Do you have hip or knee pain? Has your mobility declined recently and you are concerned what the next steps may be in order to get your independence back?
The issue, and solution may be concerning for some, but we hope this guideline offers a little spotlight on hip/knee replacement and what the steps are towards a successful recovery!
Speak to Your Doctor
When visiting your doctor, make sure you describe your pain and explain how it affects your day to day life. You can ask your doctor to order an x-ray of the area you are concerned about. If your doctor or specialist recommends hip replacement or knee replacement surgery, there are also changes you can make in your life to help achieve a good result. For many people, age and joint/bone degradation would be the primary factors that lead people to replacement surgeries. However other risk factors include smoking, high alcohol intake, parents with hip fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, and either being overweight/underweight, and other metabolic conditions that would contribute to decreased bone/joint integrity
Lifestyle Changes
You may need to change parts of your lifestyle if you are going to undergo hip or knee replacement surgery. This can include adding exercise to your routine or even changing your diet. A simple exercise to add would be to go for a nightly walk or using light resistance bands to help strengthen the muscle around the area. Diet and exercise can also help a great deal with pain. Look at starting with a small change to your diet, example decreasing your sugar intake. Decreasing weight on your joints can prolong the need for surgery.
Physiotherapy
Your doctor may recommend you visit a physiotherapist prior to hip or knee replacement surgery. Physiotherapy can help you with exercises to strengthen the area around the painful joint. They can also help make you stronger before surgery which helps with your recovery. An easy exercise that is good for hip and knee is to stand holding the back of a chair and squat down.
Home Healthcare Solutions
Orchardview Pharmacy is proud to offer you products to prepare you for surgery and to help you achieve an independent lifestyle. Some of the products Orchardview offers include:
● Mobility aids
○ cane, walker
● Bath safety devices
○ raised toilet seat
● Activities of Daily Living (ADL) products
○ reachers
○ sock aids
Before hip or knee replacement surgery, as well as when you are in recovery, there are many ways to change your home to make it safer and easier to move around. These Home Healthcare Solutions can be simple to put in place, or they may require some effort, but any change can help improve your comfort.
● Remove rugs to prevent a tripping hazard
● Install grab bars in the shower
● Raise bed and chairs to make it easier to get him from and to keep hips at a 90 degree angle
Leaving the Hospital
When you are discharged from the hospital, your doctor will suggest items for your home to help with your recovery. Most hospitals will provide a list of items that are needed or strongly recommended. These products will aid in navigating through your bathroom, bedroom etc.
But there are many more products to help with other rooms or situations around the house. These items might include:
● A walker
● A cane
● A long-handled sponge for bathing
● A long handled shoehorn
● A reacher to pick things up
● A sock aid
● A raised toilet seat
● Or a bath seat.
You may only need these items for a few weeks or months. This is why we recommend you rent these home healthcare items instead of purchasing them directly.
We hope that you will think of us here at Orchardview Pharmacy when getting information about your hip/knee replacement!