Stop using the stick when you can walk as well without it as with the stick. It is better to use a stick if you still have a limp so that you do not get into bad habits that are hard to lose. Limping puts extra strain on your other joints especially your back and the other leg.  Use the stick in the opposite hand to your operated hip.

This information is an extract from ‘A patient’s guide to total hip replacement’, a document created to enhance our patients' recovery after a hip replacement. The complete document is available to download here.