I had bilateral posterior incision THR and while in the hospital and rehab the staff physical therapists worked with me and had me do more and more each day (including stairs with 2 crutches at day 6!). When I returned home at 11 days post-op, I was given a long list of PT exercises to continue until 6 weeks postop. After that I dropped the crutches and the exercises changed for another 2 weeks, then I was back to pretty much normal activities.
Here are my standard exercises for home PT from return from hospital until 6 weeks post op. Please note that your particular case may be different and may warrant different exercises.
The following are all 10 reps each, 3 x daily. Whenever I say “hold”, it means for 6 seconds. Although many of these seem trivial, they can really do a lot IF you put good intent and energy into them. The whole set took me 40-45 minutes if I did it well.
ON BACK:
1) ankle pumps
2) quad sets (tighten slowly, hold for 6 seconds)
3) glut sets (ditto)
4) external rotation (ankles together, rotate feet out then back to center, trying to move from hip not knee)
5) Thomas stretch (knee up to chest (or 90 degrees if operated leg), other leg straight and pressed down — hold)
6) hula — alternately stretch one leg longer than the other, simultaneously shortening the other leg
7) push up pelvis into air, keeping shoulders down — hold
8) keeping heels on bed until the end part, alternately pull each knee up as far as you can — don’t break 90 degree rule
9) abductors — straddle as far as you can — best to do both legs simultaneously
10) put pillows under knee, straighten leg
11) I added 40 stomach crunches here
ON STOMACH (rolling over with pillow between legs):
12) knee flexors — try to touch your bottom with your ankles, alternating legs
13) more glut sets
14) knee push ups (keeping stomach on bed) — I turned this
into 20 real push-ups
15) keeping knees straight, lift legs (alternately) up as far as you can go — I made this harder by also raising my chest up simultaneously, hands to sides.
SITTING:
16) lift toes up and down quickly
17) rocking: sidesways on pelvis, then front and back (great for loosening sacro-illiac joint)
18) marching — use hands to raise legs until they’re strong enough to do it on their own
19) hip flexor — lean forward, draping hands over knees at wrist (take to 90 degrees but no more)
20) butterflies — rock knees in and out (first with feet together, then with feet about a foot apart)
21) abduction isometrics — push out knees (use hands outside knees to resist) — put all your energy into it!
22) adduction isometrics — ditto, but with hands between knees pushing out
23) hula — push knees forward alternately
STANDING (using crutches or counter top to avoid more than 50% weight-bearing on each leg):
24) calf-burners — raise up and down on toes (I would do 40 of these)
25) marching — give preference to perfect form over height — don’t tip pelvis or wobble
26) marching but slowly, holding each leg at max height for 6 seconds
27) touch heel in front, then in toe in back of body (like walking motion)
28) try to touch bottom with heels, holding at peak
29) abductors — lift leg to outside, holding at peak — don’t let hips tilt!