Getting Hip Replacement Surgery? Here Are 3 Ways A Lift Chair Recliner Can Make Post-Surgical Recovery Easier

If you have severe arthritis affecting your hip, hip replacement surgery can help you move without pain and recover independence. Hip replacement can greatly reduce arthritis pain, but one downside of the procedure is that it comes with a lengthy recovery time afterward. Your mobility will be severely limited during recovery, and it can take weeks before you heal enough to move around normally.

One way that you can make your post-hip replacement recovery easier is to purchase a lift chair recliner beforehand. These chairs tilt forward and backward in order to make it easier for you to sit down and stand up from the recliner, and many models allow you to recline the backrest until you're lying fully flat. Read on to learn more about three ways that a lift chair recliner can help make recovering from hip replacement surgery easier.

1. Reduces the Chance of Overextending at the Hip

You'll be given a list of instructions to follow while you recover from your hip replacement surgery, and one of them is to avoid bending more than 90 degrees at the hip. Bending too far places excessive stress on your replacement joints, which can shift them out of position if they haven't fully integrated with your natural bone.

Unfortunately, following this rule while getting in and out of a normal recliner can be difficult. When you get out of a reclining chair, you'll naturally bend forwards in order to shift your center of gravity above your hips. That's what allows you to stand up. However, it's very easy to bend more than 90 degrees, which can potentially damage your replacement hip joints.

You won't encounter this problem with a lift chair recliner, since you don't have to bend very much in order to get in or out of them. By adjusting the position of the recliner, you're able to comfortably sit down or stand up with minimal movement at the hip, helping to protect your replacement joints.

2. Allows You to Sleep Comfortably

You may also have difficulty getting out of your bed in the morning without overextending at the hip, especially if your bed is low to the ground. Similarly to standing up from a recliner, you'll need to bend forward in order to get out of your bed.

A lift chair recliner can eliminate the need for you to use your bed at all since some lift chairs can recline until they're fully flat. By using the remote, you can transform your recliner into a comfortable bed. When you wake up in the morning, you can switch it back to a recliner and use its lift chair functionality to easily stand up. After hip replacement surgery, sleeping in a lift chair recliner will be much more convenient than sleeping in your bed.

3. Helps Speed Recovery After Surgery

Finally, a lift chair recliner can also help you recover faster from your hip replacement surgery. In addition to reclining until they're fully flat, some lift chairs also allow you to continue elevating the footrest until your legs are above your chest. Elevating your legs helps to improve blood circulation around your hips, which helps you heal faster after surgery. It can be difficult to get into this position without a lift chair recliner since it usually involves lying in bed and elevating your legs on boxes or pillows. With a lift chair recliner, you'll be able to easily elevate your legs by pressing the remote.

Overall, anyone who is planning on undergoing hip replacement surgery should seriously consider purchasing a lift chair recliner for their recovery. The lengthy process of recovering from hip replacement surgery will be much easier with a convenient place to relax and sleep, and you'll also be less likely to damage your replacement joints by overextending at the hip.

For more information, contact a lift chair recliners store in your area.