Hip Replacement Precautions: Sitting, Sleeping, Dressing and Stairs in the First Months

Dislocation risk is highest in the first few months while the tissues around a new hip heal. The everyday rules for sitting, sleeping and getting dressed are how you protect it.

After a hip replacement, most of the healing happens while you go about ordinary life: sitting on the toilet, getting out of bed, climbing into a car, pulling on socks. The ball of the new hip sits in its socket held by muscles and soft tissue that need time to recover, and certain positions can push it out. That is a dislocation. The AAOS guide to total hip replacement (OrthoInfo, 2026) says the risk is highest in the first few months while tissues heal, that a dislocated hip can often be put back without surgery, and that repeated dislocations may need further surgery.

This page translates the usual precautions into the rooms where you will actually use them. One rule overrides everything below: your surgeon's and physical therapist's instructions come first. OrthoInfo notes that the specific precautions depend on the surgical approach used, and some patients are given fewer restrictions than others. If what you read here differs from what your team told you, follow your team.

The core rules

The MedlinePlus guide to hip replacement precautions (reviewed 2024) sets out four general rules that underpin nearly everything else:

1. Do not cross your legs or ankles, whether sitting, standing or lying down.
2. Do not bend far forward at the waist or lift your leg higher than your waist.
3. Do not bend the hip past 90 degrees, a right angle.
4. Keep your feet and knees pointing straight ahead, not turned in or out.

OrthoInfo says these kinds of precautions for sitting, bending and sleeping usually apply for about the first six weeks. MedlinePlus speaks more generally about taking care during the first few months. Ask your surgeon for your own end date, and do not drop the rules early because you feel well.

Living room: chairs and sitting

Low, soft furniture is the most common trap, because sinking into it bends the hip past a right angle without you noticing. MedlinePlus recommends:

• A firm chair with a straight back and armrests. Avoid sofas, soft chairs, rocking chairs and stools.
• Hips higher than knees. Add a firm cushion if the seat is low.
• Feet about 6 inches (15 cm) apart.
• No more than about 30 to 40 minutes in one position.

Standing up from a chair

Slide forward to the edge of the seat, push up using the armrests and your walker or crutches, and avoid rocking yourself up for momentum. If your chair has no arms, it is the wrong chair for now.

Bathroom: toilet, shower and bath

Toilet

A standard toilet is often too low. MedlinePlus suggests a raised toilet seat if needed so your knees stay below your hips. Many people find armrests or a frame around the toilet helpful for getting up.

Shower

• Standing showers are allowed; a shower chair or stable plastic chair gives you the option to sit.
• Use a non-slip mat and keep the floor dry.
• Do not bend, squat or reach for things. A long-handled sponge helps, and someone else can adjust controls or wash places you cannot reach safely.

Bath

Do not sit down in the bottom of a standard tub; getting back up safely is very hard without breaking the rules above. Use a tub seat if you must use a bath, and keep the wound dry until your team says otherwise. OrthoInfo notes that stitches or staples are typically removed about two weeks after surgery and the wound should be kept dry until it is fully sealed.

Bedroom: sleeping and getting dressed

Sleeping position

MedlinePlus advises not sleeping on your stomach or on the side of the new hip. If you sleep on your other side, put a pillow between your thighs so the operated leg does not drop across the midline. Some patients are given an abduction pillow or wedge to keep the legs apart.

Dressing

Sit on a stable chair or the edge of the bed rather than standing. Then:

• Put trousers, underwear and socks on the operated leg first, and take them off that leg last.
• Use a reacher or dressing stick to get garments over your feet without bending.
• A sock aid and long-handled shoehorn let you deal with feet without bending past 90 degrees.
• Elastic laces or slip-on shoes with non-skid soles save a lot of effort. Avoid slippers, which make falls more likely.

Hallway and stairs

The rule MedlinePlus gives is easy to remember: going up, lead with the non-operated leg; going down, lead with the operated leg. Hold the rail every time. OrthoInfo's hip guide adds that stairs are a particular fall risk until the hip is strong, and recommends handrails on stairs as part of preparing the home.

On flat ground:

• Keep using the walker or crutches until your surgeon says you can stop.
• Put only as much weight on the leg as you were told you may.
• Turn with small steps instead of pivoting on the operated leg.
• Slow down on wet or uneven surfaces, and clear rugs and cords from your usual routes.

The car

Car seats are often low and deep, which makes them one of the riskiest places for a new hip. MedlinePlus suggests:

• Get in from street level, not from a kerb or doorstep.
• Check the seat is not too low; add a firm pillow if needed.
• Make sure the seat material lets you slide across easily.
• On long trips, stop and walk around about every two hours.
• Do not drive until your surgeon says so. MedlinePlus notes that timing depends on whether the right or left hip was replaced.

Ask your physical therapist to show you a safe way to get in and out of a car that keeps within your precautions, and practise it with your helper before you need it for real.

A room-by-room checklist

What your helper needs to know

Whoever is staying with you in the first weeks can make the precautions far easier to keep, or accidentally undo them. Share your written rules with them before surgery, not after. A few things are worth practising together: getting you in and out of the car the way your therapist showed you, helping with the operated-side sock and shoe, and handing you things so you are not reaching or bending. OrthoInfo's hip guide recommends arranging help with cooking, shopping, bathing and laundry for several weeks, which is mostly about removing the moments when you would otherwise bend, twist or carry something awkward.

Helpers should also know the signs that need a phone call: a sudden increase in hip pain or trouble bearing weight, new calf swelling or pain, or any shortness of breath or chest pain.

Why approach matters

Surgeons reach the hip from different directions, and the direction affects which soft tissues are disturbed. That is why OrthoInfo says precautions depend on the approach, and why two people who had hip replacements in the same month can come home with different rules. Some surgeons give fewer restrictions after certain approaches; others keep similar rules for everyone. Before surgery, ask your surgeon which precautions you will follow, for how long, and whether they will be printed out for you and your helper.

After the precaution period

When your surgeon lifts the precautions, you can usually move more freely, but some long-term advice stays. OrthoInfo says most surgeons advise against high-impact activities such as running, jumping and high-impact sports, while recommending walking, swimming, golf, cycling and other low-impact activities. Keep attending follow-up appointments and keep exercising. Contact your surgeon urgently about any sudden new hip pain or a feeling that the hip has moved out of place.

If you are recovering away from home

Hotel rooms and rentals are rarely designed for a new hip. Low beds, deep sofas, bathtubs with no shower and low toilets are common. If you are having surgery abroad, ask in advance for a room with a walk-in shower and a firm chair, and pack or buy a raised toilet seat, reacher and sock aid locally. The precautions do not pause for a flight; aircraft seats can be low, so ask your surgeon how to manage the journey home.

Common questions

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