Surgery to replace a damaged hip joint offers many people the opportunity to regain lost function and to return to daily activities with increased ease and comfort, but the 6-8 week recovery period requires many changes in the way you carry out your daily activities. Occupational therapists can help by teaching new ways to move safely during recovery and by providing ingenious equipment for activities such as bathing, cooking, and dressing.
Why Is Occupational Therapy The Preferred Service For People Recovering From Hip Replacement Surgery?
Occupational therapy education is based on the physical and psychological implications of illness and injury and their effects on people's ability to perform the tasks of daily living. The clinician's knowledge of adapting tasks and modifying the environment to compensate for functional limitations is used to increase the involvement of clients and to promote safety and success.
During hospitalization and as you prepare to return home, your occupational therapist will:
Instruct You in the Proper Seating Position
It is important not to bend forward in your chair or cross your knees or ankles until your doctor gives permission. Sit in a raised chair or an elevated surface for maximum safety and comfort.
Teach You How to Use a Walker
- Teach how much weight to put on the operated leg and how to keep your hip properly aligned.
- Demonstrate safe techniques for entering and exiting from a car
- Teach you methods for transferring from the walker to a chair, a bed, or a bath chair in the tub or shower
- Educate your family and caregivers about your surgical hip precautions and the best way to help you
Provide You With Equipment for Dressing
- a dressing stick to pull on underwear or slacks without bending from the waist
- a sock aid to position and draw a sock or stocking onto the operated leg
- a shoe horn to put on shoes without bending at the waist
Demonstrate Safe Techniques for Getting Into and Out of Bed and Positioning the Hip Properly While Sleeping
- A firm bed that is not too low is the most safe and comfortable option.
Suggest Tips for Completing Household Tasks Easily and Safely
- carry hot liquids in covered containers
- slide objects along the counter rather than lifting them
- sit on a high stool when working at the counter
- use a reacher to pick up objects from the floor
- use a basket or bag attached to your walker to free your hands
- remove scatter rugs to prevent tripping.
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