Pay attention to certain rules when driving.

Be confident getting out of the car: Always get out of the driver's side using your left leg first. Turn you body as well. Bring you right leg out afterwards.

You are not allowed to drive until the doctor has allowed you to put your full weight on your hip. This is usually the case after three months. As soon as you have his OK, you should keep to the following rules:

The car seat should be adjusted as high as possible and the backrest be flatter than usual. Push the seat right back before you get in. Sit down slowly diagonally/crosswise to the seat. For the driver seat first of all lift your right leg straight into the car and at the same time turn your body round. Then reposition your left leg and pull the car seat forwards again depending on your body size. When getting out proceed in reverse order: Lift the left leg out using your hands, turn your body around, position your right leg and get up slowly. If you want to get in on the passenger side of the car, the same recommendation applies but only in reverse order.

Start sporting activities at the earliest three to six months after the operation.

At least three to six months after implantation of the artificial joint you should not play any sport because first of all a new joint capsule has to form. There is too great a danger from the start that your new joint will spring out of its socket. Sporting activity carried out too early also presents a danger of calcification around the joint. Also the bone must grown into the titanium surface of the artificial joint shaft so that the prosthesis is firmly anchored.

Play sport in moderation.

Now you have has a break from sport this will apply: You will no doubt become active again. Carefully selected sport in moderation in no way shortens the lifetime of an artificial hip, but actually strengthens the corset muscle. The muscles ensure that the joint head is retained in the hip socket (acetabulum) and will not spring out.

Regular sport stimulates bone metabolism so that your artificial joint is anchored better in the bone and the durability of the prosthesis is prolonged. It is important that you improve your joint coordination and mobility by sport. In this way you reduce your risk of falling – a major danger for those who have artificial joints.  

Is cycling to be recommended in particular?

Cycling strengthens the muscles and only puts a little weight on the hip - an ideal sport for people with artificial hip joints.

Cycling is the best sport for an artificial hip according to many experts: Because when cycling on the flat only half your body weight is put on the operated joint. When walking on the other hand 1.8 times your body weight is put on the joint and when standing on one leg even 3.2 times body weight. The minimum weight bearing and optimum strength of the muscle corset around the hip makes cycling first choice even with a racing bike. However experts also advise against cross-country journeys because of the high risk of falling and being shaken.

What types of sport are still suitable for you?

Nordic Walking relieves the body and also strengthens musculature.

Besides cycling we also recommend swimming to our patients as a suitable type of sport. Breast stroke should be avoided however because the frog-like movements of the legs put too much pressure on the prosthesis. Experienced doctors recommend Nordic Walking because by using sticks the entire skeletal system is relieved of strain by 30%.

You shouldn't learn golf from scratch.

Active golfers also have to take a different approach to their sport. Newcomers would do better to find a different sport.

We recommend after a period of physical rest to to take up types of sport preferably which patients have played before having hip disease. Learning a complex and technically challenging type of sport from scratch often leads to abnormal positions and unnecessary stresses on the new joint. This is also true for playing golf, which at the beginner's stage means too much stress on new hip joints and even more so for new knee joints.

What types of sport are out of the question for you?

Even for experts some types of sport are out of the question after joint replacement operations. So for instance all types of team sports especially direct contact sports. The risk of injury is too great because your artificial hip could come out of the diaphysis if bumped or if you fall. Therefore you should no longer ice skate either with new joints. Also inadvisable are types of sport which require a lot of strength such as weight lifting, boxing, bowls, surfing or climbing.

Accept pain and see it as an efficient police force.

If you feel pain, you should at least give up sport temporarily. Because pain is the efficient police force of our bodies.

We urgently advise: Have faith in your ability to be mobile. Whoever remains inactive has a much greater risk of stumbling and falling. Every time you stumble you put stress on the operated joint with 8.7 times your body weight. When falling the prosthesis can even break.