Total Hip Arthroplasty Posterior Approach

Authors
Affiliations

Nate Yomogida, B.S., SPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.S. in Kinesiology

Chloë Kerstein, B.S., SPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.A. in Neuroscience

Inpatient Rehab

Currently, most THA patients are on “home rehabilitation programs” and are discharged the same day.

Precautions

  1. Do not cross your legs
  2. Do not bend your hips more than 90 °
    • use a raised toilet seat
    • use higher, firm chairs with solid arms
    • Do not lift your knee/thigh above your hip
    • Use pillows or cushions to build up the height of your couch or chair if too low
    • Slide your surgical leg forward before standing up or sitting down
    • When seated do NOT lean forward to reach for objects, pick things up from the floor, or dress your lower body
    • your shoulders should never be in front of your hips and your hands should not reach further than your knees
    • Use adaptive equipment or have someone help you when dressing your lower body and when putting on shoes
  3. Do NOT roll your surgical leg inward (No hip IR)
  1. Do NOT flex the hip past 90 °
  2. Do NOT point the toes in or out
  3. Do NOT cross the legs or ankles
  4. Keep legs shoulder width apart
  5. Keep the surgical leg in front while transferring

AD Gait Training

Forward walking

  1. Slide walker forward
  2. Move the surgical leg inside the walker
  3. bring the non-surgical leg to meet the surgical leg

Backward walking

  1. Non-surgical leg
  2. Surgical leg
  3. Slide the walker

AD Stair Training

“Up with good, down with bad”

Ascending

Lead with your non-surgical leg going upi

Descending

Lead with your surgical leg going down

Exercise program

Citation

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