Now that you are back home it’s time to focus on your recovery. A vital part of getting better is being able to get moving again. This will allow you to function again and resume your everyday activities.
Stay with your walking and exercise program to help speed up your recovery. Exercises help improve your range of motion and muscle strength. This will help you build endurance, so you can go about your daily activities without too much pain or stress.
This is a time of healing your body and mind from the stress of your operation. Patients who face a long recovery and rehabilitation may feel depressed or anxious. Set realistic goals and expectations for your recovery. This way, you can avoid feeling let down when things don’t progress as quickly as you hoped.
Setting reasonable goals also helps keep you from doing too much, too early. Pace yourself! And always remember that rest and relaxation are important parts of your healing process.
Your goal for recovering at home is to be as independant as you can in your daily activities. This means you should be able to get in and out of bed, go to the bathroom by yourself, and dress yourself each morning.
You should be able to walk as much as you can. You will progress from using a walker/crutches to a cane, and you should put away the cane as soon as you feel safe doing so or when recommended by your doctor or therapist. Walking, doing your exercises, staying active and having a positive attitude is the best recipe for a good recovery.
This section gives you information on how to safely go about your everyday activities while you are recovering. Try to do more, a little at a time!
It is important to follow your surgeon and therapist’s instructions.
Click on these links to read step by step instructions and watch video clips on how to safely go about your everyday activities after having hip or knee replacement surgery.