Online physiotherapy after hip replacement
After a hip replacement, rehab with us starts once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. A video session lets your physiotherapist watch you move and progress your home exercises, and any hip advice comes from your surgeon. Wounds and complications go back to your surgical team. Leg or hip pain and swelling with breathing difficulty or chest pain needs 999.
How online physiotherapy works after hip replacement
Your surgical team may set a period of protection before a gradual return to normal movement. Rehab starts once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. Until then, follow the advice and any precautions they gave you.
Any hip precautions after your operation, such as how far you may bend the hip or which positions to avoid, are set by your surgical team. We do not set them. We start once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions, and if they give you new advice later, follow it and tell us.
The NHS says your physiotherapist or occupational therapist explains home exercises before you leave hospital, and that following them helps long-term strength and movement. On video we watch the exercises you have been given, check how you get out of bed, sit down, stand and walk, and adjust the plan as your hip settles.
Home is where much of recovery happens, so we can look at your own bed height, chair, toilet and stairs, and talk through how you manage them. That is a practical advantage of video for this stage, although it does not replace in-person care.
We cannot see or feel the wound or check the joint by hand. If we are worried about the wound, a fall or a hip that is not progressing, we will tell you to contact your surgical team rather than carrying on with exercises.
If your hip trouble came before surgery, our page on online physiotherapy for hip pain covers that stage.
What the video assessment checks
- Confirmation that your surgical team has said you have no restrictions, and when your next follow-up with them is.
- The date of the operation, how you have been recovering since discharge, and what your discharge summary or exercise sheet says.
- How you get on and off the bed, in and out of a chair, and up and down stairs, and which of these still feel hard.
- How you walk, whether you use a stick, crutches or a frame, and how much the hip or leg aches or swells after activity.
- Your sleep, your work and the daily tasks you want to return to, and what worries you about moving the hip.
- The warning signs listed below, which we check for during your sessions.
What treatment usually involves
Your plan starts from the exercises your hospital team gave you, and builds in small steps once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. We set milestones with you for walking, strength and everyday movement, and review them at each follow-up. Where our suggestions and your surgeon's advice differ, follow your surgeon.
The first session is a 60-minute video assessment at £40, and follow-ups are 30 minutes at £30. Recovery differs from person to person. It depends on your condition; your physiotherapist will give you an estimate after your assessment.
The NHS gives some typical timings, which vary with the person and the surgeon. It says people are usually home about 1 to 3 days after the operation if generally fit and the surgery went well, are usually told to wait at least 6 weeks before driving (check with your doctor), and often return to work at about 6 weeks depending on the job. A follow-up with your surgical team is usually around 6 to 12 weeks.
Wound reviews and follow-up visits stay with your surgical team. NICE guidance on joint replacement recommends that people who do their rehabilitation on their own have a point of contact for advice and support, and are offered supervised rehabilitation if they struggle with daily activities or are not meeting their goals. It does not cover rehab by video. Keep your GP or specialist team informed about your treatment.
How long recovery usually takes
The NHS says it may take several months to recover from a hip replacement, with the pace set mostly by the operation itself. We review your walking, strength and everyday movement at each session, and we suggest you speak to your surgical team if your hip is not progressing as expected.
When you need to be seen in person instead
A video appointment is not the right route for the situations below, and a home visit is not a substitute for urgent care.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have pain and swelling in your hip or leg and difficulty breathing or chest pains. This could be a blood clot in the lungs.
- Do not drive yourself to A&E. Ask someone to drive you, or call 999.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have severe difficulty breathing, pain in your chest or upper back, a very fast heartbeat, or you collapse. These can be signs of a blood clot in the lungs. Do not drive yourself.
- If you have severe hip pain after a fall or injury, cannot walk or put weight on the leg, or have tingling or loss of feeling in the hip or leg after a fall or injury, the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E. Do not drive yourself.
- Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if you have throbbing or cramping pain in your hip or leg.
- Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if you have a high temperature, or feel hot, cold or shivery, or if the wound is oozing or has pus.
- Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if the redness, tenderness, swelling or pain in your hip or leg is not getting better or is getting worse. The NHS says these can be signs of infection or a blood clot.
- If you cannot walk or put weight on the leg, or have severe hip pain after a fall or injury, call 999 or go to A&E and do not drive yourself (see above). If you have sudden severe hip pain without a fall, ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111. If you are otherwise worried your hip may have dislocated, contact your surgical team, care team or GP. Wound checks and any complication go back to your surgical team, not to an online rehab session.
Exercises and self-checks
Common questions
When can I start online physio after a hip replacement?
Rehab starts once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions. Until then, follow the advice you were given in hospital. If you are unsure whether you have been cleared, ask your surgical team before booking.
What hip precautions should I follow?
Follow your surgeon's advice. Precautions are set by your surgical team and can differ between surgeons, so we do not set or change them. Rehab with us starts only once your surgical team has confirmed you have no restrictions, so if you still have precautions in place, it is too early to book. If anything is unclear, ask your surgeon or ward team.
Can you check my wound?
No. Our service guidance is that wound checks and any complication go back to your surgical team. If the wound is oozing, you feel hot or shivery, or the hip is more red or swollen, use the urgent routes listed on this page.
How long does recovery take?
The NHS says it may take several months. We cannot give you a firm date, and we review your progress with you at each session.
Further reading
This information is general and not a substitute for an assessment. Don't start a new exercise programme without advice from a physiotherapist or doctor who knows your condition. If an exercise causes pain that doesn't settle, stop and seek advice.
Sources
Book an online assessment
A 60-minute video assessment with an HCPC-registered physiotherapist is £40.
Book my assessment