Selecting the correct clothing for the trip home from the hospital is about safety, comfort, and adherence to post-operative instructions. The right attire simplifies movement and dressing, reducing the risk of complications while supporting your healing body. Planning your outfit ahead of time ensures a smoother transition from the hospital setting to your home environment.
Core Principles for Post-Surgical Attire
Clothing choices are governed by physical constraints, primarily post-operative swelling (edema) in the legs, which necessitates loose-fitting garments. Clothes must also be soft, non-irritating, and breathable to protect the incision site, promote healing, and reduce friction.
The most restrictive factor is adhering to hip precautions, which involves avoiding hip flexion beyond 90 degrees during initial recovery. This minimizes stress on the new joint and reduces the risk of dislocation. Therefore, all clothing must be easy to put on and take off without requiring you to bend forward, twist your torso, or lift your knee too high. Garments requiring complex closures, like tight buttons or restrictive zippers, should be avoided.
Optimal Choices for Lower Body Comfort
The lower body requires the most consideration due to the surgery and the 90-degree flexion restriction. Pants must feature a fully elastic waistband for easy pull-on and pull-off without bending or intricate fastening. The elastic design also accommodates post-operative swelling around the hip, thigh, and knee.
Loose-fitting garments with wide-leg openings are highly recommended, such as oversized sweatpants, pajama bottoms, or loose athletic track pants. These materials are easy to slide over the surgical dressing and the swollen limb, minimizing strain on the hip joint during the dressing process. Cotton blends and soft, breathable fabrics are preferred as they are gentle on the skin near the incision. You should avoid any tight-fitting items like jeans, leggings, or trousers with restrictive closures, as they require excessive bending and manipulation to put on, which can violate hip precautions.
Upper Body and Safe Footwear Selection
For the upper body, choose garments that require minimal arm or shoulder movement to put on. Loose-fitting, front-closing items like button-down shirts or zip-up jackets are ideal, eliminating the need to pull clothing over your head. Avoid pullover shirts that require significant overhead reaching or twisting, as these actions can place strain on the body and affect balance.
Selecting the right footwear is important for preventing falls. Shoes must have a slip-resistant, non-skid sole to ensure stability when walking with crutches or a walker. Footwear must be a true slip-on style, such as loafers or shoes with Velcro closures, that do not require bending to fasten laces or buckles. Avoid backless footwear like slippers and sandals, as they lack necessary heel support and increase the risk of tripping.
Techniques for Independent Dressing
Safely getting dressed after hip replacement relies less on flexibility and more on specific techniques and adaptive tools. When putting on lower body garments, you must always start with the leg that was operated on first, which prevents excessive twisting or straining of the new joint. Conversely, when undressing, the non-surgical leg should be removed from the garment first, followed by the surgical leg.
Adaptive tools are crucial for maintaining the required hip precautions during the dressing process. A long-handled reacher or grabber can be used to pick up clothing, guide pants over the feet, and pull them up to the knees without bending at the waist. For socks, a sock aid device allows you to place the sock on the device and then pull it up onto your foot using long straps, eliminating the need to reach your toes. Similarly, a long-handled shoehorn assists in slipping your feet into shoes while seated, bypassing the need to flex the hip past the 90-degree safety limit.