Hip Replacement Recovery: Week by Week

What recovery from hip replacement actually involves

Hip replacement removes the damaged ball-and-socket surfaces of the hip joint and replaces them with artificial components. It is a surgical procedure, usually performed under regional anaesthesia, and the operation itself typically takes 1 to 2 hours. Most people begin walking with assistance within the first day, and the hospital stay is usually 2 to 4 nights. The published recovery time is 6 to 12 weeks, although strength and confidence in the new joint often continue to improve for months after that. You can read about the operation itself on the hip replacement procedure page.

Recovery runs on two parallel tracks: healing of the wound and the soft tissues around the joint, and retraining of the muscles that control the hip through physical therapy. In hospital, pain control, wound care and early mobilisation are monitored closely, and physical therapy begins soon after the operation to restore walking, strength and joint function. The stages below describe what most people experience, not a schedule you must meet. Your surgeon’s instructions always take precedence over any general timeline.

Recovery timeline

The first 48 hours

• Pain: the regional anaesthetic usually wears off within the first day. Pain is expected and is controlled with a scheduled combination of medicines chosen by the team; tell the nurses early if it is not controlled.
• Movement: most people stand and walk short distances with a frame or crutches and a physiotherapist within the first day. You will be taught hip precautions (positions to avoid) and simple exercises for the ankles, thigh and buttock muscles.
• Wound: the hip is covered by a dressing, which the team checks regularly. Leave it in place unless told otherwise.
• Eating and drinking: most people return to light meals and normal fluids once fully awake and not nauseated. Fluids also help with constipation from pain medicines.
• Washing: a bed wash or wash at the basin with help. The dressing stays dry.
• Sleeping: usually on your back at first, following the hip precautions you are shown.

Week 1

• Pain: typically easing day by day and managed with oral medicines. Discomfort after exercise sessions is common; a sharp increase is not, and should be reported.
• Movement: most people leave hospital after 2 to 4 nights, walking with crutches or a frame and managing stairs with instruction. Daily home exercises continue. Avoid heavy lifting; carrying more than a light bag is usually discouraged while you depend on walking aids.
• Wound: the dressing is usually kept on and dry. Watch for leakage, spreading redness or increasing warmth.
• Eating and drinking: a normal diet, with extra fluids and fibre if constipation is a problem.
• Washing: showering is usually possible once your team confirms the dressing is waterproof or can be changed afterwards; baths and soaking the wound are typically not allowed yet. A shower chair and non-slip mat reduce fall risk.
• Sleeping: on your back, or on the non-operated side with a pillow between the knees if your team permits it.
• Driving: not in this period, because you are taking pain medicines and cannot yet control the leg reliably.

Week 2

• Pain: most people need less medicine and use it mainly before exercise or at night.
• Movement: walking distance grows steadily. Some people progress from two crutches to one, on their physiotherapist’s advice. Hip precautions still apply, including for bending, twisting and getting in and out of cars.
• Wound: a follow-up wound check usually happens in this period, and stitches or staples, if used, are typically removed or assessed then. Afterwards the wound is usually left uncovered if dry.
• Eating and drinking: normal diet.
• Washing: showering as instructed; pat the wound dry rather than rubbing.
• Sleeping: as in Week 1; many people find sleep improves as pain settles.
• Driving: still not advised for most people.

Weeks 3 to 6

• Pain: usually mild and activity-related. Swelling of the thigh, knee and ankle may persist and is typically worse at the end of the day; elevating the leg helps.
• Movement: most people walk with one crutch or a stick and gradually without aids, guided by their physiotherapist. Lifting light household loads is usually fine; avoid heavy or awkward lifting and follow hip precautions until your surgeon relaxes them.
• Wound: normally closed and settling. Report any new discharge or opening.
• Washing: showering normally; ask before bathing or swimming.
• Sleeping: your team will tell you when you can sleep on the operated side; many people are still advised against it in this period.
• Driving: commonly discussed at the follow-up in this window. Most people are told they may drive only when off strong pain medicines and able to perform an emergency stop; it usually takes longer if the operated leg is the one used for the brake.
• Work: desk-based work is often possible in this period, with breaks to move around. Physical jobs usually wait longer.

Months 2 to 3

• Pain: most people have little or none from the joint; muscle ache after exercise is common.
• Movement: walking without aids is usual by the end of the published 6 to 12 week recovery time. Strength and endurance work continues. Low-impact activity such as walking, cycling on a stationary bike and swimming is typically encouraged once the wound is fully healed and your surgeon agrees.
• Wound: the scar is maturing; it may be pink and firm for several months.
• Sleeping and washing: usually unrestricted, subject to any remaining hip precautions.
• Work and driving: most people are back to desk work and driving; heavier work is judged case by case.

Months 6 to 12

• Pain: typically resolved. Occasional stiffness after sitting is common.
• Movement and sport: most people are cleared for regular low-impact sport. High-impact or contact activities carry implant risks and should only be resumed if your surgeon specifically agrees.
• Follow-up: a review with imaging is commonly arranged in this period; the operating team will tell you what schedule to expect.

How long does hip replacement recovery take at 70 and older?

Age alone does not set the timeline. Overall fitness, bone quality, other conditions such as heart or lung disease and diabetes, and how active you were before surgery matter more than the number itself. Many patients in their 70s stand and take supported steps within a day, use a walker or crutches for two to six weeks and return to everyday routines by six to twelve weeks; full recovery — strength, stamina and confidence on stairs — can take closer to six months.

Older patients are more often advised a short inpatient rehabilitation stay, closer attention to preventing blood clots, and a home safety review before discharge (hand rails, non-slip mats, a raised toilet seat, no loose rugs). Plan the journey home around your surgeon’s fit-to-fly guidance: at this age pacing the recovery matters more than speed, and a slower, steadier timeline is not a sign that something is wrong.

When it is safe to fly home

Flying is usually the part of recovery international patients ask about most. The earliest window for a return flight is typically in the second week after surgery, after the 2 to 4 night hospital stay and a short period recovering near the hospital. Longer intervals are often advised for long-haul flights. The operating team gives the final clearance, and their date replaces anything written here.

The timing matters for three reasons. Swelling of the leg is often at its peak in the early weeks and sitting still makes it worse. Cabin pressure changes and dry air add to fluid shifts and dehydration. Most importantly, recent hip surgery and prolonged immobility both raise the risk of a blood clot in the leg, which can travel to the lungs.

A fitness-to-fly assessment is part of the discharge process. It usually covers wound healing, pain control on oral medicines, your ability to walk to the gate and the toilet, how well you can sit for the flight duration, your clot-prevention plan (compression stockings and any prescribed blood-thinning medicine), and whether you need wheelchair assistance at the airports.

• Request an aisle seat, ideally with extra legroom, so you can stand and walk every 1 to 2 hours; do ankle pumps while seated.
• Book airport assistance in advance and allow extra time; walking aids can be carried to the gate.
• Drink water regularly and limit alcohol and caffeine.
• Carry in hand luggage: your medicines with a copy of the prescription, your discharge summary and operation note, a letter stating you have a metal implant for airport security, spare dressings if advised, and the contact details for your operating team.

Warning signs: when to contact your care team immediately

• Fever or chills.
• Redness spreading from the wound, increasing warmth, or new swelling around it.
• Fluid, pus or blood leaking from the wound, or the wound edges opening.
• Pain, tenderness or swelling in the calf or thigh, especially on one side.
• Sudden breathlessness, chest pain or coughing up blood: seek emergency care at once.
• Pain that is increasing rather than easing, or that is not controlled by your medicines.
• A sudden inability to bear weight, a feeling that the hip has moved out of place, or the leg appearing shorter or turned: possible dislocation, seek emergency care.
• New numbness, weakness or cold discolouration of the foot.

Recovering in Türkiye and then at home

Hip replacement is performed in the Orthopedics & Joint Center at Acibadem hospitals in İstanbul and Ankara. Most international patients arrange accommodation close to the hospital for the period between discharge and their flight, so that physiotherapy can continue and the wound can be checked. Choose ground-floor or lift access, a walk-in shower and a chair with arms. The international patient team coordinates prior reports and imaging, arranges appointments, organises the hospital visit and the follow-up after you return home, and can arrange interpreters.

Before discharge you will have a follow-up appointment with the operating team where the wound is inspected, your exercise programme is reviewed and your fitness-to-fly assessment is completed. After you return home, follow-up is done remotely with the operating team; keep the dates in your calendar and prepare photographs of the wound and notes on your walking distance and pain.

Take home the discharge summary, operation note including implant details, imaging on disc or by secure link, a medicine list with doses and stop dates, your physiotherapy programme, and the implant card. Share these with your local doctor and any physiotherapist you see at home.

Questions to ask your surgeon before you fly out

• Which hip precautions apply to me, and for how long?
• When can I stop each medicine, especially the blood thinner, and what should I do if I miss a dose?
• What should the wound look like at this stage, and who do I contact if it changes?
• How long should I wear compression stockings, and how often should I walk during the flight?
• When can I sleep on the operated side, drive, and return to my type of work?
• What is my physiotherapy programme for the next 6 weeks, and when should it change?
• When and how will the remote follow-up take place, and what imaging will be needed?
• Which symptoms mean I should go to a local emergency department rather than wait to contact you?