Hi I am due to have THR soon(I hope!) I live in upstairs flat so stairs are a major problem for me right now, I am worried how I will cope post op, I know it will be better but when will it be ‘normal’ to get up and down stairs, I don’t even know when a good time post op is to get out for a walk? evryone says i’m worrying too much and it will be ok, but when did everyone else go out for first walk, I have to say the stairs are really worrying me, I have to face them every time I go out, let alone when I come home after surgery 
i was able to walk without pain, aids and limp at 3 weeks. not for a long distance but just short walks. i would suggest you’d need a handrail for support though as you wouldn’t want to fall and do damage. the hospital will show you how to walk up and down stairs with crutches. do you have someone to help you for the first couple of weeks?
Hi Sonya. I must admit I did worry about the stairs. but they show you how to go up and down them at the hospital .just make sure you read the booklet they provide it has a lot of handy tips to go up and down stairs .getting in bed .I also used utube a lot for looking up things like getting in a car.i am sure you will be ok .hope everything goes well ..
Hi Sonya
I had my first hip replaced last August and my second this March thankfully ive only got 2 hips! I can say that with my first hip i stayed downstairs i was scared to tackle my stairs but with my latest i decided i wanted to be in bed and i was determined so the day i came home i used the stairs I do think that they helped with my recovery as as i became stronger i used the stairs more and this hip has recovered much better than the first With the first hip i still did my exercises but its still not recovered as well as my latest i think that using the stairs helped . Believe me you will be fine just take it slow and easy the first few days you may not feel like using the stairs when you can manage just try to use them and build up from there , use one crutch and the handrail and they told me up for heaven down for hell so going up use your good leg first and going down use your operated leg first I hope i havent waffled on too long and i hope you get your date soon Easier said than done but try not to worry too much nowadays with the internet your never far away from someone for advice i know ive asked for advice several times on here! Take care xx
Hi thank you 
yes I’ll have someone with me.
Hi thank you, I have been reading all the leaflets and the internet! but still not the same til you have it done, thanks again
Hi thank you, wow you have been through it then, hope you are doing well,advice on here is great, just being able to say concerns outl oud, so to speak, is a help,glad I found this forum. Postie has just been and again no letter for pre op big sigh lol thanks again
hi. I had my RTHR 5 weeks ago and like you worried pre OP abt the stairs. it was too painful to come down stairs leading with my bad leg but once I’d had the OP although its sore at times it’s nothing like the pain I had before. The OT/physio will check you’re ok on the stairs before they say you can go home and they wont let you go till your safe I’d already got a spare crutch at home so I leave one at the bottom of the stairs when I go up and 1 at the top when I go down - so I’m only using 1 crutch and the handrail.
I wasnt sure how my pain would be post OP but fir he generally although its sore it’s nothing as bad as it was before. i went out at 3 weeks post OP and have each time i go out i go a bit further. I’m now walking 2-3x a day for abt 25 mins each time and i can feel my legs getting stronger. as for when you give up 1 or both crutches that varies so much from people to people. the main thing I’ve learnt is dont give either up if you are limping when walking without a crutch. make sure your legs string enough. theres no fast rule for everyone - it varies as to how bad your hip was :how much reduced muscle power you’ve got - i never realised how little I’d been using mine till they are now waking up lol.
good luck tho . if you’re like me the future is bright
i live on my own and was also worried about the stairs - they were no problem at all and they don’t let you leave hospital until you do them with a physio present. What helped enormously was getting a second pair of crutches. i could then use one plus the handrail for going up and didn’t have to carry the second crutch as there was a spare at the top of the stairs so I had two to use on the upper floor. Similarly going down. Made a huge difference. Good luck.
I have a Victorian house full of steps and stairs and I was really worried. I could not believe how much easier it was than I imagined. My sister looked after me for a few days and thought it would be a good idea to go out to lunch the day I got home. A nice idea but probably not a god idea!
Sonya,
Do you walk up stairs good leg, bad leg? That is how I walked up stairs prior to hip op and afterwards do the same, hold the rail if you have one and the crutches in the other, you should not have a problem doing that.
Ahh thank you, I am hoping for great things, now I can barely walk, pain in lower leg limits everything to, it’s like there is no stetch, can’t even reach my foot to put shoe on and getting dressed is stupid lol I have Oxford score of 4 so that’s not good apparently, I take your good advice thank you, it’s the unknown isn’t it, til I get there, think I’ll be waiting a while for op though 
take care
Ha ha I think I might wait a few days before attempting lunch out lol , I will have someone with me to take care of me, thank you
Hi yes I do, I am waiting for another handrail- how long is a piece of string- with that! so yes good leg bad leg stair at a time so both feet on same stair then go again, usually someone is with me when I do them, i am finding it all very frustrating not to able to do what I could just a few months ago, seems to be getting worse each week, but hopefully all good after op , thank you
it seems to vary so much as to the wait. I was on the urgent list and waited 5 months even tho my hip was described as useless. what got me seen bit earlier was I went to the Dr s who wrote to consultant to say I was struggling which was an understatement. I’d almost become house bound like you couldn’t do anything below my knee walked with a crutch cos otherwise I just couldn’t lift my leg and was taking opioid pain killers 3 x a day. and still in severe pain. trouble is theres so many in the same boat its difficult and my surgeon generally only did abt 3 hips and 3 knees each theatre session he had. but good luck and hope you’re not waiting g long
Hi Sonya,
I had my full hip replacement just over 2 weeks ago. I live in a 4 storey town house in Spain and I can tell you hand on heart, that I was in agony prior to Operation, doing stairs, but knew I had to. After the operation I had absolutely no pain, and had no problems whatsoever doing all my stairs. You will be just fine honestly…I wish you all the very best.
Hi yes the OT suggested that now, I might do that, anything that helps, thank you, take care
I phoned waiting today to check, I only went on list yesterday, although I saw consultant 11th June, i know there is a wait and my consultant already said he had a back log, but on phone to waiting list she also said it was down as routine, I am virtually housebound, i find I can’t drive now either with out being in severe pain so don’t as I am safety conscious, I called GP he wouldn’t speak to me but told receptionist to tell me, there is no such thing as urgent THR and there is a waiting list, but if i’m struggling he’ll prescribe some more pain killers… aarrgghhh frustrated! sorry for rambling..
Hi, thank you so much, btw I envy you in your town house in Spain thank you
dont worry abt rambling at all. just make sure uoure taking enough painkillers to get by. but I’m sure we all remember /know how debilitating the pain is besides that we dont sleep long at night time. I spent a lot of daytime hrs cap napping as well. you need to keep ringing the consultant sec as well and lay it on thick how bad you are. suppose I was lucky then re my GP but I’d already waited 5 months so was probably near top of the list. I signed a form when listed for 18-20 week wait so I’d worked it out to be abt June. I had my OP 23 rd may . but good luck