⚤ Friendly general guidance. Your surgical team’s pre-operative instructions always take priority. If in doubt: call and ask before your procedure.
Preparing for Hip Replacement Surgery
Hip replacement preparation is about more than fasting and stopping medications. Understanding hip precautions before surgery (the movements to avoid after the operation) and preparing your home to accommodate them makes the first weeks at home significantly safer and less stressful.
🩺
Based on guidance from NHS, NICE, AAOS & healthdirect (last checked Oct 2026)
Last reviewed: July 2026 · Free to use · No data collected
Preparing for Hip Replacement Surgery: Understanding hip precautions before surgery
- Hip precautions are movement restrictions that begin the moment you wake from surgery, understanding them before the operation means you are prepared, not surprised
- No bending the hip more than 90°: do not lean forward past a right angle when sitting
- No crossing your legs: including crossing at the ankle
- No turning the foot inward: keep toes pointing forward or slightly out
- Your physiotherapist will demonstrate exactly what this means in daily life: showering, dressing, getting in and out of a car, and using the toilet. Ask for a demonstration at your pre-operative appointment if not offered.
💊Medications and fasting
- Stop blood thinners (warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel) as specifically instructed: usually 5–7 days before
- Stop aspirin 7 days before unless on cardiac advice to continue
- Stop NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen) 7 days before
- Continue blood pressure, heart, and epilepsy medications on the morning of surgery with a small sip of water
- Fasting: nothing to eat for 6 hours. Clear fluids until 2 hours before. Follow your anaesthetist’s specific instructions.
🏠Home modifications: do these before surgery
Raise your toilet with a raised toilet seat — a standard toilet is too low for hip precautionsThe hip must not bend more than 90° when sitting, a raised seat prevents this
Raise your chair with a firm cushion or chair raisers to a height where your knees are lower than your hipsLow sofas and recliners are unsafe with hip precautions
Prepare a ground-floor sleeping option if stairs are required to reach the bedroomYou may not manage stairs safely in the first days at home
Install a shower stool or bath benchStanding showers are difficult; bath entry is often not permitted with hip precautions
Remove loose rugs and all trip hazardsYou will be on crutches: any floor obstacle is a serious fall risk
Arrange a long-handled grabber, sock aid, and long-handled shoe hornYou cannot bend to reach your feet with hip precautions
Arrange a driver and carer for the first 2–4 weeksYou cannot drive for 6–8 weeks after hip replacement
Track your wound healing
Take a photo of your wound each day. The ghost overlay lines up your previous photo so you can spot changes. Drag the reveal slider to compare before and after. Bring the photos to your next appointment. If something looks off, try our wound symptom checker.
100% private. Photos stay on your device. Nothing uploaded.
📷 Open wound photo journal →Get these ready before surgery day
Having these set up at home before you go to hospital means one less thing to worry about.
🚽
You will need this from day one at home. Set it up before surgery so it is ready when you walk through the door. Raised toilet seat →
🦶
You will not be able to bend past 90 degrees for weeks. A reacher lets you pick things up, grab clothes, and manage independently. Reacher grabber →
🧦
A sock aid is a small thing you will use every single day. Practise with it before surgery so you know the technique. Sock aid →
Set up a shower chair before you go in. You will be grateful not to have to organise one while recovering. Shower chair →
🦿
You'll likely need crutches or a frame for the first few weeks — worth sorting comfortable forearm crutches before you go in. Crutches →
Postopcare.info may earn a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you. These are things patients have told us genuinely helped their recovery, nothing else.
🇺🇸 US patients: medical-grade raised toilet seats, shower chairs, and grab rails available from American Medical Rentals.
Your recovery toolkit
Free interactive tools to track your recovery day by day. Everything stays on your device — nothing is uploaded or shared.
Prep checklistBefore surgery day and your first week homePrintable checklistPrint-friendly version for your fridge or folderDischarge packTurn discharge notes into a day-one planDaily dashboardMeds, vitals & wound photos in one viewMedication scheduleLay out dose times, add calendar remindersDriving readinessWhat published guidance says before you drive
These tools support — never replace — the advice of your surgical team. If something feels wrong, contact your doctor or emergency services.