Do you have any idea how my golf game might be affected by having my hip replaced? Right now, the pain keeps me from going more than 9-holes once a week. And my drive falls way short of what it used to. Can I even play golf after this kind of surgery?

Golf is a low-impact activity that can be resumed after rehab for total hip replacement. If you let your physical therapist know of your interest in getting back on the golf course, your rehab program can be advanced to include specific sports-training for golf. This is a good idea in order to prevent further injuries and to spare your implant excess torque or load.

Studies show that of all the sports patients are involved in before joint replacement, golf is the one more people return to. There’s some evidence that your handicap may increase as well as the your drive length. The average change in handicap is an increase of 1.1 strokes. The average drive length increases by 3.3 yards.

Even though golfing can involve a fair amount of walking (which is good exercise), you may want to consider using a golf cart — especially at first until you see how well you do. Sometimes golfers with total joint replacements report mild pain or aching after playing golf. Using a golf cart can help reduce this by decreasing joint load and wear on the joint surface. Some golfers use the cart until they build up their strength and stamina. Try this yourself. Then you can reevaluate the benefit of continuing (or not).