Modified yoga poses aid recovery from hip replacement surgery
At least three of my current clients have hip replacements for one or both hips. For those who have hip or knee replacements, it is very important to stay active, maintain flexibility, and continue to stimulate blood circulation in the postoperative hip. Today, more and more people are living longer and more have undergone hip replacement. Hip replacement isn’t just for older people; But people in their forties and fifties are getting hip replacements. Some of my clients who have survived horrible car accidents have been recommended to have a hip replacement.
Modified yoga consists of gentle lunges and poses that help stretch the hip joint and keep ligaments and cartilage flexible. This is one of the most important items after hip surgery; blood flow and stretching that continue to aid flexibility. When the hip tenses; the hamstrings, quads, buttocks, and back can get very strained.
Downward-facing dog poses, also called an inverted “V,” stretch the hamstrings, quads, and glutes. Standing lunges help the hip ligaments, and the warrior is another pose that lengthens and stretches the hamstring up to the hip. Another great stretch for the hips is to spread your legs very wide and lower your hands down between your legs to a central point on the floor. Shift slowly from side to side, toward each foot. This makes it easier to open the hips. If you can, you can go a little further in the stretch, but only if you can do it without pain. Put our hands down in the center and put one elbow down, and slowly move to one side for about ten seconds and then to the other side. To do this, if you put your left elbow down, you will shift to the right for ten seconds or more, and if you put your right elbow down, you will shift to the left at the same time.
You can also stretch in a modified CHAIR yoga class. It doesn’t have to be a kind of mat if you can’t get on and off. A great chair stretch is to turn your hips along with your legs to the left while sitting, and then stretch your right leg to the right, as if you were launching to the left. Bring the palm of your right hand to point to your right heel, and then slide your right arm under your chin, past your body, to the left side of the chair arm. Stretch your arm to the left and then lower it back to your right heel. After a break, in the same position, you can have both hands on the left arm of the chair and stretch your right arm towards the ceiling.
If you can stand with your back to the wall, bend one of your knees and bring it to your chest. This stretches the hips in a gentle and effective way. Bring the chin down to the knee. Release and return your foot safely to the ground. Do the other side. If you are sitting, you can place one foot on the chair, knee up in front of your chest, and bring your head down to meet it. Release and switch sides. Place your other foot on the chair and lift your knee and lower your chin so that it meets your knee.
The great thing about modified yoga classes is that you will find many gentle stretches that you can do to stretch your hips and legs. Modified poses mean that you can wear a strap when you are less flexible, and when you are recovering from a hip replacement, you sometimes can’t do too much, so a strap is helpful in avoiding strains. You don’t have to do all the exercises and poses. You can do what works best for your body. It’s okay to rest while you recover.
Many clients with hip replacements do not have the same strength. At first, whatever you do will feel like an effort. You have to be patient with yourself. Don’t rush, your recovery. Do what you can, stretch in a modified yoga class, and little by little your body will recover after the surgery and you will feel stronger and more agile than before you underwent a hip replacement. That’s right, many people are afraid of having a hip replacement and it takes a couple of months to fully recover, but once it’s done, many people say they feel pain-free and can move better than ever.
