#hip physiotherapy

If you've had total hip replacement surgery, you've probably heard about physiotherapy. What's it exactly? The answer varies greatly, but it basically involves a series of outpatient physical therapy sessions, typically twice a week, to strengthen and stretch the muscles around the hip joint. This type of therapy will last for a number of weeks following your surgery. Your physiotherapist will also give you advice on your recovery, including how to regain strength and balance.

During the first couple of weeks following the operation, you will most likely need crutches or a frame to walk. During this time, a physiotherapist will work with you to perform exercises designed to strengthen your hip and speed up your recovery. While the timeframe for your recovery will depend on your individual needs, it should be at least one to three weeks before you can stop using crutches or walking. After that, you'll begin feeling more normal.

In the first weeks following your surgery, your physiotherapist will work with you to learn the best exercises to practice. Many exercises will help you avoid further injury and pain after surgery. In addition to exercises designed to help you recover faster, they will help you avoid developing other health problems that may delay your recovery. During the second weeks after surgery, you'll begin walking and weight bearing.

Hip pain is among the most common forms of joint and bone discomforts resulting from arthritis or bursitis. Severe arthritis can make the pain frequent, and increase its intensity with cold and overly warm temperatures. Arthritis is caused by the loss of cartilage in the joint whereas bursitis – the inflammation of joint lining – is usually caused by an injury or infection. While bursitis is treatable and may decrease with time and rest, arthritis is irreversible and the pain it creates must be dealt with using a variety of methods, the most effective of which may be physiotherapy.

The following exercises have been assembled by physiotherapists to diminish hip pain. Please note that hip physio exercises aren’t forms of permanent treatment for arthritis in the hip joint, but they can greatly appease its discomforts.

1.  Yoga

The Yoga bridge is a great physiotherapy exercise for hip pain. It requires you to lie flat on your back, preferably on a surface like a mat or a carpet, with your feet flat on the floor and your legs raised, bent. You will then need to propel your hips forward, lifting them off the floor whilst keeping your shoulders and head on the mat. Tense your abdominal muscles and ensure your knees are aligned with your ankles and shoulders. Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.

2.  Hip Stretching To encourage blood flow to the affected area and relieve strained muscles, kneel on the leg giving you the pain. You may keep the other leg bent. Using something to hold on to for balance, lean back, away from the hip causing the discomfort and push your pelvis forward. Contract your buttocks, until you feel a stretch from the top of your hip to your knee. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat a couple times.

3.  Inner-Thigh Ball-Squeezing As your inner thighs support your hips, strengthening them may relieve the joint of its pain. The most effective but least strenuous exercise to achieve this muscle development is to lie flat on your back legs raised, with a gym ball, hard pillow or Pilates ring placed between your legs. The ball should be hard enough to prohibit easy squeezing. You will then need to squeeze the ring as hard and as slowly as you can, until your legs are as close together as they will go. Hold the position for a couple seconds and repeat the exercise ten times.