Hip precautions

Hip precautions refer to certain things that one should not do after having a hip replacement. Since the hip joint is very weak from surgery, doing any of these three things can greatly increase the risk of hip dislocation.

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The three hip precautions are:

• Bend
• Cross
• Twist

One should not bend the hip past an angle of 90 degrees (L-shaped). This is especially difficult when sitting on toilet seats, which tend to be low. Therefore, an occupational therapist will educate patients in techniques on sitting on low toilet seats, as well as telling them to obtain raised toilet seats.

Crossing refers to any time one leg crosses the other. Since it is difficult not to cross your legs when sleeping, many doctors will recommend that a patient sleep with abductor pillows, which keep the legs separated.

Twisting refers to putting a lot of weight on one leg and twisting to retrieve an object. For example, if one is cooking a light meal, they should not twist their bodies to retrieve a pot from a high shelf, rather, they should shuffle over sideways, retrieve the pot, and then shuffle back to the starting point.