Driving, Work, Gardening, Golf: When Can You Get Back to Normal After a Joint Replacement?
August 2026
Most of the advice you’re given before a hip or knee replacement is about the operation itself. But knowing what happens afterwards, and in what order, is far more practical. When can I drive to the shops? When can I get back to work? Will I ever kneel in the garden again?
Here is a realistic guide to the milestones involved. Treat it as a map rather than a timetable, because individual recovery varies enormously, and your own surgeon's advice always takes precedence over anything you read online.
Returning to activities after knee/hip replacement surgery
Driving
As a general rule, most people return to driving around six weeks after a hip replacement, and somewhere between 6 and 12 weeks after a knee replacement. If you have had left hip surgery and drive an automatic, it can sometimes be considerably sooner.
Two things are worth knowing in the UK specifically. The DVLA does not need to be notified after routine joint replacement surgery, unless something is likely to affect your driving beyond 3 months. But responsibility for being in proper control of the vehicle still sits with you, so the practical test is whether you can sit comfortably, work the pedals firmly, and perform an emergency stop without hesitating. It is also sensible to check your insurer's position before getting back behind the wheel.
Returning to work
This depends far more on the job than the joint. Desk-based work is often manageable from around 4 to 6 weeks, sometimes sooner with a phased return or working from home. Physical or standing work commonly takes 3 months or more.
The factor that many people underestimate is fatigue. Major surgery is tiring for far longer than the wound takes to heal, and tiredness affects concentration long after the pain has settled. Going back too early, then struggling to keep up with your rehabilitation exercises, is a common but avoidable setback.
Stairs, walking, and getting out and about
Stairs usually come back gradually. Start with the leading-leg technique your physiotherapist teaches you (up to heaven, down to hell), then progress to normal alternating steps as leg strength and bend improve. Most people are walking comfortably without a stick or crutches by around the 3-month mark, although some manage sooner while others take longer.
Gardening
Light gardening is often possible from around 6 to 12 weeks: potting up, deadheading, standing tasks, etc. Heavier work such as digging, as well as anything that involves prolonged kneeling or getting down to ground level, more commonly falls into the 3- to 6-month range.
A few adaptations help enormously: try using a kneeler or garden stool, along with long-handled tools. Keep loads close to your body, and use the non-operated leg to push a spade in.
Kneeling
Kneeling is worthy of its own mention here, because it causes the most confusion. After a knee replacement, kneeling is generally safe once healed, but it frequently feels uncomfortable or odd for a long time. The sensation is usually caused by skin and scar sensitivity at the front of the knee rather than damage to the joint, and it commonly settles down over the first year or two. Many surgeons suggest waiting around six months before kneeling in earnest.
Golf and other sport
Golfers often start with putting and short game at around 6 to 8 weeks, building up to full swings and walking the course somewhere between 3 and 6 months. Swimming (once the wound is fully healed), cycling and walking are usually encouraged earlier, as they load the joint more gently.
High-impact activities such as running, and any sports that involve sudden twisting or contact, are a different conversation altogether and best had directly with your surgeon or physiotherapist.
If you find yourself falling behind these markers
Timelines are averages, and being slower than average does not mean failure. But if you feel noticeably behind and progress seems to have stalled, it is something worth investigating rather than just waiting for longer.
Usually one of three things is in the way: pain, stiffness, or weakness. Each has a different answer, and the first step is working out which is actually limiting you. This is a large part of what a physiotherapy assessment is for, and where treatments such as TECAR therapy can provide a useful addition alongside a targeted exercise plan, particularly where lingering soreness or swelling is holding back the rehabilitation itself.
The best rehabilitation is built around the things you actually want to return to. In our experience, a recovery aimed at "walking better" is too vague. A recovery aimed at getting round nine holes, or managing your own garden again, gives both you and your physiotherapist something more concrete to work towards.
If you’re concerned that your recovery has stalled, or you want a post-op plan built around your own goals, book an appointment or get in touch.
Related reading
Why some joints still hurt after a replacement – if pain is the thing holding you back.
Still limping after a hip replacement? – if weakness and an uneven walk are the problem.
Getting your knee to bend again – if stiffness is limiting what you can do.
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for individual clinical assessment. Timescales vary between individuals, surgical approaches and surgeons, and you should always follow the specific guidance given by your own surgical team. Responsibility for fitness to drive rests with the driver.
