Preparing for Hip Replacement Surgery: How I Got Ready

The most useful thing I did before my hip replacement happened weeks before I ever reached the hospital: I got stronger, I got my house ready, and I made the practical decisions while I could still bend down to make them. Surgery felt like the big event, but the recovery was shaped long before the operating list. The body that goes into theatre stronger comes out of it steadier, and the home you walk back into decides how hard those first awkward weeks feel. Here is what I actually did, sorted into the things worth your energy.

Prehab: get the muscles ready before the surgeon does

Building up the muscles around the hip before surgery is the single preparation step with the clearest payoff. Going into a joint replacement fitter and stronger is linked to an easier early recovery, and preoperative education and exercise help people feel more in control of what is coming ¹. I thought of it as banking strength. Every bit of muscle I had before surgery was muscle I did not have to rebuild from zero afterwards.

My physiotherapist kept it simple and realistic for a painful hip: glute squeezes, gentle seated knee lifts, and sit-to-stand practice from a firm chair. We also worked the arms and shoulders, because you push yourself up on crutches and out of chairs with your upper body for weeks, and that is exhausting if you have not prepared for it. None of it was heroic. Ten or fifteen minutes most days, within the pain I had, was enough to make a difference. If you want a structured starting point, the hip replacement exercises I used carry straight through into the recovery side too.

Get your general health as steady as you can

Walking in with your other health conditions well controlled lowers your risk of complications, especially infection and slow healing. Deep infection after a hip replacement runs at about 1 in 100, and while that is uncommon, it is serious enough to be worth reducing every way you can ². The levers that are genuinely in your hands are smoking, blood-sugar control if you have diabetes, and any dental or skin infections, which are best treated before surgery rather than during recovery.

Stopping smoking is the standout. It improves wound healing and lowers infection and chest-complication risk, and the benefit is biggest when you stop at least four to eight weeks ahead. I will not pretend it is easy under stress, but a surgery date is a powerful reason. Sensible non-surgical care of the joint continues right up to the operation as well: keeping moving, managing weight where you can, and pain relief that lets you stay active all fit the broader management picture for hip osteoarthritis ³. For the bigger decision sitting behind all of this, my notes on the signs it’s time for a hip replacement explain how I got to the point of a date at all.

Set up your home while you can still bend down

Prepare the house before surgery, not after, because the first 6 to 12 weeks limit how you move and you will not want to be problem-solving on crutches. If you have a posterior approach, dislocation precautions are commonly advised for those first weeks, which means not bending the hip past a right angle, not crossing your legs, and not twisting on the operated side ². Everything in the house has to bend to that, so it helps to look at each room through that lens in advance.

What earned its place for me: a raised toilet seat, a long-handled grabber, a shoehorn, and a sock aid, so I could dress and use the bathroom without folding at the hip. A firm chair with arms that I could push up from beat any soft sofa. I cleared loose rugs and trailing cables, moved everyday things to waist height, and put a chair in the shower. I also batch-cooked and froze a fortnight of meals, which sounds fussy until you are tired, sore, and standing on one good leg at the counter. The hip dislocation precautions article goes deeper on exactly which movements to design around.

The pre-op assessment: what it actually checks

The pre-operative assessment is the appointment that confirms you are fit for surgery and sets the plan, usually a week or two before the date. It checks your general fitness for an anaesthetic, runs blood tests, sometimes a heart trace, and screens for infection so nothing is missed ². It is also where the anaesthetic conversation happens. Many hip replacements are done under a spinal anaesthetic with you awake or lightly sedated rather than a general, and the choice depends on your health and your preference. I found understanding that in advance took most of the fear out of it, and our anaesthesia for hip replacement piece walks through both options.

Bring a complete list of your medications and supplements, because some, such as certain blood thinners and anti-inflammatories, may be paused beforehand. Do not stop anything yourself: let the team tell you what and when. This appointment is also your chance to ask the things that have been nagging at you, and having them written down helps. I kept a running note on my phone, which fed straight into the questions to ask your hip surgeon.

Plan the practical logistics early

Sort the boring logistics before the day, because they are the things that derail an otherwise smooth start. The hospital stay is usually 1 to 3 days, with some carefully selected people going home the same day, and you cannot drive yourself home from any of those ². I arranged a lift in advance and asked someone to stay with me for the first few days, which mattered more than I expected during the wobbliest stretch.

A few specifics that saved me hassle: confirm the fasting instructions for the morning of surgery, usually no food for several hours and clear fluids until a stated time, and follow them exactly, since surgery can be delayed or cancelled if they are missed. Modern teams run a formal surgical safety checklist before they start, which is reassuring to know is happening behind the scenes ⁴. Pack light: comfortable loose clothes, slip-on shoes, your medication list, glasses, a phone charger with a long cable, and the walking aids if you were told to bring your own. Then plan the calendar gently. Most normal activities return within about 3 months, so block out time and lower your own expectations for the first few weeks rather than scheduling life as usual ¹.

This is general information from a patient’s perspective, not medical advice. Your fitness, your surgical approach, and your team’s instructions all change what preparation looks like for you. Follow the plan from the people who will operate on you, and see a qualified clinician about anything that worries you.