Essential Equipment After Knee Replacement Surgery
Essential Equipment After Knee Replacement Surgery
Setting up your home before surgery makes recovery safer, easier, and less stressful. Here's everything you'll need, with the products we recommend, a rent-or-buy tip, and a ready-to-shop checklist, from our team.
Most knee replacement patients are home within a few days. In the first several weeks you'll deal with swelling, stiffness, and difficulty walking, bathing, dressing, and getting in and out of bed. Having the right equipment ready before you get home lowers your fall risk, keeps swelling down, and helps you stay independent. This guide covers what you need, the products we'd reach for, and how it all fits together.
Prepare before you go in
The safest recovery starts before the surgery date. Gathering equipment and clearing your space ahead of time means everything is ready the moment you get home, when moving around is at its hardest.
⚠️The first weeks carry real fall risk
- Set the home up before surgery. You won't want to rearrange furniture or shop while recovering.
- Clear trip hazards, loose rugs, cords, and clutter in your walking paths.
- Keep the leg elevated and iced early on. Controlling swelling is the biggest factor in a comfortable knee recovery, follow your surgeon's and therapist's instructions.
The essentials, in one line
- The three you can't skip: a walker, a shower chair, and a raised toilet seat.
- For a knee, prioritize ice therapy and a leg-elevation pillow, swelling is the main battle in the first weeks.
- Only need it for recovery? Ask about renting the bigger items instead of buying.
Mobility: getting around safely
Most patients follow a predictable path, a walker first, then a cane or rollator, with a wheelchair for longer distances if needed.
| Standard Walker | Rollator | Wheelchair | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stability | Highest, stays planted | Good, rolls | Seated, no standing |
| Best in recovery | First days & weeks | Later, as strength returns | Long distances or when standing is too much |
| Has a seat | No | Yes | Yes |
Managing swelling & pain
Swelling is the number-one issue after a knee replacement, and keeping it down makes everything else, walking, sleeping, bending the knee in therapy, easier. These are the items knee patients use most:
- Cold / ice therapy. Controls pain and swelling around the joint. Cold-therapy wraps and reusable ice packs get used constantly in the first weeks. Browse cold therapy →
- Leg elevation pillow. A wedge pillow keeps the leg raised above the heart to drain swelling, one of the most-used recovery items. Browse leg pillows →
- Compression stockings. Support circulation and help reduce clot risk during low-activity recovery, your surgeon may prescribe these. Browse compression →
Bathroom safety
The bathroom is where most falls happen in recovery. Four items make the biggest difference, our full bathroom safety guide covers placement and fit.
- Shower chair. A stable place to sit while bathing instead of standing on a healing knee. The Medline Shower Chair is a simple, sturdy option. Browse all →
- Transfer bench. If you have a bathtub, sit outside the tub and slide across, safer than stepping over the edge with a stiff knee. See the Drive Medical Folding Universal Sliding Transfer Bench. Browse all →
- Raised toilet seat. Reduces how far you bend the knee to sit and stand, one of the most-used items in recovery. Browse raised toilet seats →
- Grab bars. Secure support entering the shower, exiting the tub, and using the toilet. Browse grab bars →
Bedroom recovery essentials
- Bed rail. Extra support getting into and out of bed. The Stander EZ Adjust Bed Rail adjusts and includes an organizer pouch. Browse all →
- Leg elevation pillow. Keep it by the bed, elevating the leg overnight helps control swelling. Browse →
- Overbed table. Keeps meals, medication, ice packs, and your phone within reach without twisting. Browse patient-room equipment →
Living room & kitchen
- Lift chair. A powered recliner that gently rises to help you stand without straining the knee, and reclines to elevate the leg. A living-room favorite in recovery. Browse lift chairs →
- Reacher / grabber. Pick things up off the floor without bending, you'll use it constantly. Browse reachers →
- Walker basket. Carry items hands-free in the kitchen while your hands stay on the walker. Browse →
Daily living aids (so you don't have to bend)
After a knee replacement, bending down to your feet is difficult for a while. These small, inexpensive tools make everyday tasks possible on your own:
- Reacher / grabber. The hero tool, grab anything off the floor or a high shelf. Browse →
- Sock aid. Put socks on without bending the knee. Browse →
- Long-handled shoe horn. Slip shoes on without reaching your feet. Browse →
- Dressing stick. Pull up pants and manage clothing hands-free. Browse →
Rent instead of buy?
Knee recovery is temporary, so you may not want to own everything. Locatel rents many recovery essentials, a practical option when you'll only need an item for a few weeks:
- Commonly rented: walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds, lift chairs, crutches, scooters, and oxygen concentrators.
- Rule of thumb: rent the big, temporary items (hospital bed, lift chair, wheelchair); buy the low-cost personal ones you'll keep using (reacher, raised seat, compression socks).
Learn about equipment rentals →
Your before-surgery shopping checklist
- MobilityWalker · cane or rollator (later, if appropriate) · wheelchair (if needed)
- Swelling & painIce / cold therapy · leg elevation pillow · compression stockings
- BathroomShower chair · transfer bench · raised toilet seat · grab bars
- BedroomBed rail · overbed table
- Daily livingReacher · sock aid · long-handled shoe horn · dressing stick
Print this or bring it in-store, our team can help you gather everything in one trip, or ship it to arrive before your surgery date.
Frequently asked questions
How long will I need a walker after knee replacement?
Recovery timelines vary. Most patients begin with a walker for the first weeks, then progress to a cane as directed by their surgeon or physical therapist.
Should I buy a walker or a rollator?
Most patients start with a standard walker right after surgery for maximum stability, then transition to a rollator as strength and balance improve, if their provider recommends it. Our rollator guide explains the differences.
Why is ice therapy so important after knee surgery?
Swelling is the main obstacle to a comfortable knee recovery. Regular icing and keeping the leg elevated control swelling, ease pain, and make it easier to bend the knee during physical therapy. Follow your care team's icing schedule.
Is a raised toilet seat necessary?
For most people, yes. A low toilet forces you to bend the healing knee deeply and makes standing difficult. A raised seat reduces strain and is one of the most-used items in the first weeks.
Should I rent or buy my recovery equipment?
If you'll only need something during recovery, like a hospital bed, lift chair, or wheelchair, renting is often the more cost-effective choice. For low-cost items you'll keep using, buying makes more sense. See our rental options.
Recovering from knee surgery? Let us build your list.
Bring the checklist and our specialists will help you gather everything in one place, buy or rent, in-store at our Hallandale Beach and Miami locations, or shipped to arrive before your surgery date. We carry the mobility, bathroom, bedroom, and recovery products commonly recommended, all under one roof.
Shop mobility · Equipment rentals · Home health care
This guide is for general informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Recovery needs vary from person to person and by surgical approach. Always follow your surgeon's and physical therapist's specific instructions before and after surgery, including your weight-bearing and icing guidance.
