Hip Replacement Recovery
Based on NHS & NICE guidance
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Free to use · No data collected
Most people stay in hospital for one to three days after a total hip replacement, and walking with support usually starts the same day or the day after surgery. The first six weeks are about protecting the new joint — avoiding certain movements — while gradually building strength with physiotherapy.
⚕️ This is friendly general guidance. Your surgical team's specific instructions always take priority. If you're concerned about any symptom, contact your team or call 999 / NHS 111; do not rely on this guide alone.
Recovery at a glance
Day 0-1
Walking with frame/crutches, physio starts
Week 1-2
Wound check, stitches/clips often removed
Week 6
Hip precautions usually lifted, driving may resume
3-6 mo
Most benefit felt
12 mo
Full muscle strength returns
What NHS guidance recommends
- Avoid crossing your legs or bending your hip past 90° for the first 6 weeks
- Use a raised toilet seat and avoid low chairs
- Do your prescribed ankle and leg exercises to reduce blood clot risk
- Keep your wound dry; follow your team's dressing advice
- Wear compression stockings or take blood-thinning medication exactly as prescribed
- Build up walking distance gradually with your frame or crutches
Recovery essentials
Things NHS guidance and other patients say make a genuine difference.
🪑
A raised toilet seat makes the 6-week hip precautions far easier to follow. Raised Toilet Seat →
🤏
A long-handled reacher/grabber avoids bending past 90° to pick things up. Long Handled Reacher Grabber →
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⚠ When to get urgent help
- Increasing redness, warmth, swelling or discharge from the wound
- Fever or feeling generally unwell
- Sudden increase in hip pain, or the leg feels like it's giving way
- Calf swelling, redness or pain (possible blood clot)
- Chest pain or sudden breathlessness (possible pulmonary embolism)
Chest pain or sudden breathlessness: call 999 immediately. Other concerns: contact your surgical team, GP or NHS 111.
Common questions
How long until I can drive after a hip replacement?
NHS guidance generally advises against driving for about 6 weeks, until you can comfortably and safely perform an emergency stop and your surgical team confirms you're ready. Check with your motor insurer too, as some require surgeon sign-off.
What are hip precautions and how long do they last?
Hip precautions — avoiding crossing your legs, bending the hip past 90 degrees, or twisting the hip inward — protect the new joint while the surrounding tissue heals. Most NHS teams advise following them for about 6 weeks, though your surgeon may give you specific timing.
Is swelling after hip replacement normal?
Yes, some swelling around the hip, thigh and ankle is normal for several weeks and usually improves with walking, rest and elevation. Sudden, worsening calf swelling or pain can be a sign of a blood clot (DVT) and needs urgent medical attention.
Recovering in Australia instead? See our AU guide for hip replacement recovery (Medicare/AAOS-based).
Related NHS recovery guides
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