By Aasra Editorial Team | India's First Adaptive Clothing Brand
Aasra has served thousands of patients and caregivers across India since 2020, providing adaptive clothing that makes dressing independent and dignified for people recovering from surgery, dealing with disability, or facing the challenges of old age.
Total hip replacement is one of the most successful operations in modern medicine. It is also, for the first six to twelve weeks, one of the most restrictive, and the restrictions land squarely on the act of getting dressed.
Hip precautions, and why they are not optional
After a hip replacement, particularly through a posterior approach, most surgeons in India give three precautions:
- Do not bend the hip past 90 degrees
- Do not cross the operated leg over the midline
- Do not rotate the leg inwards
These exist because a new hip joint is at its most vulnerable to dislocation before the surrounding soft tissue has healed and tightened around it. Dislocation is not a minor setback. It usually means a trip back to hospital and sometimes a further procedure.
Now consider putting on a pair of trousers. You bend forward to bring the waistband to your feet, which takes the hip well past 90 degrees. You lift the operated leg. You often rotate slightly. A single ordinary garment breaks all three precautions in one movement, which is why hip patients are routinely told they will need help dressing, and why so many find that the hardest part of recovery is not pain but dependence.
Side-opening lowers solve it completely
The principle is that the garment comes to you. Side-opening pants open along the full length of both legs with velcro. You lay them flat across the bed or chair, place your legs onto them without lifting or bending, and press the sides closed from the outside while sitting upright.
At no point do you bend past 90 degrees, cross your legs, or reach towards your feet. It takes about thirty seconds and, crucially, you can do it alone.
In hot weather or during the day, tearaway shorts work identically with less fabric. There is a women's version as well.
Whatever you choose, keep the waistband loose. Pressure across a fresh hip incision or over a surgical dressing is uncomfortable and slows healing.
The socks and shoes problem
This catches almost everyone. Reaching your own feet is impossible under hip precautions, and it stays impossible for weeks.
Slip-on chappals or velcro sandals are essential from day one. For socks, use a long-handled sock aid, which most Indian physiotherapy departments can supply or recommend. A grabber or reacher is worth buying before surgery for the same reason: it is what lets you pick things up off the floor without breaking precautions, and you will drop things.
Anterior approach patients
If your surgery was done through an anterior approach, your surgeon may give you fewer restrictions or none at all, because the dislocation risk profile is different. Follow what your own surgeon tells you rather than general advice, including this article.
That said, many anterior patients still find side-opening clothing easier for the first few weeks, simply because bending forward over a fresh incision is uncomfortable regardless of what is permitted.
What to expect, week by week
Weeks 1 to 2: Side-opening lowers, loose tops, slip-on footwear. Most dressing done seated. Walker or crutches in use, which is its own reason to avoid anything that could trip you.
Weeks 3 to 6: Walking distance increases and confidence returns, but precautions remain fully in force. This is the phase where people most often get injured, because they feel better than they should behave.
Weeks 6 to 12: Your surgeon will usually begin relaxing precautions. Many patients keep using side-opening pants through this period because it is simply easier than the alternative.
After 12 weeks: Most people return to ordinary clothing. Some keep one pair of adaptive trousers permanently, for bad days and for winter mornings when the joint is stiff.
Order before the operation
Hip replacements are planned procedures. Order adaptive clothing before you are admitted so it is waiting for you at home. The day of discharge is the worst possible day to discover you own nothing you can put on.
Buy two sets. You will be wearing them daily for six weeks and washing frequently.
Our hip replacement recovery collection is designed around hip precautions. Everything is 100% cotton, with loose waistbands that clear the incision, in sizes M to 2XL. Free shipping across India, cash on delivery available. See also our guides to knee replacement and hip and knee recovery clothing, and our size guide for measurements.