Getting Back in the Game: Returning to Sports After a Hip Replacement

As an orthopedic surgeon, one of the most frequent and understandable questions I hear from my patients is "Will I be able to go back to the sports I love after my hip replacement?"

If you are an active individual facing a total hip replacement, you are not alone in wondering about your future mobility. Today's patients are younger, more active, and have higher expectations for their recovery than ever before. To help answer this question, I want to share some encouraging findings from a recent study we published in The Journal of Arthroplasty.

The Study: A Five-Year Check-Up

We looked at nearly 900 patients who underwent a Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) total hip replacement. The direct anterior approach is a technique where we access the hip joint from the front, which often allows for a potentially faster, early recovery, and a lower risk of dislocation. We then checked in with these patients at least five years after their surgery to see how active they were and what types of exercises they were doing.

The Good News:

The most exciting finding is that 90% of patients successfully returned to their pre-surgery activities.

Even better, the recovery timeline was quite favorable. Of the patients who returned fully to their prior activities without needing to modify how they participated, 74% were back in action within just six months, and 94% were back within a year.

The Shift from High-Impact to Low-Impact

While most patients got back to exercising, the types of activities they chose did change. The study found a distinct shift toward low-impact sports. Post-surgery, participation in activities like walking (88%), hiking (42%), and cycling (32%) actually increased compared to before surgery.

On the flip side, high-impact activities—like running or basketball—declined. For example, about 11% of patients were regular runners before their surgery, but only 5% returned to running afterward.

Are High-Impact Sports Actually Unsafe?

Why did so many people stop running? The top reasons patients gave for quitting running were advice from their surgeon (34%), fear of damaging their new joint (21%), and lingering pain (20%).

Here is the fascinating part: we looked at the complication rates for the patients who did return to high-impact sports and running and found no statistically significant difference in implant failure or revision rates between the runners and the non-runners. Over a five-year period, the modern implants held up well, regardless of whether the patient was a runner or a walker.

The Bottom Line:

If you are putting off a hip replacement because you are afraid you'll have to give up your active lifestyle, this study should help give you confidence. The overwhelming majority of patients remain highly active for years after surgery.

While we often recommend low-impact activities like cycling and swimming to theoretically maximize the lifespan of your new hip, the data suggests that returning to higher-impact sports might be safer than we historically thought.

Every patient is unique. If you have specific athletic goals—whether it's getting back on the tennis court, hiking a mountain, or jogging around your neighborhood—talk to us. Together, we can build a surgical and rehabilitation plan to get you safely back to doing what you love.

Check out the study for yourself Here.