How to Get Out of Bed After Hip Replacement: Step-by-Step Guidance

Getting out of bed is one of the first things you practice after a hip replacement, and it usually takes some practice. This guide explains why the way you get up matters, walks through the steps hospital therapy teams commonly teach, and covers how to set up your bed and bedroom before surgery.

It is general information drawn from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), MedlinePlus, an Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center guideline and hospital patient-education handouts. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace the instructions your own team gives you. Hip precautions differ depending on the surgical approach your surgeon used (for example, posterior or anterior) and from surgeon to surgeon. Always follow your surgeon's and physical therapist's instructions.

Why getting out of bed is different after a hip replacement

AAOS explains that you may be asked to take special precautions when sitting, bending or sleeping, usually for the first 6 weeks after surgery, to help the new joint heal and to prevent dislocation of the prosthesis. AAOS adds that the precautions vary from patient to patient depending on the surgical approach, and that your surgeon and physical therapist will tell you which ones to follow. Read AAOS OrthoInfo on total hip replacement.

Dislocation, when the ball of the new hip comes out of the socket, is uncommon, according to AAOS, but the risk is greatest in the first few months after surgery while the tissues heal. Getting in and out of bed involves movements that precautions often limit, such as bending at the hip, twisting and crossing the legs.

It is also a milestone: AAOS lists getting in and out of bed by yourself among the goals you will usually need to meet before hospital discharge. See AAOS's guide to activities after total hip replacement.

Know your precautions before you move

AAOS says your surgeon and physical therapist will give you a customized list of dos and don'ts, and that not all surgeons recommend the same precautions. Among the common ones AAOS lists, several apply directly to getting in and out of bed:

• Don't bend at the waist beyond 90 degrees.
• Don't cross your legs at the knees for at least 6 to 8 weeks.
• Don't bring the knee on the side of your hip replacement up higher than your hip.
• Don't reach down to pull up blankets when lying in bed.
• Do keep the affected leg facing forward, and keep it in front as you sit or stand.

The approach matters. A post-operative clinical practice guideline for therapists from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center lists different precautions by approach: for a posterior approach, no hip flexion past 90 degrees and no hip internal rotation or adduction past neutral; for anterior, anterolateral and direct lateral approaches, limits on hip extension and external rotation instead. It also tells clinicians to check the surgical note for surgeon-specific precautions. See the Ohio State guideline (PDF). If you aren't sure which precautions apply to you, ask your surgeon or a member of their team.

MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, adds general rules for lying in bed after a hip replacement: don't cross your legs or ankles when sitting, standing or lying down; don't sleep on the side of your new hip or on your stomach; and if you sleep on your other side, place a pillow between your thighs. Read MedlinePlus: Taking care of your new hip joint.

Set up your bed before surgery

MedlinePlus's hip replacement discharge instructions say your bed should be low enough for your feet to touch the floor when you sit on the edge, and high enough that your hips are higher than your knees when you sit there. MedlinePlus also says you may not need a hospital bed, but your mattress should be firm. See MedlinePlus: Hip replacement discharge.

Other tips from MedlinePlus and AAOS:

• Set up a bed or use a bedroom on the first floor, so you don't have to climb stairs (MedlinePlus).
• Rearrange furniture so you can move around with a cane, walker or crutches, and remove throw rugs or area rugs that could cause you to slip (AAOS).
• Place things you use often, such as your phone and charger, glasses, water and medications, within easy reach so you don't have to reach up or bend down (AAOS).

How to get out of bed after hip replacement: step by step

The steps below follow a bed-transfer handout from Aurora Health Care and a hip safety sheet from Krames (StayWell) used by U.S. hospitals. Your therapist may teach a different order or method; if so, use theirs.

1. Sit up without bending past 90 degrees

Aurora's handout says to prop yourself up on your forearms and move your upper body forward without bending past 90 degrees. Move slowly and don't twist.

2. Bring your legs off the bed

Aurora's handout says to swing your non-surgical leg off the bed, then swing your surgical leg off the bed. Allow the surgical knee to relax rather than holding it out stiff. Keep your hip precautions in mind: Aurora says not to bring the surgical leg across the midline of your body, and to keep it in line with your hip.

3. Sit on the edge with your walker close

Krames advises keeping your walker within easy reach of your bed, and notes that its into-bed steps (below) can be reversed to get out of bed.

4. Stand up with the operated leg forward

AAOS says to keep the affected leg in front as you sit or stand and not to lean forward while sitting. A hip precautions page from Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust gives similar advice: move your operated leg forward before standing, and don't try to stand with your crutches or walking frame in hand. MedlinePlus, describing getting up from a chair, says to slide toward the edge and use the arms of the chair or your walker or crutches for support, and not to rock yourself up.

5. Steady yourself, then walk

Then take hold of your walker. AAOS's exercise guide says that at first you will walk with a walker or crutches, and your surgeon or therapist will tell you how much weight to put on your leg. AAOS also says full weightbearing may be allowed immediately or delayed by several weeks, depending on the type of hip replacement and your doctor's instructions. See the AAOS total hip replacement exercise guide.

Which leg goes first? Hospitals teach it differently

If you search online, you will find handouts that seem to disagree. Aurora's handout has you swing the non-surgical leg off the bed first, and Krames says the operated leg should enter the bed first and leave it last. Frimley Health's page says the opposite: get into bed with the un-operated leg leading and get out of bed with the operated leg leading.

Both orders appear in hospital handouts, which is why your own therapist's instructions come first. If you weren't shown which leg leads, ask before you go home.

How to get back into bed

Krames's hip safety sheet describes these steps for getting into bed:

1. Stand with your back to the bed and back up until the back of your good knee touches the bed. Keep the foot of your operated leg forward.
2. Hold the crossbar of the walker with one hand and reach back for the bed with the other. Don't twist. Lower yourself onto the bed.
3. Put both hands on the bed behind you for support and lean backward.
4. Swing your legs onto the bed one at a time, using your elbows and hands to lower your upper body. Move your body as a unit, without twisting.
5. If you sleep on your side, use a pillow between your knees. Use a reacher, not your hands, to pull up blankets from the end of the bed.

Nighttime tips

• Don't rush. Frimley Health advises walking slowly and not rushing to answer the phone or door.
• Prevent falls. AAOS says a fall during the first few weeks after surgery can damage your new hip and may result in a need for more surgery. Use your cane, crutches, walker or handrails, or have someone help you, until your balance and strength improve. Our guide to why older adults fall out of bed and how to prevent it covers nighttime lighting and other bedroom safety steps.

When to call your doctor

AAOS says to tell your doctor immediately about possible signs of a blood clot (calf or leg pain unrelated to your incision, calf tenderness or redness, or new or increasing swelling in the leg), a clot that has traveled to the lung (sudden shortness of breath or sudden chest pain), or infection (persistent fever higher than 100°F, chills, increasing redness, swelling or drainage at the wound, or increasing hip pain with both activity and rest). For a medical emergency, call 911.

If getting out of bed stays hard

For most people, getting up gets easier as healing progresses and strength returns. AAOS says you should be able to resume most normal light activities of daily living within 3 to 6 weeks after surgery, and it recommends continuing the exercises prescribed by your physical therapist for at least 2 months.

If getting in and out of bed is still a struggle, talk with your surgeon or therapist about why and what might help. Our guides to devices that help the elderly get out of bed, exercises that will help you get out of bed and simple steps to get out of bed cover general options. For people with ongoing difficulty getting up, a sleep-to-stand bed, a powered bed designed to move the user from lying down toward a standing position, is one option some families consider; our comparison of hospital beds, adjustable beds and sleep-to-stand beds explains how they differ. EzLift sells sleep-to-stand beds; you can see the models on the EZLift Bed, EzLift Deluxe and Elevra Rotating Bed pages. No bed replaces your hip precautions or your therapist's plan, so ask your surgeon or therapist whether any bed or transfer aid fits your precautions before you use it.

Frequently asked questions

Which side of the bed should I get out of after a hip replacement?

Handouts differ, and the answer depends on your surgery and precautions. Ask your therapist before you go home, and set up your bed so you can use that side.

How high should my bed be after a hip replacement?

MedlinePlus says your bed should be low enough for your feet to touch the floor when you sit on the edge, and high enough that your hips are higher than your knees. It also says your mattress should be firm.

How long do I have to follow hip precautions?

AAOS says precautions are usually followed for about the first 6 weeks, and that most patients can do most of the "don'ts" after 6 to 8 weeks. The exact precautions and timing vary with the surgical technique, including anterior versus posterior approaches, so ask your surgeon when you can stop.

Sources

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Total Hip Replacement.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Activities After Total Hip Replacement.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Total Hip Replacement Exercise Guide.
• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Hip replacement - discharge (review date November 7, 2024).
• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Taking care of your new hip joint (review date November 7, 2024).
• Aurora Health Care. Bed Transfer with Hip Precautions (patient handout X32639, 05/2020).
• Krames (StayWell), via Major Hospital. Hip Safety: Getting Into and Out of Bed.
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Total Hip Arthroplasty Post-Op Clinical Practice Guideline (2022 update).
• Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Hip Precautions (approved June 23, 2025).

Written by the EzLift Team, EzLift's organizational authorship team. Sources checked October 23, 2026. This guide offers general information; it is not medical advice. Follow your surgeon's and physical therapist's instructions for your hip precautions, getting in and out of bed, and your recovery.