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Post-operative Hip Exercises
Total hip exercises:
Regular exercises to restore your normal hip motion
and strength and a
gradual return to everyday activities are important
for your full recovery.
Your orthopaedic surgeon and physical therapist may
recommend that you
exercise 20 to 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a day during
your early recovery.
They may suggest some of the following exercises.
This can help you better
understand your exercise and activity program.
Early Postoperative
Exercises
These exercises are important for increasing circulation
to your legs and
feet to prevent blood clots. They also are important
to strengthen muscles
and to improve your hip movement. You may begin these
exercises in the
recovery room shortly after surgery. It may feel uncomfortable
at first but
these exercises will speed your recovery and reduce
your postoperative pain.
These exercises should be done as you lie on your
back with your legs spread
slightly apart.
Ankle Pumps
- Slowly push your foot up and down. Do this exercise
several
times as often as every 5 or 10 minutes. This exercise
can begin immediately
after surgery and continue until you are fully recovered.
Ankle Rotations
- Move your ankle inward toward your other foot and
then
outward away from your other foot. Repeat 5 times
in each direction 3 or 4
times a day.
Repeat the following three exercises 10 times 3 or
4 times a day Bed-Supported
Knee Bends - Slide your heel toward your buttocks,
bendingyour knee and keeping
your heel on the bed. Do not let your knee roll
inward.
Buttock Contractions
- Tighten buttock muscles and hold to
a count of 5.
Abduction Exercise
- Slide your leg out to the side as far as you
can and then back.
Quad Set
- Tighten your thigh muscle. Try to straighten your
knee. Hold for
5 to 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times during
a 10-minute period.
Continue until your thigh feels fatigued.
Straight Leg Raises
- Tighten your thigh muscle with your knee fully
straightened on the bed. As your thigh muscle tightens,
lift your leg
several inches off the bed. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
Slowly lower.
Repeat until you thigh feels fatigued.
Standing Exercises
- Soon after your surgery, you will be out of bed
and
able to stand. You will require help since you may
become dizzy the first
several times you stand. As you regain your strength,
you will be able to
stand independently. While doing these standing exercises,
make sure you
are holding on to a firm surface such as a bar attached
to your bed or a wall.
Repeat the following exercises 10 times 3 or 4 times
a day
Standing Knee Raises
- Lift your operated
leg toward your chest. Do not lift your
knee higher than your waist. Hold for 2 or 3 counts
and put your leg down.
Standing Hip Abduction
- Be sure your hip, knee and foot are pointing
straight forward. Keep your body straight. With your
knee straight, lift your
leg out to the side. Slowly lower your leg so your
foot is back on the floor.
Standing Hip Extensions
- Lift your operated
leg backward slowly. Try to
keep your back straight. Hold for 2 or 3 counts. Return
your foot to the
floor. Walking and Early Activity Soon after surgery,
you will begin to walk
short distances in your hospital room and perform
light everyday activities.
This early activity helps your recovery by helping
your hip muscles regain
strength and movement.
Walking with Walker;
Full Weight Bearing
- Stand comfortably and erect
with your weight evenly balanced on your walker or
crutches. Move your
walker or crutches forward a short distance. Then
move forward, lifting your
operated leg so that the heel of your foot will touch
the floor first. As
you move, your knee and ankle will bend and your entire
foot will rest
evenly on the floor. As you complete the step allow
your toe to lift off the
floor. Move the walker again and your knee and hip
will again reach forward
for your next step.
Remember, touch your heel first, then flatten your
foot,
then lift your toes off the floor. Try to walk as
smoothly as you can.
Don't hurry. As your muscle strength and endurance
improve, you may
spend more time walking. Gradually, you will put more
and more weight on
your leg.
Walking with Cane
or Crutch - A walker
is often used for the first several
weeks to help your balance and to avoid falls. A cane
or a crutch is then
used for several more weeks until your full strength
and balance skills have
returned. Use the cane or crutch in the hand opposite
the operated hip. You
are ready to use a cane or single crutch when you
can stand and balance
without your walker, when your weight is placed fully
on both feet, and when
you are no longer leaning on your hands while using
your walker.
Stair Climbing and Descending
- The ability to go up and down stairs
requires both flexibility and strength. At first,
you will need a handrail for
support and you will only be able to go one step at
a time. Always lead up the stairs
with your good leg and down the stairs with your operated
leg. Remember "up with the
good" and "down with the bad." You
may want to have someone help you until you
have regained most of your strength and mobility.
Stair climbing is an excellent
strengthening and endurance activity. Do not try to
climb steps higher than those
of the standard height of seven inches and always
use the handrail for balance.
Advanced Exercises and Activities A full recovery
will take many months. The pain
from your problem hip before your surgery and the
pain and swelling after surgery have weakened your
hip muscles. The following exercises and activities
will help your hip
muscles recover fully. These exercises should be done
in 10 repetitions four times a
day with one end of the tubing around the ankle of
your operated leg and the opposite
end of the tubing attached to a stationary object
such as a locked door or heavy
furniture. Hold on to a chair or bar for balance.
Elastic Tube Exercises Resistive Hip Flexion
- Stand with your feet slightly apart. Bring your
operated leg forward keeping the knee straight. Allow
your leg to return to its previous position.
Resistive Hip Abduction
-Stand sideways from
the door and extend your
operated leg out to the side. Allow your leg to return
to its previous
position.
Resistive Hip Extensions
- Face the door or
heavy object to which the tubing
is attached and pull your leg straight back. Allow
your leg to return to its previous
position.
Exercycling
- Exercycling is an excellent activity to help you
regain muscle strength
and hip mobility. Adjust the seat height so that the
bottom of your foot just touches
the pedal with your knee almost straight. Pedal backwards
at first. Pedal forward only
after comfortable cycling motion is possible backwards.
As you become stronger (at
about 4 to 6 weeks) slowly increase the tension on
the exercycle. Exercycle forward
10 to 15 minutes twice a day, gradually building up
to 20 to 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a
week.
Walking
- Take a cane with you until you have regained your
balance skills.
In the beginning, walk 5 or 10 minutes 3 or 4 times
a day. As your strength
and endurance improves, you can walk for 20 or 30
minutes 2 or 3 times a
day. Once you have fully recovered, regular walks,
20 or 30 minutes 3 or 4
times a week, will help maintain your strength. |
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