Sports and Exercise After Hip or Knee Replacement: What Surgeons Encourage and Discourage

A new hip or knee is meant to get you moving again, but it is a mechanical part that wears. Here is how surgeons think about activity in the long run, and how to plan a return to the sport you care about.

For many people, the reason to have a hip or knee replaced is not only to stop the pain. It is to get back to something: walking the dog for an hour, playing golf, swimming laps, riding a bike, dancing at a wedding. So one of the most common questions surgeons hear is some version of "will I be able to do this again?"

This guide covers what the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons tells patients about long-term activity, why some sports are discouraged, and how to plan a return to the activity you care about. The specifics belong to your surgeon, who knows your implant, your bone quality and how the operation went.

Why activity advice exists at all

A joint replacement swaps worn cartilage and bone for metal and plastic surfaces. Those surfaces wear over time, and the components can loosen from the bone. The AAOS guide to total knee replacement (OrthoInfo, 2026) lists implant wear and loosening among the risks, and notes that high-impact activity and excess weight can contribute. The same guide reports that more than 90% of modern knee replacements are still functioning well at 15 years.

The goal of activity advice is to help you keep that record on your side: stay fit and strong, which protects the joint and your general health, without putting repeated heavy impact through the implant. There is also a second reason: falls. A fall can fracture the bone around an implant, so sports with a high risk of falling or collisions get extra caution.

What surgeons generally encourage

The AAOS knee and total hip replacement (OrthoInfo, 2026) guides list similar activities that are usually recommended once your surgeon gives the go-ahead:

• Walking, as much as you like
• Swimming
• Golf
• Cycling
• Light hiking or hiking
• Dancing, including ballroom dancing
• Driving
• Other low-impact sports

The AAOS guide to activities after knee replacement (OrthoInfo, 2026) adds pickleball to the lower-impact options it prefers over high-impact sports, describes swimming as an excellent low-impact activity once the wound has healed and your doctor approves, and says many sports you enjoyed before can be resumed once your doctor gives the go-ahead.

What surgeons generally discourage

Both AAOS replacement guides say most surgeons advise against high-impact activities such as running, jogging, jumping and high-impact sports. The knee activities page adds skiing to the list of high-impact activities to avoid. For hips, MedlinePlus (reviewed 2024) advises avoiding downhill skiing and contact sports such as football and soccer after full recovery.

The middle column is where the real conversations happen. Sources differ on some sports; MedlinePlus lists tennis among acceptable lower-impact activities after hip replacement, for example, while the AAOS knee activities page does not address it. That is a sign the answer depends on the person, the joint and the way they play.

Getting back: the stages

Returning to sport is gradual, and the order matters more than the date. The stages below are a general outline; your surgeon and physical therapist will set your actual pace.

Stage 1: Recovery basics

The early weeks are about walking with support, the exercises your therapist prescribes, and controlling swelling. The knee activities page asks patients to keep doing prescribed exercises for at least two months after surgery and notes that walking, while encouraged, does not replace them. Most light daily activities resume within three to six weeks, according to both AAOS replacement guides.

Stage 2: Low-impact conditioning

Stationary cycling often appears in therapy after knee replacement, and swimming becomes possible once the wound is fully healed and your doctor approves. This stage rebuilds the strength and endurance that make everything else safer.

Stage 3: Sport-specific work

Once your surgeon is satisfied with your strength, balance and motion, you can start practising the movements your sport needs, at low intensity. A golfer might start with putting and chipping; a cyclist might move from stationary to outdoor riding on flat routes.

Stage 4: Return to play

Gradually increase frequency and intensity, and pay attention to how the joint responds the next day, not just during the activity.

Sport by sport: questions to bring

Golf

Encouraged by AAOS. Ask how the twisting of the swing affects your joint, especially if the operated side is your lead leg, and when you can start with short shots.

Cycling

Encouraged, and useful in knee rehab. Ask when you can ride outdoors, since falls are the bigger concern than pedalling. For hips, ask about seat height so you are not bending the hip too far in the early months.

Swimming

Encouraged once the wound has healed. Ask when you can get the incision wet. After hip replacement, ask whether any strokes or kicks should be avoided while precautions apply.

Hiking

Listed as acceptable. Uneven ground and long descents are harder on the joint and riskier for falls than flat walking, so ask about poles and how to build up distance.

Gym and weights

Strength helps protect the joint, but loading matters. Ask which machines and exercises are appropriate and whether there are limits on deep bending or heavy loads.

Running

Generally discouraged by AAOS for both hips and knees. If running matters to you, have that conversation before surgery, so your expectations are set from the start.

Have the activity conversation before surgery

Many patients wait until the six-week check to ask about their sport. By then, expectations are already set, and a disappointing answer lands hard. Raising it at the first consultation helps in several ways. Your surgeon can tell you whether your goal is realistic for your joint. They can explain whether it changes anything about the plan. And you go into recovery with a target your therapist can build toward.

Bring a short written summary to that consultation:

The importance column is the useful part. It tells your surgeon which goals are worth building the recovery around, and which ones you could happily swap for a lower-impact alternative.

If you are recovering away from home

Patients who travel for surgery often have their first weeks of rehab with one therapist and the rest with another. Bring your activity goals in writing to both, along with any restrictions your surgeon set, so the plan does not reset when you change hands.

Kneeling, a common worry

Many people with a new knee avoid kneeling. The AAOS knee guide says kneeling may be uncomfortable but is not harmful. It also notes that some numbness around the incision is common, which can make kneeling feel strange. A cushion or gardening pad can help, and it is worth asking your surgeon when you can try.

Weight, falls and the long game

Two factors protect a replaced joint over decades, and both are within your influence. The first is body weight, since the knee guide links excess weight to wear and loosening. The second is avoiding falls: keep up strength and balance work, be careful on wet or icy ground, and think twice about sports where falls are frequent. The AAOS hip guide also lists regular light exercise, periodic follow-up visits and X-rays, and telling your dentist about the implant among the ways to protect it.

When to call your surgeon

Stop and get advice if you notice new pain in the replaced joint that does not settle, swelling that keeps returning after activity, a feeling of instability or giving way, or a change in how the joint moves or sounds. After a hip replacement, sudden severe hip pain needs urgent attention. These can be signs of problems that are easier to address early.

The bottom line

Most people can be active after a hip or knee replacement, and walking, swimming, cycling, golf and dancing are widely encouraged. High-impact running, jumping and contact sports are generally discouraged because they speed up wear and raise fall risk. For anything in between, describe exactly how you want to play and let your surgeon tailor the answer to your joint.

Common questions

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