Breaking a hip in a fall on ice doesn’t end with surgery and a hospital stay. NHS inform — the health information site of NHS 24 in Scotland — says recovery from a hip fracture doesn’t stop once you leave hospital, and sets out what to do at home. Walk on even ground starting with 5 minutes and build every few days; pain for the first 6 weeks or longer is normal; gentle sport such as cycling and swimming comes at around 6 weeks, and running, jumping and heavy lifting at around 12 weeks. Here are the 5 exercises and the guidance on the wound, swelling, washing, dressing, driving and work, from two pages (recovery and exercises), as written.
1. 5 exercises — static quad, bridging, supported leg raise, sit to stand, standing hip extension.
2. Walk from 5 minutes; don’t cut painkillers straight after discharge; pain for 6 weeks or more is normal; no bath for 6 weeks.
3. More calf or thigh pain with red or darkened skin needs urgent help — it can be a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
What affects recovery — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Factors | How bad the fracture was, whether surgery was needed, how active you were before, other health conditions, level of confusion (which can come from delirium or dementia) | — |
| At home | People who can leave hospital and function safely at home have been shown to recover more quickly | — |
| Routine | Getting up and dressed, even in hospital, is vital — it keeps strength and routine. Eat and drink well as guided, and try to sleep well | — |
Walking — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain | Some discomfort is expected. Listen to your body and increase activity gradually as pain allows | — |
| Order | Practise on even surfaces → longer distances → uneven ground → busier places | In winter, ice and snow are the far end of “uneven ground” (ours) |
| Time | Walking outside builds stamina and strength. Aim to walk confidently for 5 minutes and increase the time every few days as you feel able | — |
| Walking aid | With a new walking aid and questions about progressing, contact your local MSK service | In Korea, rehabilitation medicine or physiotherapy (ours) |
5 recovery exercises — NHS inform
Exercise helps reduce inflammation and pain and strengthens the muscles supporting the hip, says NHS inform. Before you start: environment (safe, suitable footwear and space), familiarity (understand each exercise) and repetition (start low and add more as it feels manageable). If you feel unwell, stop and seek advice.
| Exercise | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Static quad strengthening (0:20) | Video title only | On the knee pages, the move of this name is lying down, pressing the back of the knee into the bed for 10 seconds (our note) |
| 2. Bridging (0:25) | Video title only | — |
| 3. Supported leg raise (0:13) | Video title only | — |
| 4. Sit to stand (0:19) | Video title only | — |
| 5. Standing hip extension (0:18) | Video title only | Hold something sturdy when standing (ours) |
This exercise page gives only the 5 video titles and lengths — no written instructions. All 5 run 1 min 35 s together (our sum). The pain guide matches other NHS inform exercise pages: out of 10, 0 to 3 minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable, 6 to 10 excessive; keep within 0 to 5 during exercise (otherwise fewer, slower, or more rest); no worse the next morning; stop if worse or new pain; get advice if hip pain isn’t better within 6 weeks. There are no repetition or set numbers on this page. Similar moves are described in writing in our hip exercises page.
Pain, heat or ice, wound, swelling — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Painkillers | Keep taking the pain relief prescribed on discharge. Don’t cut down straight after discharge; wait until you’re more settled and more active | — |
| How long | Pain throughout the first 6 weeks or longer is normal and expected | 6 weeks = 42 days (our sum) |
| Easing pain | Raise the leg when resting, painkillers before activity, heat or cold, short regular rests | — |
| Heat or ice | Use a barrier such as a towel; never directly on skin. Leave a few hours between treatments. Ice early on if painful and swollen; heat for stiff joints or muscles. Stop if redness, discolouration or blistering increases. Don’t use heat or ice with circulation or sensation problems | Hot-water-bottle burns: see our burns page |
| Wound | A sealed absorbent dressing for the first 2 weeks; then contact your practice nurse to check healing and remove clips or sutures if not dissolvable | — |
| Contact your GP | Pain still a problem on prescribed medication, pain changes in severity, the wound leaks fluid, feels itchy or irritated, or its edges separate | In Korea, the operating hospital’s clinic (ours) |
| Swelling | Normal after hip surgery — it can come and go for 6 weeks, sometimes longer, and can affect the whole leg. Rest, raise the leg and watch for changes | — |
| Urgent | Increased pain in the calf or thigh, or red or darkened skin (harder to see on some skin tones), can need urgent attention — signs of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) | — |
Moving around at home — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Lying down | Stand with your back to the bed, legs close and square to it. Bringing the operated leg forward as you reach back helps control the descent. Once sitting, push your bottom back with your arms, bring the legs up one at a time, then lower your trunk | — |
| Sitting up | Push upright with your arms, walk the legs round to the edge one at a time letting the trunk turn with them, shuffle forward, then extend the operated leg slightly and push off with your arms to stand | — |
| Toilet | Back to the toilet, operated leg slightly forward, reach back for the frame (or the toilet) and lower slowly. To stand, extend the operated leg slightly and push off with your arms | — |
| Washing | Sit at the sink or use a level shower only. Avoid a bath for 6 weeks after the operation. Get help or use a long-handled sponge for your feet | — |
| Dressing | A long-handled shoehorn, a helping hand, a sock aid. If you weren’t given equipment and it’s harder than expected, ask your GP about an occupational therapist. Slip-on shoes or trainers, or elastic laces | — |
Driving, work and sport — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Driving | From 6 weeks if you can do an emergency stop and fully weight bear. If unsure, ask a professional; confirm insurance; test drive somewhere safe and keep trips short. If still unable to drive after 3 months, you must tell the DVLA | The DVLA rule is UK-specific; the page has no Korean rule (ours) |
| Work | Depends on recovery and the job — discuss phased return or lighter duties. Roughly: home working as soon as you feel well enough, light or office work from around 6 weeks, active or manual work from 12 weeks | 12 weeks = 84 days (our sum) |
| Gentle sport | Around 6 weeks — cycling, light gym work, golf, swimming (if no wound issues) | — |
| Higher impact | Around 12 weeks — running, jumping, heavy lifting | — |
| Implant | Regular moderate exercise and a healthy weight can help an implant last longer; excessive or repetitive strain may shorten its life | — |
Mental wellbeing — NHS inform
Some anxiety on leaving hospital is normal; talk to friends or family or contact support services, says NHS inform. Getting back to your routine as soon as possible builds confidence and reduces fatigue. It suggests you prioritise (some housework can wait a few weeks), plan (a routine and help when needed), pace (rest before getting too tired), mind posture (avoid excessive twisting and bending; think about chair and kitchen heights) and use a bag to carry things, especially on stairs. Structural changes such as stair lifts or wet rooms are rarely needed.
Avoiding falls on ice is in our snow and ice safety page; fall prevention in general is in fall prevention for older adults.
Checklist
- ☐ Walk on even ground from 5 minutes, adding time every few days
- ☐ Don’t cut painkillers straight after discharge; take them before activity
- ☐ Heat or ice through a towel, a few hours apart, not with sensation problems
- ☐ No bath for 6 weeks; wound checked after 2 weeks
- ☐ More calf or thigh pain with red or darkened skin: urgent help
- ☐ Driving, office work, gentle sport around 6 weeks; manual work and running around 12
Questions that remain
How many repetitions should I do?
The exercise page only says start low and add more as manageable; it gives no repetitions or sets. Follow the exercise sheet from discharge or your physiotherapist (ours).
Are 6 and 12 weeks fixed rules?
The page calls them “around” and “general guidelines”, and says recovery depends on the fracture, surgery and prior activity. Your surgical team’s view comes first.
Sources
- NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) — Recovery from a hip fracture — source (page shows: last updated 20 October 2026; source NHS 24 MSK Clinical Advisory Group; checked 3 November 2026). What affects recovery, routine, walking, painkillers and how long pain lasts, heat or ice, wound, 5 reasons to contact a GP, swelling and DVT signs, bed and toilet transfers, washing, dressing, driving, work, return to sport, implants, mental wellbeing.
- NHS inform — Exercises for recovery from a hip fracture — source (no update date shown). What exercise does, the 3 points before starting (environment, familiarity, repetition), 5 video titles and lengths (no written instructions), the 0 to 10 and 0 to 5 pain guide, pain after exercise, when to stop, 6 weeks.
- Not read. The exercise videos, the “fragility fracture of the hip” page, Care of Burns in Scotland, the DVLA page, Korean hip fracture rehabilitation guidance.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column, our sums (1 min 35 s, 42 days, 84 days), the winter ice gloss and the Korean care gloss.
Where to check further
- The operating hospital’s orthopaedic clinic — wound, changes in pain, timing of driving and work.
- Rehabilitation medicine or physiotherapy — repetitions and walking aids.
Written on 3 November 2026. The content is from NHS inform; the glosses are ours.
