| You're home! Welcome! I know you are excited | | | | compensating with other muscles. You must work |
| about your new hip and the possibility of enjoying life | | | | towards quality and the quantity will come. No good |
| again but, remember, it's been a rough few days. | | | | coach allows a student to continue in bad form |
| Follow these guidelines to catch you breath. Talk to | | | | hoping that he will get it right some day. The same is |
| your physical therapist or doctor about them if you | | | | true for your hip replacement success. If quality |
| need to. Be kind to yourself and let rehab be a joy! | | | | means only 2 or 3 of an exercise, then that is where |
| Tip #1 | | | | you start. It will get better. |
| Rest your first day home. But walk every hour. | | | | Tip #6 |
| Other than that, put your workout routine aside and | | | | No bending past 90 degrees. You should be saying |
| just rest, relax, breath, get comfortable. It is a | | | | this in your sleep by now. It is crucial to remember |
| workout just getting home! Rest and good, quality | | | | this and your other hip replacement surgery |
| sleep will help you towards your goals more than | | | | precautions. If you have a question, place a box or |
| anything else! If that means putting a pillow under | | | | book on your upper thigh where it meets your trunk |
| your knees to get comfortable, then do it. We know | | | | (where your leg bends). You may bend forward until |
| that hip can be sore! Sleep is vital for healing. | | | | your trunk touches the book. And, you may lift your |
| Tip #2 | | | | leg till the book touches your trunk. So, if you are |
| Drink lots of water. Not coffee, not soda, not tea or | | | | standing and need to pick something up off the floor, |
| juice. Water. Drink every hour (unless you are on a | | | | remember the book test, kicking your hip |
| fluid restricted diet). Anesthesia can hang around in | | | | replacement leg back now increases that angle at the |
| your body for a long time. The more adipose or fat | | | | hip and gives you the freedom to bend toward your |
| tissue you possess, the longer it can remain in your | | | | imaginary book, accomplishing your task without |
| body. Water helps to flush it out. Water also helps to | | | | violating your precautions. Be cautiously creative to |
| regulate you. With hip replacement surgery comes | | | | find ways to accomplish your tasks but always do |
| pain medicine and it is notorious for saving you toilet | | | | the book test. No book? Pull your drivers license or |
| paper due to constipation--but this at your expense! | | | | credit card out. Anything with a 90 degree angle will |
| Water will move you towards the bathroom for | | | | work. |
| relief. Adding fresh lemon juice to your water will act | | | | Tip #7 |
| to cleanse internally and act as a diuretic to any | | | | You may have come home with weight bearing |
| excess water in your body. | | | | precautions for your total hip replacement. FOLLOW |
| Tip #3 | | | | THESE! However, remember that a standard walker |
| Use ice for pain management. Pain pills can stop you | | | | with wheels on the front will allow for a more |
| up, are hard on your liver and affect your sleep (and | | | | normalized walking pattern than a walker without |
| sleep is vital, remember?). Take them if you need to, | | | | wheels. Your hip is a weight bearing joint and plays a |
| but utilize ice packs for natural pain relief. A bag of | | | | big part in your walking. If your doctor and or |
| frozen peas or corn makes for a good pliable ice | | | | physical therapist recommends wheels for your |
| pack easily molded to those tricky spots. If ice | | | | walker, it is a good thing! Your hip replacement will |
| makes your hip replacement pain worse, then try | | | | learn while it is young how to walk correctly. |
| heat, but ice is generally the name of the game at | | | | Tip #8 |
| this point. | | | | Straight leg raise (SLR) means just that--straight. Due |
| Tip #4 | | | | to leverage and physics and stuff, the SLR can be |
| Workout routine on day two. Some call this a Home | | | | the hardest part of your workout routine. This often |
| Exercise Program. In addition to this you should walk | | | | turns into the 'bent leg lift' with barely enough |
| every hour with your walker. 5 feet or 500 feet--at | | | | strength to get through 3 or 4. The remedy? If no |
| this point - just walk. If you have balance issues | | | | one can assist you so you can do this exercise pain |
| make sure someone is close by to walk with you. | | | | free, then don't--yet. Stick with your short and long |
| Safety is always first. | | | | arc quad exercises. |
| Tip #5 | | | | Hip replacement can change your life. We hope that |
| Quality vs. quantity. Two sets of 10 will not get you | | | | the change is positive. Keep dancing! |
| very far if you are doing 8 of those 10 wrong or | | | | |