After your operation you will spend time in the recovery room, where you will be closely monitored before being transferred back to your room.  You will have a large amount of local anaesthetic injected at the time of operation around your hip joint, so most patients are very comfortable post operatively.

You will be able to get up from Day 1 with the use of crutches for balance and start walking on your new hip with the guidance of our physiotherapy team.  Some minor discomfort is to be expected during the first week or two, and this will settle gradually over time.  Your wound will be checked at 2 weeks and you will normally need crutches until this time. From 2 weeks you can progress off crutches.  Normally by 6 weeks patients are painfree and walking without the use of crutches around the home.  An exercise bike is recommended from 2 weeks post operatively and hydrotherapy from 4 weeks post operatively.  Walking for exercise is encouraged from 8 weeks post operatively.  Patients continue to improve with strength, walking and balance up to 1 year post surgery.

Hip replacements are very safe operations, however there are risks associated with any operation.  Mr Slattery routinely uses specialist physicians to thoroughly assess patients medically before their surgery, to ensure that any medical risks are minimized and that they are as fit as possible before their operation.  Possible risks in hip replacement surgery include: bleeding, infection, blood clots, fractures, dislocation of the prosthesis, leg length inequality, implant loosening, implant wear, and residual pain.  Some patients report numbness/tingling around their wound and down the outside of their thigh, this is normal and is related to stretching of the nerves supplying the skin and it normally gets better over time.  It does not affect in any way the performance of your hip replacement.