Congratulations, you have made it through your hip replacement surgery and are now beginning your recovery. This video is to review what to expect post-operatively, up until the 6 week mark when I will see you back in the office for your first post-operative visit. Please take a moment to look back at the pre-op email sent to you by my office, as this is where you will find the date and time of your 6 week post-operative appointment. Please call the office if you need to change the date or time of the appointment.

 

When you left the hospital, you were provided with a postoperative discharge paperwork packet. In this packet you will find information regarding what things to look out for, medications, anesthesia information and potential side effects, and the information for home health. In the very back of the packet you will see specific instructions from my office regarding your recovery. I will review the key points in this video.

 

The following are signs to look out for after surgery: Drainage from surgical incision. It is common to have a dime size or quarter size amount of drainage on your bandage after surgery. If you notice a significantly larger amount of drainage, please call my office. The other sign is acute severe pain and swelling in the calf or thigh. This could be an early sign of a blood clot which should be reported to my team for further evaluation. Finally, if you are unable to bear any weight on the operative leg, please call my office. If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or life threatening symptoms in the postoperative period, please call 9-1-1.

 

We recommend that you limit your walking in the first 2 weeks after surgery to less than 1000 steps per day. It is best to get up every hour and take a few steps. After two weeks, you can progress your walking as tolerated. You can progress from a walker to cane to no assistive device as you feel comfortable. You can sleep in any position that you find comfortable. You do not have to sleep on your back.

 

You will have a silver dressing over the incision where the hip was replaced as well as a smaller bandage over the iliac crest bone where small incisions were made for the robotic navigation pins. Both dressings can be removed at 7 days after surgery. After removing these dressings, you will then notice a small white strip of surgical tape on both incisions which should be removed on post-op day 14. You may shower at any time after surgery. The bandages applied are both water resistant. Do not swim or otherwise immerse the wound in a pool or bath until seeing me for your 6 week visit. 

 

It is expected for there to be swelling and bruising to the entire leg down to the foot, and also in the area where the pin sites were located, which can last up to 6-8 weeks but should slowly improve over time. Please note, many patients run a slight fever in the first several days after surgery and also note that the operative joint feels warm. This is typically normal and not a cause for immediate concern.

 

Please take all medications as directed in your discharge paperwork. If you need a refill of your medications, please call the office promptly during regular business hours. You must continue taking your blood thinner provided, which for most patients is either aspirin, Eliquis, or Xarelto, for 6 weeks post-operatively. It is helpful to stay ahead of the pain so please make sure to take the pain medications as indicated to assist.

 

Our nurse practitioner Ashley will now go through some further frequently asked questions and instructions for your hip replacement surgery.

 

You will have a home physical therapist set up by the Hospital case management that will come to your home twice per week for the first 2 weeks after surgery. You should be hearing from the home PT agencies within a couple days from coming home from the hospital. If you do not hear from them, we advise you to reach out to the Case management office. Their information is provided on your discharge paperwork. After the second week of home PT, you will transition to outpatient PT. Once you pick an outpatient physical therapist, please obtain their fax number and call our office to make us aware so we can fax the prescription to the location promptly.

 

It is important to ice the hip in the early recovery period to help with inflammation and swelling. We recommend icing for at least 20 minutes at a time, 5 times per day in the first several days after surgery. You can use ice packs or an ice machine.

 

We ask for you to refrain from having any dental work for 3 months after the surgery, unless you have a dental emergency. After your joint replacement you will take antibiotics 1 hour prior to every dental appointment for the first 2 years after surgery.

 

You are cleared to drive when you are fully off narcotic medications and you feel comfortable with your reaction speed for driving. This is typically around the 4 week mark.

 

Most patients return to a desk job within 3 to 5 weeks. For jobs that are more labor intensive, please discuss with us. Please send any disability paperwork to our office and please allow a 7 to 10 day return for all disability paperwork.

 

You are cleared to fly on an airplane at 6 weeks postoperatively. If you need to fly sooner, please call the office to discuss. Many patients ask if their new joint will set off the metal detector at the airport. In many cases with only 1 joint replacement, it does not set it off but we recommend that you tell the TSA officer that you have a joint replacement during the screening process. No special documentation is needed for airport security.

 

We recommend that you avoid getting routine vaccines in the first 6 weeks after surgery.

 

Please expect a 2 week phone call from my team to check in. If you are having any issues before then or have any questions, feel free to reach out to the office sooner. Please make sure to take time to allow your body to heal from surgery and do not rush the recovery. If you are wondering when you are able to get back into higher impact sports activities, please wait until seeing us at your 6 week visit to review this with us. Thank you for your attention and we wish you an excellent recovery from your hip replacement surgery.