Last reviewed: September 29, 2026

Probably not as strictly as you were told. Hip precautions are the rules many people are given after a hip replacement: no bending past 90 degrees, no crossing the legs, no turning the foot inward. They were meant to keep the new hip from dislocating.

Those rules date from a time when dislocation was much more common. Dislocation has become steadily less common over the decades, and larger ball sizes in the new joint are a big part of the reason. So the precautions have been put to the test.

In randomized trials of first-time hip replacements, patients without precautions did not dislocate more often than patients with them, and they got back to daily life a little faster. That includes the posterior approach, the operation precautions were designed for.

The evidence is not airtight. Dislocation is uncommon, so even large studies have trouble detecting a small difference. Two large studies of hospitals that dropped precautions found slightly more dislocations afterward, though not enough to be sure the difference was real. Reviews rate the overall evidence as low certainty.

These studies were done in routine first-time replacements. They say little about a redo operation or a hip the surgeon considers higher risk.

In general:

  • Follow your own surgeon’s instructions. They reflect how your hip was put in.
  • If the precautions are making daily life hard, ask whether you still need them.
  • Where precautions are used, they usually last about six weeks, not for life.
  • A redo operation is a different question from a first replacement.

Drafted with AI assistance from published sources, reviewed and edited by Babak Sheikh, MD.

Sources:

  • Korfitsen CB, et al. Hip Precautions After Posterior-Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty Among Patients With Primary Hip Osteoarthritis Do Not Influence Early Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized and Non-Randomized Studies With 8,835 Patients. Acta Orthop. 2023. https://doi.org/10.2340/17453674.2023.11958
  • Klaassen AD, et al. Minimal Movement Restrictions Do Not Increase Hip Dislocations Following Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Before-and-After Study of 10,357 Patients. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2026. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.25.00121
  • Iljazi A, et al. Discontinuing the Recommendation of Hip Precautions Does Not Increase the Risk of Early Dislocation After Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Using 36-mm Heads: A Population-Based Study From the Danish Hip Arthroplasty Register. Acta Orthop. 2024. https://doi.org/10.2340/17453674.2024.41168
  • van Erp JHJ, et al. Did the Dislocation Risk After Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Decrease Over Time? A Meta-Analysis Across Six Decades. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-022-04678-w
  • van Steenbergen LN, et al. Femoral Head Size and Surgical Approach Affect Dislocation and Overall Revision Rates in Total Hip Arthroplasty: Up to 9-Year Follow-Up Data of 269,280 Procedures in the Dutch Arthroplasty Register (LROI). Hip Int. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/11207000231160223

This is general information about what published research shows. It is not medical advice and it is not about your situation. Reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship with me. I am a retired orthopedic surgeon and I do not see patients. Talk with your own doctor before changing anything about your care. If something feels suddenly or seriously wrong, get medical care promptly rather than waiting.

This page is provided as is. I make no guarantee that it is accurate, complete or current, and medical evidence changes. Use of it is at your own risk.

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