The quick and easy answer to your question is "about a month." But that varies from patient to patient. Return of function can take longer if there are serious health issues or problems after surgery.

This timeframe is based on a large study of 1,000 patients having a minimally invasive total hip replacement. One surgeon did all the operations. Patients were seen after the operation at six weeks, three months, one year, and then once a year.

Everyone was asked to report on when they were able to get back to their normal routine. The patients reported on the time it took to get back to work, drive, do their household chores, and get back to any recreational activities.

The average length of time to recovery was 4.2 weeks. There was a range from one to 11 weeks. This means that some patients were able to get back to their normal activities within a week. Other took much longer than the average person.