Brazil's Lula stable after hip surgery, starts walking in physio sessions

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is clinically stable one day after hip surgery and has begun to walk in physiotherapy sessions, the Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Brazil's capital said on Saturday.

Lula underwent surgery on Friday for arthrosis of the right hip caused by the extremely painful wear and tear of the cartilage on the head of the femur.

His doctors expect him to remain in hospital until Tuesday when he will move to the presidential residence from where he will govern for three weeks as he recovers.

The arthroplasty procedure, under general anesthetic, involved removing the head of the femur to implant a prosthesis.

The orthopedic surgeon who did the surgery, Giancarlo Polesello, said Lula would have to avoid standing for too long and will need to use a walker in the first weeks, as the procedure affects the patients' balance.

Lula has said he has been in constant pain for more than a year, though this has not stopped him from traveling to dozens of countries since he took office in January.

Lula will only resume presidential trips abroad at the end of November, when he plans to travel to the United Arab Emirates to attend the COP28 global climate meeting.