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You’re looking forward to walking again with a hip that doesn’t object to every step. The key to this goal is the hip arthroscopy procedure you’ve scheduled with Dr. Brian White, who is our highly skilled hip preservation specialist here at Western Orthopaedics.
While you’re in great hands when you’re in our care, you’re wondering if there's anything you can do on your end to make it all go more smoothly.
Each year in the United States, around one million orthopaedic arthroscopies are performed, which means we’ve learned a thing or two about best practices. And we review a few of those here.
We’re sure you know there will be plenty of physical therapy (PT) after your hip arthroscopy (we tend to drill that point in), but we also recommend that you consider PT in advance of your procedure.
For starters, advance PT can strengthen the muscles that support your hip, which can be extremely helpful after your hip arthroscopy. This added strength allows you to take to your feet sooner, with better balance and support, than if you start with weak hips.
As well, if we know that you’ll be using crutches afterward, going over how to use them in PT beforehand is beneficial.
One benefit of arthroscopy is that, in most cases, you’re free to go home the same day. That said, we’re not sending you home to jump back into your normal routine.
For at least a week or two after your hip arthroscopy, you need to take it easy and focus on healing and physical therapy. So, we suggest you take at least the first week off from work, clear your schedule, and make room for recovery.
Depending upon whether you're on crutches or using a brace, which side we perform the arthroscopy on, and whether your car is an automatic or manual transmission, you might not get behind the wheel for a few weeks after your procedure. So, we recommend that you arrange for some transportation ahead of time.
If you’re going to be on crutches or moving more carefully, you want to make the homefront a little friendlier and safer. This means removing loose rugs, clearing wires, and placing handholds in the shower.
If your bedroom is on the second floor, it might be a good idea to set up camp on the first floor for a few nights until you tackle stair climbing in PT.
Just take a look around your house to identify — and remedy — any potential hazards before your hip procedure.
We supply each of our patients with comprehensive instructions, and we’re always on hand if you have a question. We also customize these instructions to your circumstances — are you taking medication that you need to stop before the arthroscopy, for example?
Whatever your needs or considerations, these will all be part of our instructions, so please follow them closely.
While hip arthroscopies offer incredible benefits, namely shorter recovery, you do still need to recover, and prepping for this time ahead of your procedure is a good idea.
If you have more questions about how to prepare for your hip arthroscopy, please contact one of our offices in Arvada or Denver, Colorado.
