I'm reporting on my hip replacement in case others wonder what you will be able to do and when after your surgery. I wasn't able to find this information when I was planning my recovery, so I hope it will help others. I found a lot of conflicting information on the internet. Much of it refers to posterior replacement, which has a longer recovery period with more restrictions. I had a full replacement using the newer anterior approach.

Many healthcare providers work with older sedentary people and are sedentary themselves! They tended to overestimate recovery time and restrictions, as in "You won't be able to bike or kayak for one year and you will never ski again." Just imagine what happens to an older person who sits around doing nothing for a year! Turns out they were wrong.

The first five days after surgery were miserable but progress was surprisingly fast after that. Here's how it went:

Day 7: Able to go up and down stairs without a cane.
Day 9: Walked 1 mile in 29 minutes with hiking poles. Very slow, awkward gait, but felt steady.
Day 10: Drove (automatic car)
Day 12: Walked 45 minutes on road and in snow. Minor pain in hip.
Day 18: Walked 1 mile in 21 minutes. No pain.
3rd week: Walked 3 miles in 1h 10 min with hiking poles. Returned to the gym for upper body exercise.

4th week: Began walking without hiking poles.

7th week: Hiked on a mostly flat but rocky trail 2 miles. Stopped using cane completely (used it for several years before surgery). Now walking 3 times a week, 1h each time, plus gym twice a week. ***Began sports-specific physical therapy for biking, kayaking, and preparing for lower-body weight machines at gym.

8th week: Able to use stationary bike and elliptical machine at gym. Got on my hybrid bike by leaning it way over. Rode one mile PAIN FREE. This was just a small test to see if I'm ready to bike. I am!

I'm very pleased with this pace of recovery and with the success of the surgery. It feels like a miracle to be pain free, able to stand up straight, no back pain, and swing my arms freely when walking without a cane or hiking poles.

Further info from my surgeon: The bone and prosthesis are fused after about 3 months. At that point I can return to day hiking, backpacking, kayaking, lower-body machines at the gym, and kneel down to enter a tent.

Getting on the bike is problematical. My surgeon emphasized that the movement most likely to dislocate the hip is extending the leg behind you and turning it outward. He modeled the fencing stance as an example. Not sure if I will ever be able to mount by putting my leg over the back seat, but swinging it forward over the top tube should be possible at some point. At the moment I don't have enough range of motion for that.

The two best things I did for myself were to get in the best possible shape in the year before the surgery and to request sports-specific physical therapy when I was strong enough. I learned much more from the sports therapist and did much more effective exercises than with the very brief PT right after surgery, which only addresses functional things like going upstairs.

At age 50 I was biking up to 2000 miles a year. I have no aspirations of returning to that mileage. I'll be very happy if I can do 25-mile exercise and pleasure rides. I'm dreaming of returning to touring and I think that will be possible.