What to expect after a hip replacement

Physical therapy gets you moving safely again. What comes next — rebuilding real strength and confidence — is often where progress stalls, because formal therapy ends before the leg is back to full function.

**Weeks 1 to 6.** Follow your surgeon's precautions exactly. Work is gentle: sit-to-stand practice, ankle and hip mobility, short walks that finish before fatigue.

**Weeks 6 to 12.** Most people are cleared for progressive strengthening. We add controlled step-ups, supported single-leg balance and gradual walking distance, watching for limping rather than pushing through it.

**Months 3 to 6.** This is when confidence returns. Training moves to stairs, uneven ground, carrying while walking, and getting up from the floor safely.

**What is normal:** some stiffness in the morning, and a leg that tires sooner than the other. **What is not:** sharp pain, new swelling or a change in how the joint feels — call your surgeon.

We coordinate with your physical therapist and physician throughout, and every visit produces a written report so your family and care team can see how the recovery is holding.