Have you fractured your hip and you must be wondering whether you will be able to walk again after surgery.
And what are the risks, when is it best to walk without support?
As a radiographer I will answer these questions based on my knowledge and rely on medical studies about the subject.
Happy reading!😀 and feel free to ask questions in the comments or share your own experience.🙏
Last updated: May, 2025. Written by Juliet Semakula, a diagnostic radiographer.
Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links,full disclosure in the legal section.
Summary: sometimes you may be forbidden to walk for 2 to 3 months after surgery of a hip fracture, however walking immediately is increasingly permitted especially in the older people. Though it takes several weeks to months to regain normal walking ability.
▶️Basic knowledge
When you have fractured your pelvic or hip bone, there is always a fear of walking again even after four weeks of rehabilitation after discharge.
I have seen patients even after 3 months after recovery, reporting pain, poor balance, and fear of falling, reduced in and outdoor mobility.
Most patients who have hip fractures regain their pre-fracture level of mobility after 3 months to 1 year.
Some patients that were not mobile and used a walking aid before the fracture claim to find it difficult to regain their mobility level compared with patients who were mobile without any aid.
▶️Is walking good for a fractured hip? What do general medical recommendations say about it?
✅Arguments for
After you have fractured your hip, the ability to walk even a short distance in or outdoors can be meaningful for successful and independent living at home.
🟠Early mobilization after hip fracture is associated with walking recovery and is highly recommended.
🟠It reduces muscle weakness, avoids stiff joints and other health issues related to prolonged bed rest.
Salpakoski,2014
🟠Early mobilization and full weight bearing in geriatric patients after hip fracture surgery shortened length of stay in hospital.
🟠Reduced postoperative pain, and increased walking ability.
Kuru,2020
🟠May potentially lead to faster functional recovery, a quicker return to work and other activities.
❌Arguments against
While early mobilisation and walking is encouraged after a hip fracture, some arguments exist against pushing immediate and full-weight walking.
Walking recovery after the hip fracture can be challenging, a survey that was done for over 296 patients who had undergone hip fractures.
The observation noted, on average, six weeks after returning home, most of the participants reported difficulty in walking outdoors and 500 meters and nearly half of the participants in the Catastrophic trajectory needed the help of another person.
Salpakoski,2014
If you were using a walking aid before the fracture, there was a higher chance and risk of not being able to walk without support than before.
🔴There is always fear of pain management and the risk of blood clots which could lead to prolonged recovery due to worsening muscle weakness.
🔴Walking too early can put pressure on the fractured hip and ligaments, increasing the risk of poor consolidation and healing.
So, what’s the conclusion
While it is good to walk as soon as possible after a hip fracture, you should be able to make judgement on how you feel.
Taking into consideration pain management, your confidence towards walking again.
Despite medical studies, there is little clinical evidence to support early loading in the treatment of pelvic fractures.
And there was little evidence to show that immediate walking leads to better recovery.
And in any case you need to talk to your doctor or physiotherapist before you resume walking, please do so. Try to follow your doctors’ instructions after surgery to help speed up your healing.
▶️How can you know if in your case you can walk and when.
Usually, your doctor will give you a go ahead when to start walking after all your rehabilitation and usually after a post -check x-ray.
But even with a doctor’s approval, I have seen patients especially the elderly after a period of bed rest ,they feel:
🔵Restricted in their daily activities.
🔵Having lost confidence to resume walking again.
🔵Scared to re-fracture the hip again.
With that said there are signs that I have observed from patients who have hip fracture that can indicate to you that you can resume walking unaided.
⚫If you no longer feel pain and you are off pain medication, then this is a sign that your healing is going well.
⚫If you feel strong leg muscles especially in the hip and femur bone, it means you are getting closer to walking.
⚫If you can stand without support and stay steady for longer periods, this is a good sign.
⚫You can also feel mentally ready and believing in your ability to walk without help is very important.
⚫If you feel increased flexibility like before you had the fracture, you can bend and straighten your leg then your hip may have enough movement for walking.
⚫Your physiotherapist will be able to tell you how they feel about your progress in therapy and if you feel you can walk with no support then you may be ready to try small steps.
With that said, judgement will be up to you and how you feel to determine when you may be ready to walk based on what you can manage.
X-ray images of a surgically treated unstable pelvic fracture (bilateral lateral compression of the pelvic ring), followed by a patient walking with full weight without walking aids six weeks later. Image: Murena 2021
Remember to take it ease, because walking to soon and too much may:
🔴Cause you more pain and discomfort.
🔴 High risk of re-injury
🔴Slower healing
Walking is usually permitted after a follow-up x-ray several weeks after the initial one, especially if your fracture was complex, displaced or unstable.
▶️If walking is allowed, how can you walk with a broken pelvis?
After a hip or pelvic fracture, your doctor may advise you not to put any weight on the affected hip for six weeks or more.
This allows the bone to heal. Your doctor can provide crutches, a walker, a cane, or a wheelchair to help you get around.
Here is an article demonstrating how you can walk using crutches after you have been 6 months non-weight bearing.
However, if walking is allowed you do not need to take any special precautions.
You can walk normally if the pain is bearable. Often you will need a walking frame, crutches or a walker to relieve pressure and discomfort.
Try to find a walking style that suits you best. Physiotherapists are always there to help you gradually return to normal walking.
▶️How to resume walking after a period of bed rest?
Walking after a period of bed rest after a hip fracture can be particularly challenging especially for the elderly who are normally prone to hip fractures caused by falls.
Most of the time this age group when recovering from hip fracture, are home bound and immobile.
Here are some tips for getting back to walking although you will generally need to be supervised by a physiotherapist for at least a few sessions.
▶️Getting up for the very first time.
If you have been lying down for a long time, it is important to gently familiar your body with three things
1️⃣Simple sit down for a few minutes first before you stand up
2️⃣First stand upright
3️⃣Then move with the help of a walker or crutch.
When you have had prolonged bed rest you may have lost the strength in your leg muscles.
Sometimes lying down for so long can lead to dizziness when you get up abruptly.
I see this a lot in radiology during a supine x-ray procedure when patients sit up and try to stand suddenly, they complain of dizziness and lack of leg balance.
Getting out of bed for the first time after a hip fracture requires a gradual, safe approach, often with the help of a therapist or caregiver.
Here is a video from VHC health demonstrating safely getting in and out of bed after hip surgery.
After you have mastered this first step you should normally have less difficulty getting up and take fewer precautions as the days go by.
▶️Resuming walking with support.
In practice, you can also adapt depending on your condition and following the rule of gradual progression.
Resuming walking after a hip fracture will require you to use supporting aids such as a walker or crutches for at least 4 to 6 weeks.
You can start by taking frequent, short walks using crutches or a walker. After that, you may need to use a cane to help you walk.
You can increase the distance you cover over the days but if you feel pain the night after or the next day, adjust, do a little less the next day then gradually increase the frequency in the following days.
▶️How long do you have to be on crutches after a hip fracture?
You may continue to use your elbow crutches (or prescribed walking aid) until you are reassessed by the physiotherapist post operation. See simples of crutches on Amazon.
Most people progress to one crutch or walking stick by 6 weeks post operation and can walk independently by 12 weeks post operation this will depend on how restricted your walking was before the operation.
At this stage the limping if you had one should have gone away, by 6 to 12 weeks, it may take some people longer but most people I have seen can walk normally without limping.
▶️How long does it take to walk normally after a pelvic fracture?
It is difficult to tell you that it will take this long for you to walk normally, even the rehabilitation team that looks after you after discharge may find it hard to give you the exact time you can walk normally.
Recovering from a hip fracture involves several steps, and the timeline depends on factors like the type of surgery, age, overall health, and commitment to rehab.
However to prevent mobility limitations and any risk of a second hip fracture, it may therefore be effective to specifically aim at improving general muscle strength and power as well as reducing irregular deficit in the rehabilitation phase.
Studies have shown that including strengthening exercise in the rehabilitation from hip fracture may lead to better results with respect to functional performance than standard rehabilitation (Binder,2004)
First the more active you were before the fracture, the better your chances of quickly regaining your previous walking abilities.
By ‘quick’ I mean considering most patients I have seen after a pelvic fracture, I would say.
⚫If you weren’t bedridden, some may take 3-4 weeks, while others may take 2-6 months.
⚫If you have been bedridden for several weeks, you may be able to walk “normally” again, without crutches or limping, within weeks of taking your first steps, and sometimes it may take a few months.
Remember full bone healing and muscle strength rebuilding can take 3 to 6 months and regaining full functionality and confidence can take a year or more.
▶️What is the quality of life after a hip fracture?
Earlier studies have shown that older people who have got hip fractures usually suffer from persistent muscle weakness leading to mobility limitations that impacts on one’s dairy live (Portegijs,2008)
A hip fracture can reduce independence and sometimes shorten life especially to the elderly.
About half the elderly group who have a hip fracture can’t regain the ability to live independently (Fairhall,2022)
When hip fractures prevent movement for a long time, complications can include
⚫Blood clots in the legs or lungs. That’s why sometimes your doctor will require you to wear compression socks to help prevent blood clots.
However, this should not scare you, most people who have had hip fracture are able to heal completely and can walk and run plus doing all other daily activities.
We have come to the end of this article, any experience or questions let’s meet in the comments section at the end of this article.
Here are other articles you may be interested in about hip fractures.
⚫Recovery time-line of a pelvis fracture.
⚫How soon after hip surgery can you drive
⚫How to motivate yourself to walk every day.
⚫Walking after 6 months of non-weight bearing.
📚Source:
Salpakoski A, Törmäkangas T, Edgren J, Sihvonen S, Pekkonen M, Heinonen A, Pesola M, Kallinen M, Rantanen T, Sipilä S. Walking recovery after a hip fracture: a prospective follow-up study among community-dwelling over 60-year old men and women. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:289549. doi: 10.1155/2014/289549. Epub 2014 Jan 6. PMID: 24511530; PMCID: PMC3912885.
Vochteloo AJ, Moerman S, Tuinebreijer WE, Maier AB, de Vries MR, Bloem RM, Nelissen RG, Pilot P. More than half of hip fracture patients do not regain mobility in the first postoperative year. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2013 Apr;13(2):334-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2012.00904.x. Epub 2012 Jun 21. PMID: 22726959.
Portegijs E, Sipilä S, Rantanen T, Lamb SE. Leg extension power deficit and mobility limitation in women recovering from hip fracture. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2008 May;87(5):363-70. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e318164a9e2. PMID: 18303470.
Binder, E. F. , Brown, M. , Sinacore, D. R. , Steger-May, K. , Yarasheski, K. E. & Schechtman, K. B. (2004). Effects of Extended Outpatient Rehabilitation After Hip Fracture. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 292 (7), 837-846.
Fairhall NJ, Dyer SM, Mak JC, Diong J, Kwok WS, Sherrington C. Interventions for improving mobility after hip fracture surgery in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Sep 7;9(9):CD001704. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001704.pub5. PMID: 36070134; PMCID: PMC9451000.
Kuru T, Olçar HA. Effects of early mobilization and weight bearing on postoperative walking ability and pain in geriatric patients operated due to hip fracture: a retrospective analysis. Turk J Med Sci. 2020 Feb 13;50(1):117-125. doi: 10.3906/sag-1906-57. PMID: 31742370.
Murena L, Canton G, Hoxhaj B, Sborgia A, Fattori R, Gulli S, Vaienti E. Early weight bearing in acetabular and pelvic fractures. Acta Biomed. 2021 Sep 2;92(4):e2021236. doi: 10.23750/abm.v92i4.10787. PMID: 34487095; PMCID: PMC8477081.