How Long After Hip Replacement Can I Tie My Shoes? [Fully Answered]

This blog post topic is one that hits close to home for me: how long after hip replacement surgery can you tie your shoes?

It is important for someone who has had a hip replacement to take their time and not rush when getting out of bed, sitting down, or standing up.  The recovery time for getting out of bed after hip replacement or hip arthroplasty can vary from person to person. One of the main concerns after hips surgery is regaining your ability to tie your shoes.

So, how long after hip replacement can I tie my shoes? Depending on the severity of the surgery and the patient’s physical status, it can take 4 to 16 weeks for hip replacement patients to be able to tie their own shoes.The rehabilitation period following hip replacement surgery can vary depending on factors such as the technique of hip surgery (anterior or posterior), muscle strength, your comfort level with pain, and how mobile you were before and after the hip surgery. Furthermore, I’d still recommend you consult your therapist after a recommended period before you start bending to tie your shoes.

How Should I Wear Shoes After Total Hips Replacement Surgery?

The way of wearing shoes after hip replacement depends on the approach of hip replacement. Too much bending is strictly prohibited in the posterior approach. The bending to tie the shoes after several weeks of posterior hip surgery can lead to its failure. So, you should ask someone to tie the shoes for you if you have the posterior approach to hip surgery, or you can wear slip-on shoes or shoes with elastic laces, such as loafers while standing.

Caution: With a posterolateral approach most surgeons advise against hip flexion past 90 degrees. Also, make sure that the knee should not be higher than your hip while sitting on a chair.

It can take more than a year in posterior hip surgery for your muscles to get back to the normal operation so that you can bend past 90 degrees to tie your shoes. You can also check out this video in which a surgeon says that there are higher chances of dislocation of hips, even after the one year of the posterior approach of hip surgery.

If you have posterior hip replacement surgery, it takes more time to restore to your normal routine than anterior surgery. A research was also carried out to study the effect of anterior and posterior approach of hip replacement surgery in several patients. It was found that the anterior approach of hip surgery took a longer time significantly compared to the posterior approach. However, the duration of stay in the hospital for anterior group patients was shorter than posterior group patients.

A study also found that at the 6-week follow-up visit, patients with anterior approach started climbing stairs and walking normally compared to patients with the posterior approach of hip surgery.

So, if you had the anterior approach of hips replacement, you can tie your shoes by sitting on a chair after 4 to 6 weeks of operation. A shoehorn can help you put on your footwear. If that’s not an option, then raising up the foot on a chair with one hand while putting on your shoe with the other will work.

Caution: If you had an anterior replacement, avoid taking wide steps to the side, as shown in the picture below.

What Type of Shoes Should I Wear After Hip Surgery?

Shoes can be a big challenge after hip surgery. If you have a new hip replacement, you may need to take precautions to make sure it is not aggravated. Doctors generally tell hip replacement patients to avoid high heels and shoes with pointed toes when they are in the recovery phase.

If you’re a woman, high heels put pressure on the back edge of the shoes, which can cause pain when it contacts the hip replacement when walking. Shoes with pointed toes also put pressure on the ball end of the leg in the shoe. Pointed shoes can cause pain in many areas, not just the hip.

There are several factors to consider before attempting to wear shoes. First, it’s important to be able to move freely. If you feel stiff, you probably won’t be comfortable in shoes. Secondly, you should be able to walk without feeling too much pain. The shoes should feel soft and conform to the shape of your foot.

Can You Lose Your Ability to Walk After a Hip Replacement?

The short answer is “no.” This is a very common question that is asked of the doctors who perform hip replacements. You can’t lose your ability to walk or disturb your walking gait after a hip surgery. The ability to not walk on your own after hips replacement is a temporary condition. Initially, you may have to use crutches or walkers.

Hip replacement surgery is often performed to relieve pain, improve mobility, and prevent future skeletal deformities. The fact is that most individuals can walk after hip replacement surgery. The amount of pain may vary, but the ability to walk is nearly guaranteed. In posterior surgery, the ability to walk again usually takes much more time than the anterior approach. You just need to do regular exercises (click to check pdf) and stretches as recommended by your orthopedic surgeon.

You can also check out this research on balance control after THR, in which it was found that after 16 weeks of hip surgery, the frontal plane inclination angles were improved. However, there were still some differences with the inclination angle of normal people. The patients couldn’t reach the small inclination angle of normal persons by 16 weeks. So, even after several weeks of surgery, there are still some differences in the style of your walking gait, which will gradually become normal over time.

Pro-Tip: Using a shoe insert or insole in your shoes while walking can help improve comfort when wearing shoes after hip replacement surgery. Shoe inserts are commonly used to ease joint pain and discomfort following total joint replacement surgery, including joint replacements for hips, knees, and ankles.

You can also check out my guide on walking shoes to avoid hip pain.

Is It Possible to Run or Jog Again After Hip Replacement Surgery?

The quick answer is yes, but with some caveats. You should start running or jogging after about 6 weeks of hip surgery if you had anterior treatment. Also, don’t expect to run several miles everyday.

The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, which means that the head of the femur (ball) fits firmly into the acetabulum (socket). Running requires more balance than walking or standing stillI.t may be difficult for you to run after surgery for the first four to six weeks because the torn or damaged ligaments around your hip or pelvis can lead to instability in your joint. This instability will make it very painful for you to run, and it also increases the risk of injury during running.

You will need to make frequent adjustments as you run to maintain balance and stay upright. When you are ready to begin running again, don’t push yourself hard against the ground. Build up distance and time gradually. You may experience some discomfort in the beginning. As long as the pain is not excruciating, you should be able to keep running.

You can also check out this article for detailed stats regarding the patients who resumed running after surgery. Another study on running after THR shows that 67.2 percent of postoperative runners were satisfied with their running, and 30.8% of people reported pain after 2 to 12 months of surgery. The chances are that those patients might select the wrong shoes for running or had poor running form, or their hip joints and muscles would need more time to get back to their regular operation.

For this, you can check my guide on running shoes for scoliosis. You can also wear these shoes after hip surgery as they provide the same purpose. These running shoes are comfortable, provide stability and help you maintain your running form. Keep in mind that always take shorter strides to reduce the vibration that runs up your body through impact. You can also check my guide on lacing techniques for running shoes so that you find the right fit for running shoes according to your running gait and foot shape.