Hip replacements fail to make patients more active

Most people seek surgery to help restore their fitness but then do not improve their exercise levels

HIP replacement surgery is failing to improve the physical activity levels of patients, a study of more than 1,000 people has shown.

Around 60,000 hip implants are carried out in Britain each year and most people tell doctors their main goal after the operation is to reduce pain so they can achieve the same fitness levels as before their joint problems.

However, the new study by the University of East Anglia found that exercise levels did not increase after a hip operation. Researchers said that doc- tors needed to encourage patients to keep active.

Lead researcher Tom Withers, from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, said: “The most common reason for a hip replacement is to reduce pain on movement. We expected that the amount of physical activity post-surgery would therefore increase. What we found surprised us.

“Indicators for physical activity after surgery included whether patients were walking longer distances, walking more quickly, cycling and climbing stairs. We found that there was no clear evidence of a change in physical activity following surgery.

“The benefits of regular physical activity following a hip replacement are well known, so this research is important for healthcare professionals because it suggests that patients need to be encouraged to be more physically active.” It is the first research to exam- ine the differences in physical activity before and after hip surgery.

Toby Smith, lecturer in physiotherapy at UEA, said there was a need for “further research, including further investigation into how other personal characteristics or pre-existing conditions might also influence the results.

“Healthcare professionals and researchers need to better understand this lack of change and how patient’s perceptions of physical activity might be modified to increase their engagement in physical activity.” The research was published in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation.

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