Most people can shower the day after hip replacement surgery, as long as the incision is covered with a waterproof dressing. The bigger challenge is doing it safely while protecting your new joint and healing incision over the weeks that follow. Here’s how to set up your bathroom, get in and out without risking a fall, and care for your incision while you wash.
When You Can Start Showering
Your timeline depends on how your surgeon closed the incision. Many surgeons now use dissolvable stitches with surgical glue and a waterproof dressing, which means you can shower as early as one day after surgery. That waterproof dressing typically stays on for about a week, then you peel it off.
If your incision was closed with traditional staples or non-waterproof bandaging, your surgeon may ask you to wait longer or keep the area completely dry with plastic wrap or a wound cover until the staples come out. Either way, confirm with your surgical team before your first shower.
One important rule: showers only, no baths. You should not submerge your incision in a bathtub, hot tub, or swimming pool for at least six weeks after surgery. Standing water introduces bacteria to a healing wound in a way that running shower water does not. Your surgeon will typically check the incision at a six-week follow-up and clear you for submerging at that point.
Equipment to Set Up Before Surgery
Falls are the biggest shower-related risk after hip replacement, and a wet, slippery surface combined with limited mobility is a dangerous combination. Setting up a few inexpensive items before your surgery date makes a real difference.
- Shower chair or bench. Sitting down eliminates the need to balance on one leg while washing your feet or lower body. Choose one with non-slip rubber feet and, if possible, a backrest.
- Non-slip mat or adhesive strips. Place these on the shower floor and just outside the shower or tub to cover the transition zone where falls are most likely.
- Grab bars. Wall-mounted grab bars near the shower entrance give you something stable to hold while stepping in and out. Towel racks are not substitutes; they are not designed to bear your weight.
- Handheld showerhead. A detachable showerhead on a hose lets you direct water exactly where you need it while seated, so you don’t have to twist or bend awkwardly.
- Long-handled sponge. This lets you wash your lower legs and feet without bending your hip past its safe range of motion.
How to Get In and Out Safely
If you have a tub-shower combo where you need to step over the edge, the order your legs go in matters. The standard technique taught by physical therapists is “up with the good, down with the bad.” Step into the shower leading with your non-surgical leg first. When you step out, lead with your surgical leg first. This sequence keeps your stronger leg doing the heavier work of lifting and lowering your body weight over the tub wall.
Hold the grab bar (not the shower door or curtain rod) with one hand while stepping over. If you’re using a walker or crutches, position them just outside the shower within easy reach. Some people find it helpful to have a second person nearby for the first few showers, not necessarily in the bathroom, but close enough to help if needed.
If your shower has a flat, walk-in entry with no lip to step over, the process is simpler, but you should still use a grab bar and lead with your non-surgical leg going in.
Movement Restrictions While Washing
If your surgeon used a posterior approach (the most common technique), you’ll have specific movement limits to protect the new joint from dislocating. The key rule: do not bend your hip past 90 degrees. That means your knee should never come up higher than your hip while you’re sitting or standing.
In practical shower terms, this means you should not lean forward to wash your feet or shins, reach down to pick up a dropped bar of soap, or bend at the waist to dry your lower legs with a towel. Use a long-handled sponge for anything below the knee. If you’re sitting on a shower chair, keep your surgical leg extended slightly forward rather than tucked underneath you.
Anterior approach surgeries often have fewer restrictions, but your surgeon will tell you exactly which movements to avoid. Follow those limits for the full duration your surgical team specifies, typically six to twelve weeks.
Caring for Your Incision in the Shower
Once the waterproof dressing comes off (usually around one week), you can let gentle soap and water run over the incision. The key word is “gentle.” Do not scrub the incision site, use a loofah or washcloth directly on it, or direct a high-pressure stream of water at the wound.
A few things to keep away from the incision entirely: scented soaps, lotions, creams, ointments, and adhesive patches. These can irritate healing tissue or trap moisture against the wound. Plain, mild soap is all you need. After showering, pat the incision dry with a clean towel rather than rubbing it.
Signs of a Problem After Showering
A healing incision that gets briefly wet in the shower is normal and expected. What’s not normal is any sign of infection developing in the days and weeks that follow. Watch for pus or unusual drainage from the incision, a bad smell coming from the wound, redness that spreads rather than fades, the skin feeling hot to the touch around the incision, increasing pain or tenderness at the site, or fever and chills. Any of these warrants a call to your surgeon’s office. Catching an infection early after joint replacement is critical because the implant itself can become involved, making treatment much more complicated.