps to prevent medical complications, such as fever, pneumonia, pressure sores, and blood clots. The more you walk and move about, the less likely you are to form a clot in your legs.

Sometimes, getting out of bed is delayed by the presence of a surgical drain or excessive pain or swelling in your hip. If this happens, you will be encouraged to take deep breaths to prevent problems with your lungs and to turn in bed to protect the skin from pressure areas.

Getting out of bed is the first and most important step towards your rehabilitation.

Linda W., a patient, says:

It was a bit scary, but after the first couple of steps your mind really does believe that the replacement is going to support you. I also remember that the hip pain was gone—the pain at the incision was nothing compared to the hip pain.

Boris K., a patient, says:

It did feel different at the first time—loose and weak. It was not the artificial hip itself, but the tissues surrounding and supporting it.