Research Corner - Q&A Prehab for Hip Replacement by Anthony Carey | Date Released : 05 Dec 2006 0 comments Print Close Question: A client of mine is going to have a hip replacement next year. Although I have found articles on your site useful, can you give me some pointers I can do right now to assist with speeding up her rehab phase? Answer: Congratulations to you and your client for wanting to go into the surgery as prepared as possible. “Pre-habilitation” pays off huge dividends for those smart enough to prepare for surgery. As a practitioner, the first question I ask is: “What has led her to need a hip replacement?” What information in her health history and past musculoskeletal assessments might give me insight into the mechanical stress that is manifesting itself in her hip? And my second and equally important question is: “Which of these issues will be resolved with the prosthesis, and which are likely to carry over?” You want to begin your pre-habilitation with these dysfunctional characteristics that are likely to carry over post op. For example, if your client has been walking with the torso translated away from the painful hip for years, that habitual motion will not suddenly go away post op. Or if she has tight hip flexors that have negatively affected the articulation of the hip joint, that dysfunction is not likely to go away post op either. Also, functional strengthening of the hip joint complex is always prudent since they will be directly affected by the surgery. Strengthening should be within pain-free ranges to avoid eliciting reflexive inhibition or protective guarding. Unless you have received clearance from her doctor, working in painful ranges is outside the fitness professional’s scope of practice and promotes further compensation. Finally, the surgery itself and immobilization post op will reduce proprioception of the hip joint and the rest of the involved lower extremity. Challenging her proprioceptively and increasing her static and dynamic balance above current levels will provide her with a slight “cushion” toward more quickly returning to baseline levels post op. Back to top About the author: Anthony Carey Anthony Carey M.A., CSCS, MES is PFP Magazine’s 2009 Personal Trainer of the Year and owner of Function First in San Diego, California and an international presenter on biomechanics, corrective exercise, functional anatomy and motor control and their relationships to pain and function. Anthony has developed the Pain Free Movement Specialist certification and is the inventor of the Core-Tex®. Full Author Details Related content Content from Anthony Carey Hip Replacement Anthony Carey | Articles Hip Replacement and Exercise Steve Rhyan | Articles Lower Back Pain Essentials Anthony Carey | Articles The Core-Tex: Reactive Training & Reactive Variability Anthony Carey | Articles Successful Corrective Exercise Programming Anthony Carey | Articles Myofascial Mobility Through Strategic Movement Anthony Carey | Articles Maximizing Your Minimalist Footwear Anthony Carey | Articles Scoliosis Anthony Carey | Articles Club Foot Anthony Carey | Articles Corrective Exercise Is Functional - Part 3 Anthony Carey | Articles Corrective Exercise Is Functional - Part 2 Anthony Carey | Articles Corrective Exercise Is Functional - Part 1 Anthony Carey | Articles Spinal Fusion and Mountain Biking Anthony Carey | Articles Corrective Exercise for Excessive Standing Anthony Carey | Articles Broken Leg and Scar Tissue Anthony Carey | Articles Prehab for Hip Replacement Anthony Carey | Articles The 80/20 Principle Anthony Carey | Articles Teen Client with Cerebral Palsy Anthony Carey | Articles Knock Knees Anthony Carey | Articles Hip Replacement Anthony Carey | Articles Before the Core - Part 2 Anthony Carey | Articles Before the Core - Part 1 Anthony Carey | Articles Before the Core - Part 3 Anthony Carey | Articles Hip Pain Post Frontal Plane Exercise Anthony Carey | Articles Lateral Pelvic Tilt Anthony Carey | Articles Pars Defect Anthony Carey | Articles Upslip Downslip Hip Anthony Carey | Articles Single Leg Weakness Anthony Carey | Articles Hammer Toe Anthony Carey | Articles Treadmill Dysfunction Anthony Carey | Articles No Cartilage in Ankle Anthony Carey | Articles Sway Back Anthony Carey | Articles Concave/Convex Chest Anthony Carey | Articles Lumbar Spine Injury Recovery Anthony Carey | Articles Lumbar Disc Bulge Anthony Carey | Articles Shoulder Stinger from Rugby Anthony Carey | Articles Risks of Spinal Flexion and Rotation Anthony Carey | Articles Skier’s Achilles Tendonitis Anthony Carey | Articles Please login to leave a comment Comments (0) Back to top