Understanding the problem
Preoperative assessment may involve tests and discussion of anaesthesia. Tell the team about previous surgery, allergies and current treatment. An exercise or health-improvement plan should fit your condition rather than add pain or fatigue immediately before admission.
Care and next steps
Ask whether you need equipment or adaptations at home and who will advise on them. Movement precautions can differ, so avoid buying equipment or memorising restrictions from someone else’s operation without checking that they apply to you.
Prepare for your consultation
Describe your bed, chair, bathroom and stairs, and explain whether help is available during the day and overnight. Confirm how you will reach the hospital and attend follow-up. Ask which documents to bring and keep the implant discussion, consent questions and cost estimate together. Write down the team’s contact number for a new illness or a change in symptoms before the planned date.
Plan transfers as well as walking
Tell the team about a low bed, floor-level seating and the toilet you normally use. Ask them to demonstrate a suitable way to get into your own type of car. Arrange a practical sleeping and bathroom setup before admission rather than improvising after you return.
Agree on the instructions you will take home
Use these questions to make the consultation specific to your situation.
- Which precautions apply to my operation?
- Who should check my walking aid and home exercises?
- Will the discharge plan need to account for stairs or living alone?
X-rays from Dr Shahrukh’s practice
Joint replacement & fracture fixation
Images supplied by Dr Shahrukh Khan, with short explanations of the bones and implants shown. Tap an image to enlarge it.
An image taken during hip surgery, showing a hip implant and a surgical instrument.
Patient-information areas have been cropped out where present. These images illustrate treatment methods; they do not establish recovery or a matched before-and-after result.
From Dr Shahrukh’s practice
Procedure photographs
Photographs supplied by Dr Shahrukh Khan. Open a photo to see the full image and caption. Procedure images do not predict an individual patient’s outcome.
Dr Shahrukh Khan performing hip replacement surgery.
Common questions
Are the same hip precautions used for everyone?
No. Follow the precautions and equipment advice given for your own procedure and circumstances.
Medical sources & further reading
These updates are awaiting medical review by Dr Shahrukh Khan. It cannot diagnose your symptoms or replace a personalised clinical assessment. Editorial policy · About the doctor.