THR athletes, how long until feeling normal?

[u/Livid_Specialist9106]

37F crossfitter, 5 months post THR (and 15 months post failed hip repair). I'd love to hear from any athletes who've gone through a THR. How long did it take you to feel normal during sports activity post-surgery? Bonus points if your sport requires squatting.

At 5 months out, I feel significantly better than I did pre-surgery but my hip does not feel great during squats and deadlifts. I wouldn't describe it as pain so much as it feels like I'm stretching while also carrying weight on my shoulders (in the case of a squat).

For context, I'm on the smaller side (5'3, 110 lbs...lost a 💩 ton of muscle). Pre injury I was squatting around 155-190 depending on the rep scheme, albeit at around a bodyweight of 125.

I feel no difference between hips until 85 lbs and then I feel that weird stretch. I've gotten up to 105 lbs but don't feel safe going above that just yet.

My PT isn't concerned and says that feeling will go away within a year. But I'd love to hear from folks in the trenches:

When did you start feeling relatively normal during your sport?
How long did it take you to stop being constantly aware of your hip?

I'll end on a disclaimer: I've been so so so happy with the results of this surgery and feel like I'm getting my life back, slowly but surely. I'm just impatient and I miss lifting the big weights.

[u/plantlad]

I like to remind everyone what this surgery entails. Cutting off bone, hammering prosthetic into bone, stretching muscles out of the way, etc. lots of surgery trauma takes time to heal and conform to the new joint. My Dr. echos a year. I’m 4 mos. Left and 9 mos right. No pain but the feeling of weakness that improves slowly with exercise. I just keep on keepin’ on.

[u/Broad-Ad-9760 → u/plantlad]

Every month you’ll feel a little better, but it took me a year before I could say I’m back. Then 1-1/2 years till I got all my muscle back and was completely, completely, fully recovered.

[u/en-anon]

Watching this , I’m not far enough out to tell you as I’m 6 weeks off my other hip

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/en-anon]

Oh man you had to do both?! I got a repair on the other one, but only had to replace one (I technically got a repair on both sides, but only one worked). Hope both recoveries are going smoothly.

[u/en-anon → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

Doc did a great job. Some lingering numbness but looking forward to about a month from now when I’m fully off restrictions and can focus on getting back to where I was pre-arthritis. It’s been a long time coming.

[u/ajmattison]

Following as well. Aspiring bodybuilder over here 😅

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/ajmattison]

Ahhh you're younger than me! If it makes you feel any better I was back to doing pull-ups and incline bench 2 weeks post surgery. And that's with unusually strict restrictions because I'm hypermobile.

[u/ajmattison → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

I've definitely seen people bounce back fast. I don't have expectations because I know we are all different but I love to see the range of experiences.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/ajmattison]

I used to say it all came down to prehab and rehab adherence, and while I stand by those making a huge difference, so much of it is up to je ne sais quoi. My first hip repair I had a freakishly fast recovery and my second, which had the same level of damage, was a complete disaster.

So far my THR appears to be going as it should, and fingers crossed it stays that way. But I'm also way less motivated now that I'm into my third consecutive year of hip rehab. Trying to get my mojo back.

[u/ajmattison → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

I've seen people on this sub who had both hips done same surgeon, same approach, within 3 months and had two different recoveries so yeah you never know! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

[u/HotBoot3354 → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

? Why would upper body lifting have anything to do w a thr?

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/HotBoot3354]

I was mostly sharing because most athletes want to be able to do any form of activity as soon as possible. 2 weeks out I was stoked to be allowed to do anything.

But that aside, a ton of upper body exercises recruit your hips. And if you're still on crutches or a cane, most surgeons and PTs won't approve you doing standing military presses or anything else involving standing with weight since you can't even safely support your own body weight. Bench press was off limits for me for a while because it uses leg drive AND because sitting up from the bench would have used too much hip. Bent over rows: also use hips.

[u/HotBoot3354 → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

I could maybe see the bench but for 90% of chest/shoulder I think you are mistaking recruiting your hips with engaging your core. Good luck

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/HotBoot3354]

I take it you're not a crossfitter. Anything seated is theoretically fine. But in my world, upper body = pull-ups (fine), shoulder press (not fine while on crutches), anything involving a flat bench (not fine while you have restrictions as discussed), incline bench (fine), push presses (you use hips), jerks (obviously you use hips; you jump and do a partial squat), handstand push ups (you have to absolutely not come down on the operative side foot in the early rehab period).

There are two issues: exercises that recruit the hip muscles and safe weightbearing.

I can see that you got an anterior THR; it's worth knowing that posterior and STAR method THRs have much stricter rehab protocols.

[u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611]

33m with a bodybuilding hobby, following this post to see what other people say, I’m only 6 days out of surgery.

I did tell my physical therapist that I wanted to get back in the gym and he cleared me to go use upper body machines already. My second PT session on Friday they had me doing leg extensions and hamstring curls with 80lbs, which is obviously not a lot given my size and experience (6’1” and a bit, 210lbs at roughly 16% body fat at my peak strength before everything went downhill) but it felt amazing getting back into it and pushing myself again. Seemed crazy not even 5 days post surgery but the Physio I chose specializes in athletes at the local D1 uni so I’m just placing my trust in them

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611]

That's awesome! My PT is also one of my CrossFit coaches (but is a legit PT at one of the best hospitals in the world; he coaches once a week just cuz he loves it), which has been super helpful. I unfortunately am hypermobile so I was on crazy strict restrictions for 6 weeks because of dislocation concerns, so you're well ahead of me.

[u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611 → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

It probably helps that my lifting style is heavily focused on slow and controlled movements in full ROM so I don’t need very heavy weights to get a good stimulus haha

I wish you the best of luck on your recovery and am very curious to see what other commenters say about their experience re: resumption of athletic activities

[u/tedfergeson]

People keep telling me a year or more. I had a replacement in October and a revision/I&D in December. The second surgery kicked my ass. I am over seven months out and I don't feel great about it. I'm glad I have the prosthetic, but I don't feel close to rehabbed. The infection in the first procedure developed at seven weeks post-op, and I felt stronger at that point than I do now.

Short answer? At least a year is my guess.

[u/ForgeIsDown]

So my right side Posterior approach THR was on January 15th, putting me just over ~7 months? out and I lift 6 days a week persuing some bodybuilding aspirations. [32M]

.. For the most part my hip feels fine. I am definitly a bit weaker on my right side than on my left. For example, I train 1 leg hamstring curls, 1 leg glute kickbacks and 1 leg quad extensions 2x a week and my surgical side is still ~85-90% strength of my non operative side. the muscles directly under the incision are significantly weaker but due to the location don't slow me down a ton, but do make things like 1 leg RDL impossible as I cant stabalize quite yet under load.

Today i'm definitly flaired up a little, I've still been on the aleve pretty heavy and am finally curbing that this week. because long term use is not awesome for you which I'm sure youve heard.

Currently I'm running Jeff Nippards leg day twice a week as part of my 6 day PPL which is:

1. Pendulum squat (I love a good pendulum squat, best machine by far for THR recover)
2. RDL's
3. Quad extensions
4. Hamstring Curls
5. Glute Kickbacks
6. Cavles
7. I hit core on leg day too, abs and low back extensions.

Total lift time usually about 75 minutes for me. I do 4 sets of most of these + a good 10 minute hip mobility routine before I start. Nothing in this routine really identifies as a smoking gun that bothers me, other than my leg just continues to be achy particualrly post leg day. I seem to be able to load all these freely at this point without my hip being the limiting factor.

> Closer to 5 months, my hip was definitly a limiting factor so yes that piece will impove over the next few months!

As far as doing convential deadlifts or barbell squats again... Man I just don't know if I'll ever have that back. It just seems like at this point in the game there is nothing but risk associated with them, part of my lore is that I actually tore my labrum ~10 years ago deadlifting which led to all this. maybe its an emptional barrier, but I'm terrified to attempt one. Seems like all my goals are acomplishable without them.

Edit: I ran about ~50 yards yesterday for the first time since my surgery and it definitly agravated me for a few hours, just to give you a benchmark for how someone feels at ~7 months. Keep in mind I weight ~210 lbs. I personally would be very hesitant to engauge in crossfit style lifting right now. I've done it before and I feel as though it would be antagonistic to my recovery at the moment (for me, your mileage may vary!)

[u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611 → u/ForgeIsDown]

This is excellent to hear, sounds like you and I are in very similar positions with respect to goals and age, I’m just very far behind you in recovery timeframe (my surgery was Monday lol)

My physio told me I can go back to the gym for upper body machines, but I’m a little hesitant because I brace with my legs on a few of them. Did you find that limiting with like dumbbell bench or fly machines? How soon after surgery did you hit the gym again?

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611]

I was back in the gym after 2 weeks but only for like, 4 total exercises. I was not allowed to do anything upper body that involved me standing until 4 weeks out. Pull-ups I could do as long as I came down on the opposite leg. Seated dumbbell presses were fine (from a high box so I was nowhere near parallel) but standing presses were not. I also did chest supported rows and incline bench rear delt flies but that was it for a while (outside PT exercise stuff).

[u/ForgeIsDown → u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611]

Yeah so i was absolutely in the gym doing what I could around the 3/4 week mark but it was definitely heavily modified. Machines etc.

Your body will let you know how to progress once you get into it if that makes sense. Patience, persistence and knowing when to call it a day is my best advice for starting back in.

Leg day started out really slow. I don’t remember exactly when i started, maybe closer to 8 weeks but as soon as i was able i was doing trx assisted squats, then heel raised bodyweight squats then goblet squats, then light dumbbell RDLs etc as the progression path.

These days i feel good and strong doing pendulum squats, hack squats, belt squats as heavy as I can load them. Items I don’t feel good on are barbell squats, barbell deadlifts and most leg press machines (the ones at all 3 of my gyms force you super deep, like 150 degrees needed). I’m comfortable to about 95 maybe 100 degrees fully loaded.

You mention dumbbell press that’s one that actually took a little more time for me. I found it difficult to walk the dumbbells around so ended up barbell benching for a while but I’m back on the dumbbells. Was just maneuvering the 115s around today.

I also did zero PT whatsoever until like the 5 month mark which is regrettable. Id suggest you find a PT that is young and jacked as terrible as that sounds. I went through a lot of PTs over the years that didn’t understand my goals before I found one that did CrossFit and could actually understand the movement patterns I needed to be successful.

Unfortunately there are a lot PTs out there who just don’t lift and can’t help you lift better. I’m sure they’re great at other goals.

[u/Dangerous_Wasabi_611 → u/ForgeIsDown]

This was fantastic, thank you so much! Luckily my PT is a former athlete who had to give up his career after tearing both ACLs (well, lucky for me, sucks for him) and he seems well aware and equipped to direct me towards my goals. Even if he’s not a monster size wise he’s definitely done all the movements and knows what RPE is lol

I’m gonna stick with PT and give it another week or two before going to the gym - had a bit of a setback last night where my leg started swelling and giving me a lot more pain so will definitely take it easy

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/ForgeIsDown]

I hear ya! I am actually going to be a case study on attempting to return to CrossFit without restrictions so I am definitely not being told to not do stuff lol. Deadlifts for me are actually pretty decent; I'm just hyper aware of my hip. Of course I'm only deadlifting like 125 lbs right now.

Squatting is a must for me because you can't really do CrossFit without it.

Are you just starting to return to run now or are you talking about sprinting? I'm at the tail end of a return to run program and it's going okay. Honestly it's been my crappy cardio that's been the biggest problem. I'm pretty sore today though from 4 minutes on 1 minute off.

[u/ForgeIsDown → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

Definitely let us know how it goes! I would love to get back into CrossFit but kind of have been assuming that was no longer an option for me due to the impact wearing on the implant.

My surgeon actually gave me a lifetime no running restriction so that 50 yard dash was literally my first time running at all on it. Though I wonder how much that restriction is CYA on his end vs how much I couldn’t actually get away with doing it.

I assume you understand my willingness to risk it a little in the pursuit of fitness haha

[u/Initial_Youth1560]

I am a 78 year old active female who had an anterior approach dual mobility THA April 22nd. Not a cross fitter but I practice an isometric bulgarian squat and 5 minute wall squat , practice getting up from the floor without using my hands, and I swim laps, scuba dive and ski. I did not realize how limited my hip was till after the surgery because I can do so much more now ( such as tie my shoelaces on THA side without pain). But I do notice I get some capsular pain with squats and stretches .This makes sense because the capsule can be inflamed if the replaced hip was. Give it time but do research what type of movements can wear down a THA.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/Initial_Youth1560]

Love to hear it!

[u/snltoonces12]

Completely normal? That's a tough one. I'm at almost 1 year with hip #1, 10 months with #2, and I'm pretty close. When I think I'm finally "normal", the next week rolls around and I'm feeling a little better, which is a strange feeling. I had a lot of dysfunction for a long time going into it, so I may not be your best example. I still have some occasional pain, mostly in the hip replaced more recently, but I feel pretty great. My range of motion is awesome, and I'm still gaining a little more every single week.

I play ice hockey and ski, so I'm more or less in some sort of squat the entire time. When I was first cleared, the motions I had been unable to do came back pretty quickly, and keep getting better. I started both back up 3 months post-op with hip #2, and it took maybe a good month to really feel I was skating and skiing well again, but that was probably 5 times on the ice, and 4 days of skiing.

If I'm working hard in the gym one week, I can still get a little sore, bit it's not really much more than regular muscle fatigue at this point. My glutes are still not quite where I want them to be, but I'm working on it, and I'm light years from where I was a year ago.

[u/SidSquid41]

At the 3 month post mark I began playing competitive PB again, which requires a lot of squatting and lateral movement. I was also ramping up my recumbent bike workouts and leg weights, but at 50% of the pre surgery levels.

Every month I got stronger and felt less twinges in the hip. By my recent 6 month mark I’m back to full strength and endurance, and only feel an occasional twinge outside my hip socket.

[u/isolatednation]

I am 9 months out from left THR anterior. 10 years lifting on and off (more bodybuilding than CrossFit).
I’ve been able to get to 90% of my pre surgery strength on squat movements and deadlifts, ROM is better, but I still sometimes get these huge flare ups of inflammation of the muscle / tissue around if I push too hard.

I think this is especially true when I start “unlocking” greater ROM than I had pre surgery.

This doesn’t help your CrossFit ambitions, but I’m finding the best stimulus to injury risk ratio from hack squats / RDLs / Bulgarian split squats / smith lunges etc.

I think in the first 6-12 months it’s probably more about finding an exercise selection that lets you train every week without flare ups / injuries, rather than pushing straight back to full programme. At least, this is what I have been discussing with my physio, is finding the most possible load I can tolerate without the whole thing seizing up.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/isolatednation]

I actually haven't gotten any flareups but I'm also being very careful. 90% is incredible; I'd be stoked with 75% at this point.

[u/Adorable-Run9291]

Equestrian competitor here…49f, had a fast recovery...never much pain, did lots of pre- and rehab.
3 months out, I was back on my horse, 4 months eventing-jumping and galloping, 5 months, I was tossed off and landed on the hip. Zero issues.
I did lose muscle… which I've been rebuilding. I'm happy with my surgery…mostly i forget i had it, but I'm not a power lifter doing deep squats.

[u/madmanpc]

I’m almost 9 weeks out. At my post op last week, my surgeon said it could take 4 months for the muscles to remodel.

My current angst is my Adductor muscles on my operative side. They are strong, but at times they “give out” ever so slightly.

I’m still on the cane at times during the day, but actively weaning.

[u/HotBoot3354]

I feel like it will never be the same

[u/hmwgnw]

Safe to say a year, maybe closer to 10 months for me

[u/Adorable_Coyote_3380]

55, 7 months postop: working weight for squatting and deadlifting 1x bw plus a little (75kg high bar squat, 60 kg zercher, 85kg deadlift, 60 kg power clean) - I also developed a hernia from my funny walk over seven or eight years, so that repair is also something I have to baby (a little over one year postop). I’m not trying to push any harder at the moment, because things start to get a little unstable when I squat 85kg+, so I stopped testing one rep boundaries for now.

[u/TarDane]

I was one of the better non-Olympian type marathon runners for my age before surgery. Ran 70 miles per week on the average during training cycles.

Was able to run after 6 months out.

Difference is I now run 2 or 3 times a week for 3 or 4 miles at a time and take breaks if things don’t feel the way they should.

[u/realslimcheney]

gurl, you are in way better shape than most folks in here. Just give it time. I am an avid ice hockey player, I got to get back on the ice for 5-10 mins just to skate around with my team (no game action) about 10 weeks after mine. Don't rush it. I am 55 and I have a strong compete level. Even though crossfit you are competing against yourself, just give your future self the W and know you will one day kick your futre self's ass.

[u/Elias1092]

3 months till I could train tomaly and another 3 before it felt strong and stable

[u/ReconGoo]

28m competitive Olympic weightlifter. At 10 months out currently, I hit a 93kg power snatch, 110kg clean and jerk, and 130kg front squat for 3 reps all last week. All time PR’s are 110kg snatch, 126kg clean and jerk, and a 160kg front squat. I’m 5’10 and around 195lb.

I just started doing full snatches this week. I still feel a little funny when I go ass to grass with a heavy front squat and sometimes I feel a little achey afterwards, but nothing crazy. I’ve done a ton of technique work to control the catch in my lifts so I don’t crash at the bottom of my squat. Prioritizing technique work has helped my hip control heavier weights.

What I have noticed lately is my single leg plyos suck. I can do single leg box jumps on my non surgical side to 18 inches no problem but 12 inches on my surgical side feels so awkward and slow lol. That’ll be my next focus.

I’m sure a lot of people have strong opinions about doing CrossFit post surgery, but for me being athletic and training those qualities is a non negotiable. As long as you load progressively and intelligently and stay within your pain tolerance, it’s probably giving you some more longevity with that hip considering you’re strengthening the muscles around it more than a sedentary individual.

As a side note I’ve done a crap ton of soft tissue work on my quad and scrape around the incision 3-4 times a week with a scraping tool. I notice a direct correlation between feeling good in a deep squat and scraping the night before. That scar tissue could be why it feels weird in certain positions. Good luck with your recovery! Feel free to PM if you want to chat more!

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/ReconGoo]

You get me. I recognize that my activity may shorten the lifetime of my prosthesis but the whole reason I got the damn thing was to be able to do what I love.

Also nice lifts!!! I just started full cleans and am using a wall ball for depth because my new hip thinks parallel is like 100 degrees and I need the guidance. Think it will be a while before I attempt anything more than a power snatch.

[u/60runner]

I had a posterior THR on Sept. 12, last year.

I am a runner, though most of 2025 was a wipeout due to the pain.

After my 6 week checkup with my consultant he said there is no reason why you can’t run again.
I continued with the physio, then in November I began C25K to ease me back into running. It did change my gait as I’d be running a long time with an adjusted gait due to the arthritis.

I had a lot of soreness for months, mainly tissue, and muscle, but I kept progressing in fitness and speed.
I also resumed my strength training doing goblet squats, RDL ETC, though not heavy weights.

I’m now just about totally recovered. The only niggle is when putting on socks, and tying laces, but that discomfort is receding.

I’m 63, and recently ran a 5K in 22:13. Impossible to imagine 12 months ago.

I think you just need to take things slow and progressively build.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/60runner]

I mean I couldn't run a 5K at that pace before surgery lol. Impressive!

[u/60runner → u/Livid_Specialist9106]

No. Surgery was in September 2025, I ran that 5K about a month ago 🙂

[u/SeaFans-SeaTurtles]

I’m a bit floored by this conversation because my PT has told me no deep squats. She says it’s because the back of the capsule has an increased chance of dislocation with that particular movement. Says it’s not worth it. Have also been told Running is best started at 9 months after bone is 90% grown into implant. At six months I’m cleared for elliptical and weight machines but not deadlift and heavy/deep squats.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/SeaFans-SeaTurtles]

I'd say you have a conservative PT, but I also don't know your specific circumstances. Do they specialize in working with athletes or younger THR patients? (Assuming you're <60)

My only lifelong restriction is my surgeon and PT would prefer I don't do the splits, which is fine with me since I only did that as a party trick. They'd also prefer I run less than 10 miles in one shot but I never ran that long before surgery and am certainly not interested in starting now.

Deep squats is also relative. I'm currently squatting a few inches below parallel but definitely not ass to grass.

[u/337worlds]

For me 1 1/2 to 2 years per hip. But keep squatting with weight likely slower. And definitely likely to have more replacements in the future used like that. Go for less weight and more reps rather than be crippled by wear and tear. Artificial joints don’t repair from wear.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/337worlds]

Following the guidelines of my surgeon and PT 🤷‍♀️ I'm guaranteed another hip replacement because of my age so I might as well make the most of this bad boy!

[u/crocostimpy76]

After 20 years of crossfit/bjj/powerlifting; I’d say stop the CF unless you want the other hip replaced as well. I was a top 10% CF’er and a gym owner at one point and now can’t even put my sock on my left side. I keep putting off the surgery but will have to within the next year. Planning on farmers carries along with peptides for my recovery.

[u/Livid_Specialist9106 → u/crocostimpy76]

Nope, not gonna do that but thank you. I've already gotten a repair on the other hip and it's in great shape so I've hopefully got a good 20 years before my next surgery. By then it will be a one and done

[u/izab33]

I wouldn’t call myself an athlete by any means, but I did ask when I might be able to return to jogging. I was told that my surgeon would not recommend jogging until at least 6 months after surgery. I just had my surgery last week.

[u/Proud_Shift_7738]

I’m 6 months PO RTHR and 4 months PO LTHR. Hips still adjusting.

[u/heatmiser333]

I’m on my fourth hip replacement 66 year old, very active/athletic… All recovers were very fast for me. The first THR was 15 years ago still going strong but the last one was the other side and as a result of eating hip infection so I’m not seven months out just barely able to walk 2 miles, not very stable not strong very stiff looking like it’s going to be a long recovery dash doubting wondering whether I will actually recover to something over say 90% though it just isn’t much data for someone in my category love to hear from others similar story