Question
“Will I be able to go up and down stairs after surgery?”
Answer
One of the most common questions I get from patients is whether or not they will be able to go up and down stairs after the surgery. Whether you live in an upper level apartment or your bedroom is upstairs or you have a few stairs to get into your house, most patients worry about their physical ability to do this.
The answer is good. After surgery it isn’t harder to go up and down stairs than it is when you have hip or knee pain from osteoarthritis!
When people suffer from severe hip or knee osteoarthritis, stairs are very challenging for several reasons. Their joint hurts, their muscles are weak, and balance is challenging. Most people start to go up and down one step at a time as a way to compensate.
The experience of going up or down stairs is very similar immediately after surgery. There is some pain, muscle weakness and balance can be off. Most patients go up and down one step at a time. As their swelling goes down and they get more confidence with the new joint, they then start to alternate again. It can take months, however, before all of the strength returns.
To help our patients know how to go up and down stairs, they walk with a therapist before they leave the hospital or surgery center. The physical therapist will show you how to properly go up and down stairs and have you practice before you leave. The ability to manage stairs is a requirement for discharge home. We do not send anyone home until they are ready.
We teach out patients to lead with their non surgical leg when going up stairs, but to lead with the surgical leg when going down stairs. An easy way to remember this is the phrase, “Up with the good, and down with the bad.”
It is important to use support such as the hand railing. We do not want our patients having any falls.
With education and training, our patients are very confident about being able to do stairs when they get home and some even have multiple flights and are able to use them without difficulty.
If you have a question about hip or knee replacement please send me an email by clicking here.
