How can a two hour hip replacement cause muscular wastage that takes months to recover?
It’s not “wastage” exactly. In hip replacement surgery, muscles get stretched. A lot. It takes time for them to heal and then regain the strength & tone that they should normally have. It took me 2 weeks just to be able to do an independent leg lift a couple inches off the bed! I’ve had both hips replaced. In each case my surgeon told me that, although I would be able to walk without a walking aid (cane, crutch, etc.) in a few months (about 2 in my case), the muscles can continue to gain strength and tone for up to a year after surgery. Usually hip replacement patients are given a regimen of physical therapy exercises that help. In my case I did them 3 times a day for several months. They seem simple but really do help.
