When Should I See a Physiotherapist After Hip Replacement?

Consider physiotherapy if you are unsure how to progress, remain dependent on an aid, have a persistent limp, struggle with stairs or balance, cannot rebuild strength, or repeatedly flare symptoms whenever you try to do more.

This article is about rehabilitation and recovery rather than replacing advice from your surgeon. Hip-replacement protocols can differ according to surgical approach, your health, the reason for surgery and any restrictions you were given at discharge.

View the Hip Replacement Recovery Guide

Hip-replacement rehabilitation works best when activity and exercise increase progressively. The aim is not to rush through a timetable, but to restore safe walking, strength, balance and confidence while watching how the hip responds over the following 24 hours.

A helpful way to judge recovery is to look at both symptoms and function. Ask whether you are walking more evenly, relying less on your aid, managing transfers and stairs more confidently, and recovering from activity within a reasonable period. A single difficult day does not mean rehabilitation has failed, but repeated setbacks can mean the progression is too aggressive or not targeted enough.

Use a graded approach. Keep the movements and walking that you can perform well, then increase one variable at a time: distance, repetitions, resistance, duration or task difficulty. This makes it much easier to identify what your hip tolerates. Avoid making several large changes on the same day, such as doubling walking, adding heavier strengthening and returning to a new activity together.

Strength matters because the new joint still relies on the muscles around the pelvis, hip and thigh for control. Gluteal strength, quadriceps strength and trunk control all contribute to walking, stairs, getting out of a chair and confidence outdoors. Balance and endurance should also be progressed; recovery is not complete simply because the wound has healed.

When should you get extra advice?

A single question rarely tells the whole story of hip-replacement recovery. Walking, swelling, pain, strength, balance, stairs and return to normal activities interact with one another. The Complete Hip Replacement Recovery eGuide brings these stages together into one structured rehabilitation resource so you can understand what to work on next rather than searching for isolated answers each time a new problem appears.

Sources and safety guidance

View the Hip Replacement Recovery Guide

Prefer guided group exercise? Book the strength and balance exercise class.

If you need advice tailored to you, book a physiotherapy assessment.