I chose the anterior approach for 2 reasons. The doctor doesn't cut through muscles (just moves them out of the way) and quicker recovery time initially. My doctor told me it would take a a full year to heal completely. I agree with that. I wasn't completely pain free until then. I also feel like I waited too long to have mine done and lost a lot of muscle. I am still trying to build up strength on that side. If you have time, try and build up your strength or start doing the hip exercises they give you.

They will have you up and walking that day. I used a walker for the first week or so, then back to my cane. Walking wasn't that difficult or painful. I just felt like I was a little unsteady and needed to be careful. The hardest things to do were to get in/out of bed, get in/out of a chair and get on/off the toilet. Also, I was extrmemely tired, so it took more out of me than I expected. I napped for the first week or two. I am pretty tolerant of pain, so I cut back on the painkillers quickly. I was able to use Tylenol during the day and something stronger only to sleep. Sometimes it was hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. I started to feel more "normal" at about 3-4 weeks. I'm retired, so I didn't have to worry about going back to work. If I had to, I could have gone back after 2 weeks.

I had bilateral hip replacements in my 50's, about 6 weeks apart. My doctor used a posterior approach because I am very small, and he needed to see the whole joint to position everything perfectly.

I was back at work 3 weeks after the first one, 3 days a week. Having the second one so quickly took a lot out of me and I was off for about 5 weeks. 3 months later I was on a week long cruise, complete with dancing and off-ship excursions. I would say it took 9 months to be completely healed. I did PT at home every day for months to get my strength back.

Sue