Physical Therapy for Hip Replacements
March 31st, 2012 by adminPhysical therapy is an essential part of restoring movement after hip replacement. The professional who conducts physical therapy is a Physical Therapist; their primary goal is to get the patient moving. Whether sidelined by surgery, injury, illness, or disability, a physical therapist works on extending range of motion.
A physical therapist helps patient in exercising and treatment so they can move, walk, bend, stoop, stand, and even run as they once did. Physical therapy may take place at a hospital, clinic, private offices, and even on-call at home visits if a patient is housebound or just released from a hospital.
Hip replacement surgery offers people a new joint so they can move, walk, stand, and even run naturally again. No more canes required! Surgery is the first step and physical therapy is the second step in returning movement. Many people have hip replacement surgery when the hipbone has deteriorated so much and the ensuing pain can’t be medically managed anymore. Lots of people try work-arounds like assisted walking, but only hip replacement and physical therapy can fully restore movement.
Usually, hospital staff will have the patient up a day after surgery. Starting with short walks, eventually leading up to strolls. After the person goes home, typically the orthopedic surgeon works with physical therapists to schedule physical therapy at the patient’s home for the first few weeks after surgery. One thing that is important with hip replacement physical therapy is doing it at the right times. According to experts, there’s a time to start the therapy. If the patient waits too long, range of movement can be limited. It is important that the person who has had hip replacement start moving right away.
If folks don’t take the initiative and regularly do their physical therapy exercises, they’ll not restore full range of movement and could have limited benefit from the new hip. Huge mistake. One of the biggest problems with physical therapy after surgery is dealing with the fear of falling. A lot of patients don’t believe that the new hip will hold them up. They erroneously believe that they can “wait” and start moving when they heal, when it’s the other way around. They need to move to heal properly.
Physical therapy must be a regular part of each day, as directed by the physical therapist long after the physical therapist stops coming to the outpatient’s home. After a hip replacement, physical therapy also helps support the new joint by building up muscles in the patient’s leg. Strong muscles keep the hip from becoming dislocated down line.
Physical therapy is crucial to recovering fully from hip replacement surgery. Movements learned include those that will assist the hip-replacement recipient getting in and out of cars. There will be exercises that help the recipient getting in and out of the bathtub, so that the hip isn’t displaced. The physical therapy usually includes exercises to do while prone; things like tightening and releasing exercises to strengthen muscles and reduce odds of blood clots.
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