Should I see a physical therapist or a personal trainer after joint replacement surgery?

Physical therapy first, always, since it is medical treatment prescribed for your specific surgery and progress. Personal training typically becomes relevant after formal PT winds down, or alongside it once your surgeon and PT have cleared strength work beyond what PT sessions cover. A trainer should build on what PT establishes, not substitute for it during active recovery.

How long does it take to fully recover from a knee or hip replacement?

Most people are back to normal daily activities within about 3 months and reach a stable full recovery somewhere between 6 and 12 months, though this varies with age, pre-surgery strength, and how consistently rehab was followed. This is general information; your surgeon can give you a timeline specific to your procedure and progress.

What muscles matter most after a knee replacement versus a hip replacement?

For a knee replacement, quadriceps and hamstring strength are generally the priority, since quad weakness is a common cause of a replaced knee still feeling unstable. For a hip replacement, glute and hip stabilizer strength typically take priority, along with respecting any movement precautions your surgeon gave you for the specific surgical approach used.

Does Stick-To-It Fit work with clients recovering from joint replacement?

Yes, this is core to the studio's focus on injury-aware, biomechanics-based programming. Every client starts with a strategy and movement assessment, and anyone recovering from surgery is expected to bring their surgeon's or physical therapist's clearance and specific restrictions, which become the ceiling the program is built underneath.

Portland Post-Surgical Training Guide

Personal training after knee or hip replacement surgery

Written by Steve, owner of Stick-To-It Fit and a personal trainer in SE Portland for 13+ years, focused on biomechanics-based, injury-aware programming.
Reviewed August 31, 2026.

The short answer

Recovery after a knee or hip replacement generally follows a phased timeline: walking short distances and basic range-of-motion work in the first 1-3 weeks, more structured strengthening from roughly weeks 4-6 once cleared, and continued building of function and endurance from month 2 onward, with most people reaching full recovery somewhere between 6 and 12 months. This is general information, not a schedule for your specific surgery, since age, pre-surgery strength, and how the recovery is actually going all shift the timeline. Personal training typically enters the picture after formal physical therapy sessions wind down, or alongside them once your surgeon and physical therapist have cleared strength work beyond what PT covers, and it should always work from their specific clearance and restrictions, not around them.

This page describes a general recovery timeline, not medical advice or a schedule for your specific surgery. Your surgeon and physical therapist set the actual timeline and restrictions for your recovery, and their clearance always outranks anything on this page.

The general recovery timeline

Early phase

Roughly weeks 1-3

Walking short distances, swelling control, basic range of motion. This phase is generally led by physical therapy, not personal training.

Intermediate phase

Roughly weeks 4-6

Progressive strengthening of the surrounding muscles typically becomes appropriate here, along with balance work and gait training, once cleared.

Building phase

Roughly months 2-3+

Endurance, confidence, and function-focused training expand. This is often where personal training picks up or increases involvement.

Full recovery

Roughly 6-12 months

Most people reach a stable, full recovery in this window, though the exact point varies by individual and procedure.

What programming prioritizes for each joint

Knee replacement

Quadriceps and hamstring strength are the main drivers of long-term knee stability, since a weak quad is one of the most common reasons a replaced knee still feels unstable well into recovery.

Hip replacement

Glute and hip stabilizer strength take priority, along with movement awareness around any precautions your surgeon gave you (commonly around certain rotation or flexion ranges early on, though the specifics vary by surgical approach).

Where personal training fits, and where it does not

Physical therapy comes first, and it is not optional. It is medical treatment, prescribed and adjusted for your specific surgery by a licensed professional who is tracking your healing tissue, not just your effort level. Personal training picks up the thread after formal PT winds down, or runs alongside it once your surgeon and PT have cleared strength work beyond what PT sessions cover. The relationship only works one direction: your medical team's restrictions are the ceiling a trainer builds underneath, never something a trainer works around.

Personal training after joint replacement: common questions

Resistance exercise generally becomes appropriate somewhere around 4-6 weeks after surgery, but the specific timing is set by your surgeon and physical therapist based on how your individual recovery is progressing, not by a general calendar. Always confirm with them before adding load beyond what PT has prescribed.

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Bring your surgeon's clearance to the first conversation

A strategy and movement assessment starts from your specific restrictions, not a general template. The studio is at 5609 SE Milwaukie Ave in Portland, on the Sellwood/Westmoreland border.

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