Podiatry Appointment Preparation Tips

Tips On Bathing and Showering Following Hip Replacement Surgery

Your orthopaedic surgeons will give you advice on how to look after your new hip following hip replacement surgery, but you may still be concerned about looking after yourself once you get home from hospital.  For instance, how can you go about taking a bath or shower safely?  Read on for some helpful advice.

If you have to use a bath tub for bathing and washing, you will need to have someone to help you.  You won't be able to sit in the bath tub normally for at least  a few months so you'll need to bathe in a sitting position using a special chair that the hospital may be able to provide you with.  One reason for this is that you won't be able to lean forward to reach the taps until your operation site has fully healed.  You will also need to have a grab-bar installed so that you will be able to get in and out of the bath tub safely.

Getting in and out of the bath tub

  1. Start by backing up slowly until you can feel the bath tub against the backs of your legs.  
  2. Take hold of the grab-bar to support your weight with one hand and reach back so that you can hold the bath seat with the other.  Lower your bottom onto the bath seat.  
  3. Now pivot around on your bottom and lift each leg, one at a time, over the side of the bath.  
  4. To minimise the amount of bending over and leaning movement that you need to make, use a hand-held shower and a long-handled sponge.  
  5. To exit the bath tub, reverse the process.

Taking a shower

A walk-in shower is perfect for you to use during recovery from your hip replacement operation.  It's much safer than trying to negotiate getting in and out of a bath, although you should still have someone to help you.  You should have a grab-bar installed in your shower, together with a shower seat.  Always use a rubber mat in the shower stall to prevent you from slipping.

  1. Start by standing so that you have your back to the shower stall.  
  2. Reach behind you with one hand so that you can hold the shower seat.  
  3. Now move your operated leg first so that you can sit down on the shower seat.  
  4. Lift your legs carefully over the lip of the shower stall.  Swivel carefully around so that you are facing the tap.  
  5. To exit the shower, just reverse the process.

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