Hospital discharge and after-care

If you are healing well and there are no complications, you will normally be discharged from the hospital after one to two weeks. Before your discharge, the attending physician with discuss the next steps with you in detail or transfer you to your family doctor for further care. After your stay in hospital, you may have the opportunity to have further treatment in a one to three week rehabilitation in a specialist clinic or a Kurhaus therapy centre. Naturally, you can also continue the therapy as an out-patient at home. The regular therapy, where you learn to move the joint correctly and to slowly rebuild the muscles, forms a very important cornerstone of a successful after-care programme. Massage and baths can also support the healing process. During the initial period after surgery, a lot of motivation, positive thinking and hard work will be required on your part. Your personal efforts will however be rewarded with a rapid healing process and a hip-joint that is quickly increasingly free of pain. If things progress smoothly, the check-ups arranged with the family doctor and operating surgeon when you were discharged will suffice. If irregularities should occur, however, we strongly recommend that you contact the doctor immediately. Particularly for the following problems:

• Fever
• Unusual reddening, warming or moistening of the wound
• Pains in the operated hip that cannot be relieved with painkillers
• Problems with breathing
• Increasing pains or swellings in the calf

Your doctor will assess the situation and introduce the required treatments. The problems are most easy to deal with if they are treated in due time.

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