XRay of a hip

Hip replacement

Hydrotherapy for Total Hip Replacement Recovery

Recovering from a total hip replacement is a journey that can transform your quality of life. Whether your surgery was cemented or uncemented, hydrotherapy offers a safe, effective way to regain strength, mobility, and confidence. At our facility, we work with patients both before and after surgery, tailoring each program to maximise recovery and long-term success.

Preparing Your Hip and Body

When a hip joint needs replacement, the pain can escalate quickly, leading to muscle weakness, reduced mobility, and even disrupted sleep.

Pre-surgery hydrotherapy can help:

Pain Relief

The buoyancy and warmth of the water reduce pressure on your hip joint, providing immediate pain relief and improved comfort.

Strengthening Key Muscles

Water-based exercises allow you to safely begin strengthening the muscles around your hip, preparing your body for surgery and recovery.

Improved Sleep and Quality of Life

By reducing pain and stiffness, hydrotherapy can help restore better sleep and ease daily activities, making the period leading up to surgery more manageable.

Post-Surgery: Accelerating Your Recovery

Starting hydrotherapy soon after surgery often in collaboration with your consultant can dramatically improve your outcomes. Here’s how:

Safe Early Mobilisation

The buoyancy of water reduces the strain on your new hip joint, enabling you to begin walking unaided earlier and with greater confidence.

Gait Retraining

Many patients develop a side-to-side gait before surgery due to weak gluteal muscles. In the pool, we focus on gait education, helping you achieve smooth, natural walking patterns without overloading the joint.

Gluteal Muscle Recruitment

Strong glutes are key to hip stability and function. Hydrotherapy allows for targeted exercises to activate and strengthen these muscles, essential for long-term recovery.

Pain Management

The warm water promotes relaxation, reduces inflammation, and minimises post-surgical pain, making exercises more comfortable and effective.

Improved Range of Motion and Strength

Gentle, controlled movements in water help restore your hip’s range of motion while gradually building strength in the surrounding muscles.

Enhanced Confidence and Independence

Hydrotherapy provides a safe, supportive environment where you can work on functional movements and regain independence in daily activities.

Why Hydrotherapy Works

The unique properties of water—buoyancy, resistance, and warmth—create an ideal setting for rehabilitation:

  • Buoyancy reduces weight-bearing stress, allowing for earlier movement and exercise.
  • Water resistance provides gentle, multidirectional support, helping you strengthen muscles without strain.
  • Warmth soothes pain, reduces stiffness, and promotes circulation to aid healing.

A patient exercising following hip replacements

Here is a short video clip of a patient performing a selection of her exercises at Aqua-Physio 2 weeks and 10 weeks after left and right sided total hip replacement’s respectively.

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