According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US surgeons perform more than half a million hip replacements per year!
And a common concern of these huge patients is how long they should wait after the hip replacement to tie up their shoes.
To overcome their worries, I wrapped all the reliable information regarding knotting the shoe laces after hip surgery.
So, let’s get into it!
How Long After Hip Replacement Can I Tie My Shoes?
Depending on the approach of the surgery and your physical condition, it takes 6-8 weeks to heal your hip muscles. So, you have to wait at least 8 weeks to tie up your shoes after hip replacement. Though some surgeons advise taking rest for 3 weeks only.
However, if your hip arthroplasty is performed by the posterior method, you will be able to tie your shoe at least 6 weeks later. Otherwise, you have to wait at least 2 months.
Posterior Approach includes the involvement of developed medical equipment and technologies.
Moreover, it requires less cutting of ligaments and muscle tissues. That’s why recovery is relatively easier and fast in the posterior process.
On the contrary, the surgeons cut more tissues while following the Anterior approach. So it will take a longer healing period.
Within this recovery time, you must maintain these three things:
- Avoid bending your hip beyond 90 degrees
- Don’t flex your legs too much
- Stop sitting and standing in a crossed-leg position.
But the first two actions are necessary to tie up the shoes, right?
As a result, you can’t lace up the shoes without the help of any additional tools in your recovery period.
For your convenience, I have mentioned some useful equipment to put on the shoes easily in the next section.
So continue reading!
Follow our guide to know are crocs good after bunion surgery.
4 Tools To Wear Shoes Easily
Some tools are available in the market that can make the task of knotting shoe laces trouble-free. All of them are affordable, easy to use and carry. Let’s know about those products one by one.
Here are useful things for making your shoe-wearing simpler:
1. Angled Stool
The most common way is to sit on your bed and put your feet on the curved stool. This will minimize the distance between your hand and feet.
Thus, you won’t have to bend much, and you will be able to knot the lace of your footwear.
2. No-Tie Elastic or Lock Laces
If you replace the original laces of your shoes with elastic ones, you don’t need to bend down to tie your shoes. You just have to put your feet inside the shoes, and it will adjust automatically due to the elasticity of the lacing.
Sometimes, tying up the laces seems time-consuming and disturbing, especially when you are on a marathon or in a hurry. Elastic lace is greatly advantageous in such a situation.
3. Shoehorn
A long-handled shoehorn can make the task of wearing shoes easier. It looks similar to the handy cane that our aged grandparents use while walking. With the help of this tool, you will be able to tie up the shoes while sitting.
You can also use the Handy Grabs Reacher Grabber Tool instead of a shoehorn. Both of them work in a similar way.
4. Funnel Shoe Horn
Another reliable device to put on the shoes without bending is the funnel shoehorn. You will get funnel horn within 20 US dollars.
Just set the funnel on the back of your shoe, place your feet inside, and remove it from the shoe with the attached rope or handle.
Go through our epic guide to know are dawgs good for your feet.
What Type of Shoes Should I Wear After Hip Surgery?
Shoes that are comfortable, arch-supportive, lightweight and easy to put on are suitable to wear after a hip surgery. Moreover, the shoes should contain a shank that will support your leg, release the pressure on your hip and helps to recover soon.
Let’s discuss the features of shoes that are suitable to wear after hip surgery:
- Comfort & Arch-Support
Comfort and arch-support are the two things that no one wants to compromise. And when it comes to the individuals who had a hip replacement, they really need a pair enriched with comfort and holds a shank for arch support.
Comfort lies mostly in the insole and midsole of the shoes. If you choose shoes made with EVA, PU, PVC or other foamy materials, they will be comfier.
- Lightweight
Walking is difficult for a person who has recently had hip surgery. The situation can be tougher if he has to walk wearing heavy shoes.
So, it is a must to choose lightweight footwear in this case. But you have to ensure that the lightweight shoe does not lack support and contains a durable upper, padded insole and slip-resistant outsole.
- Easy to Wear
Slip-on, flip-flops, loafers and shoes without a lacing system are preferable after surgery because they are simple to put on and off.
If you want to stick with the lacing configuration, try purchasing shoes with a closed lacing system. You can also add elastic laces by removing the open laces.
Consequently, you won’t have to flex even a little and can even put on shoes while standing.
Looking for any shoe recommendations?
Well, Vionic has a good reputation for manufacturing recovery footwear. It offers some excellent features, including dual-density cushioning, a stability-oriented deep heel cup and proper body alignment with a well-structured footbed.
Birkenstocks are also a good option in this case. But these shoes do not have any shank!
And to get the benefit of the shank, watch out for Caterpillar shoes. These are really good when it comes to support and sturdiness.
Check out this article: Are Caterpillar Boots Good? to know more about this brand.
FAQs
When can I bend to put socks on after hip replacement?
You can bend to wear socks after 6 to 8 weeks of your hip substitution. But it’s better if you can wait up to 12 weeks.
Is it possible to run again after hip replacement surgery?
Yes, running after hip replacement is not uncommon. Once you are completely fine and all pain relieves, you are ready to run. But if you run regularly, there is a possibility of undergoing hip replacement again.
What are permanent restrictions after hip replacement?
There are no lifetime restrictions after hip replacement. You can continue all of your daily activities after completing the healing duration.
Bottom Line
You can tie shoes after 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the type of heel replacement. You can even participate in running after health improvement.
Use the mentioned tools if shoe-wearing seems difficult to you.
For any further queries, comment below. Wishing you a quick recovery!
