What are hip and knee precautions?
Prior to the surgery and while rehabilitating after the surgery, you will be told of hip or knee precautions. These precautions are designed to help you get over the surgery safely without any complications occurring. The main complication shortly after a hip operation is dislocation and many of the precautions are a concern with this risk. Hip replacements can be done through different incisions and be of different types. Therefore each surgeon will develop a different set of hip precautions tailor made to his own surgery. Some surgeons using a particularly stable design of implant and approach to the hip may have very few precautions encouraging you to mobilise from crutches to sticks and a normal lifestyle as quickly as possible. Others may insist on a variety of precautions such as lying on your back in bed, not driving, not sitting on low chairs, not lying in the bath, not tying your shoes or putting your socks on, and using a raised toilet seat. It is therefore important to know
