After a joint replacement
After a joint replacement, your functional ability will return in a few weeks. You can gradually give up using assistive devices according to the instructions you receive from the hospital. Usually, the patients use assistive devices from two to six weeks.
After the operation, you spend 2–4 days on the ward at Coxa Hospital. The majority of patients move straight to their own home after the hospital stay.
If necessary, you will move to an institution for further care on the second postoperative day as you have negotiated with your municipality.
When can I drive my car after the operation?
You are allowed to drive a car after you have given up the walking aids. You can sit in a car as a passenger immediately after the operation. If you have had a hip joint operation, you must use a seat riser.
What kind of exercise is possible for me after the operation?
First, your exercise is walking and gymnastics according to the instructions. Your replacement joint endures normal everyday exercise well and the amount of exercise will increase according to your condition.
You can restart your normal exercise gradually after the postoperative check-ups. After the joint replacement, almost all sports are possible for you, but we do not recommend jumping events, running events or contact sports.
When can I return to working life?
During the postoperative check-up, you and your doctor discuss your return to working life. A joint replacement does not prevent you from working.
How can I avoid infections in my joint replacement?
The prevention and careful treatment of infections are important issues in the future too. An infection can possibly transmit via the bloodstream to the joint replacement. If your dentist is planning dental procedures for you or your doctor is planning endoscopic examinations or other procedures, you must tell about the joint replacement to the attending doctor or the dentist.
If your physiotherapist is planning physical therapy for you, always remember to tell about the replacement joint. Deep heating treatments are forbidden in the area of the replacement joint.