To prepare for hip replacement, start by arranging support, planning transport, organizing your home, and getting clear instructions from your surgical team. Preparation should reflect your health, your home, and the responsibilities you will return to after surgery.
A person living alone in a walk-up apartment may need a different plan from someone with a ground-floor bedroom and nearby help. Use this checklist and the questions below to identify what you need to arrange.
Your hip replacement preparation checklist
- Support: Identify who can help with meals, shopping, and household tasks.
- Transport: Arrange rides for surgery and follow-up appointments.
- Home: Put frequently used items within reach and ask about equipment before buying it.
- Instructions: Ask for a written plan for medicines, exercises, and activity restrictions.
- Follow-up: Save the team’s contact details and clarify how to report concerns.
NIAMS recommends planning household help, transport, meals, and a recovery space before hip replacement. If you live alone or help is difficult to arrange, raise that early so the team can discuss a suitable discharge plan.
Questions to ask before hip replacement
1. What improvement is realistic for me?
Start with the reason surgery is being considered. Which symptoms are expected to improve, and which may have another cause? Explain what matters most to you: sleeping comfortably, walking farther, caring for family, or returning to a particular activity.
Hip replacement replaces damaged parts of the joint, but the decision depends on your symptoms, prior treatment, and health. NIAMS explains the procedure and treatment choices. Our hip replacement guide offers a starting point for the consultation.
2. What help will I need at home?
Ask which daily tasks may require assistance and how your team will assess readiness to manage them. Then make the discussion concrete:
- Who can help with meals, shopping, or household tasks?
- Who will provide transportation to follow-up visits?
- Are stairs unavoidable in my home?
- Who can help with children, pets, or other caregiving duties?
NIAMS recommends planning support and preparing your home before surgery. Tell your team if reliable help is difficult to arrange; do not assume your discharge plan will be the same as someone else’s.
3. How should I prepare my space?
Walk through an ordinary day on paper: getting out of bed, using the bathroom, preparing food, and reaching the entrance. Bring that description to the team and ask about clear walking routes, seating, and any equipment they recommend.
Before buying equipment, ask what is appropriate for your procedure and what may already be arranged. The goal is a usable plan for your home, not a shopping list copied from the internet.
4. How will walking and rehabilitation progress?
Ask what walking aid you may need, how much weight you may place on the operated leg, and who will guide exercises. AAOS notes that weight-bearing instructions vary with the procedure and the surgeon’s guidance. Its activity guide after hip replacement also distinguishes walking from prescribed rehabilitation exercises.
Helpful follow-up questions are: “How will I know I am ready for the next step?” and “What should I do if an exercise is difficult?” Ask for instructions you can refer to at home.
5. Which movements or activities will I need to change?
Ask about your own restrictions for sitting, bending, sleeping, and everyday tasks. Avoid treating a universal list of hip precautions as your personal instructions. AAOS describes activity and positioning guidance that depends on the surgery and the individual.
Bring up the activities that matter to you, including hobbies and intimacy. A specific question makes it easier to discuss an appropriate modification or a later reassessment.
6. How will pain and medicines be managed?
Ask how to follow the pain-management plan, which side effects to report, and whom to contact if the plan is not working. Include questions about your existing medicines and any prescribed blood-clot prevention; do not change or stop them on your own.
The AAOS questions-for-your-surgeon checklist includes medication planning, pain control, complications, and follow-up contacts. Use it to prepare questions, not to select medication doses yourself.
7. When can I drive or return to work?
Describe your job duties and transportation needs. A desk-based role, a physically demanding job, and a long commute create different planning questions. Ask about safe return criteria, possible modifications, and when to reassess.
Driving readiness involves medication effects, strength, and reactions as well as your surgeon’s advice. AAOS recommends an individualized discussion rather than relying on a fixed date. Arrange an alternative ride until you have appropriate clearance. Our guide to driving after hip replacement explains the readiness questions to discuss with your team.
8. What symptoms should I report, and how?
Before surgery, obtain clear instructions about warning signs, follow-up appointments, after-hours concerns, and medical emergencies. Ask your team to distinguish symptoms that warrant an immediate call from those that can be discussed at a scheduled visit. Keep the correct contact information with your recovery instructions.
Take the next step
Explore joint replacement options or request an appointment to discuss your circumstances. If you are still preparing for the first visit, use our orthopedic appointment checklist.
This article provides general education. Follow your surgical team’s specific recovery and emergency instructions.