Getting your home ready - knee or hip surgery Before you go to the hospital for surgery, set up your home to make your recovery and life easier when you come back. Do this well in advance of your surgery.Ask your doctor, nurse, or physical therapist about getting your home ready.Make sure everything you need is easy to get to and on the same floor where you will spend most of your time. If you will need to use the stairs, you should limit using them to once a day.Have a bed that is low enough so that your feet touch the floor when you sit on the edge of the bed.Set up your bed on the first floor if you can. You may not need a hospital bed, but your mattress should be firm.Have a bathroom or a portable commode on the same floor where you will spend most of your day.Stock up on canned or frozen food, toilet paper, shampoo, and other personal items.Either buy or make single meals that can be frozen and reheated.Make sure you can reach everything you need without getting on your tiptoes or bending down low.
Put food and other supplies in a cupboard that is between your waist and shoulder level.Place glasses, your teapot, and other items you use a lot on the kitchen counter.Make sure you can get to your phone. A portable phone can be helpful.Place a chair with a firm back in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and other rooms you will use. This way, you can sit when you do your daily tasks.If you will be using a walker, attach a sturdy bag or a small basket to it to hold your phone, a notepad, a pen, and another other things you will need to have close by. You can also use a fanny pack. You may need help bathing, using the toilet, cooking, running errands, shopping, going to the doctor, and exercising. If you do not have someone to help you at home for the first 1 or 2 weeks after surgery, ask your health care provider about having a trained caregiver come to your home to help you. This person can also check the safety of your home and help you with your daily activities.Other items that may help:A shower sponge with a long handleA shoehorn with a long handleA cane, crutches, or a walkerA reacher to help you pick up things from the floor, put on your pants, and take off your socksA sock aid to help you put on your socksHandle bars in the bathroom to allow you to steady yourself Raising the toilet seat height will keep you from flexing your knee too much.
You can do this by adding a seat cover or elevated toilet seat or a toilet safety frame. You can also use a commode chair instead of a toilet.You may need to have safety bars in your bathroom. Grab bars should be secured vertically or horizontally to the wall, not diagonally.DO NOT use towel racks as grab bars. They cannot support your weight.You will need two grab bars. One helps you get in and out of the tub. The other helps you stand from a sitting position. You can make several changes to protect yourself when you take a bath or shower:Put non-slip suction mats or rubber silicone decals in the tub to prevent falls.Use a non-skid bath mat outside the tub for firm footing.Keep the floor outside the tub or shower dry.Place soap and shampoo where you do not need to stand up, reach, or twist. Sit on a bath or shower chair when taking a shower:Make sure it has rubber tips on the bottom.Buy a seat without arms if it is placed in a bathtub. Keep tripping hazards out of your home.Remove loose wires or cords from areas you walk through to get from one room to another.
Remove loose throw rugs.Fix any uneven flooring in doorways. Have night lights placed in hallways and rooms that can be dark. Pets that are small or move around may cause you to trip. For the first few weeks you are home, consider having your pet stay elsewhere (with a friend, in a kennel, or in the yard).DO NOT carry anything when you are walking around. You may need your hands to help you balance.Practice using a cane, walker, crutches, or a wheelchair. It is especially important to practice the correct ways to:Sit down to use the toilet and stand up after using the toiletGet in and out of the showerUse the shower chairGo up and down stairs Hip or knee surgery - getting your home ready; Osteoarthritis - kneeCabrera JA, Cabrera AL. Total hip replacement. In: Frontera, WR, Silver JK, Rizzo TD, eds. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 61.Niska JA, Petrigliano FA, McAllister DR. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries (Including Revision).
In: Miller MD, Thompson SR, eds. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; Fractures and dislocations of the hip In: Canale ST, Beaty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby ; Updated by: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.What Equipment Will I Need At Home After Surgery? Everyone has slightly different needs. There are some basic items almost everyone needs and then there are things that some people want and others just don’t need. Crutches – Normally crutches are supplied by the hospital. I used elbow crutches and they are much easier to use than normal under the arm crutches. Overseas hospitals use elbow crutches while US hospital still normally use old fashioned under the arm crutches.
If you have to be on crutches for a long time, I would suggest getting a pair of elbow crutches or at least a pair of the more modern underarm crutches available from many internet shopping stores. Walker – some people that have bi-lateral surgery or special hip problems are required to use a walker. Whether you use crutches or a walker is up to your orthopedic surgeon. – Canes are often used after a crutch is no longer needed. A cane is a handy method of still having support if required. People often get tired on long walks and find it easy to carry a cane with them to offer assistance. A cane offers much less assistance than a crutch, but it does take weight off the operated leg. It is estimated that a cane will take almost 60% of the weight off the operated leg when used properly. A cane is used on the opposite side of the operated leg, is moved forward with the operated leg as it takes a step and planted about the same position in front of your body as your step.
Toilet Riser – a toilet riser or potty chair with arms is a must after hip resurfacing surgery. Most patients are required to follow the 90 degree rule and sitting or rising from a normal height toilet seat will break the rule. Inexpensive toilet risers that look like big life savers are available at any drug store or discount store for about $20. Fancier versions or the potty chair with arms are much more expensive. The one problem with the plastic, inexpensive risers is they are not very big. A large man sitting on a toilet riser does not have much room to do his business. The inner diameter of the toilet risers is very small. They are fine for women, but often a problem for men. Men should check out their options before surgery to make sure they can comfortable use the toilet adapter. – Many people like to have one or two reachers in case they need to pick something up from the floor. If you have a helper at home, you might not need one. You can also bend down and pick something up from the floor by placing your operated leg behind you and bending the other leg.
I did that quite often when I had to feed dogs or pick anything up. Of course, you need to be careful not to lose your balance. The reason you need to place your leg in back of you when bending is to prevent yourself from breaking the 90 degree rule. Putter On-er – Some people find the sock putter on-er a great help. If you have a helper, you can probably get away without one. If you don’t go sockless and don’t have a helper, you will find the sock helper useful because again you are not to break the 90 degree rule. It is impossible to reach down to your feet to put socks on without breaking the 90 degree rule. By Toilet – I had my husband install a grab bar on the wall next to my toilet. I found it to be a great help in getting on and off the toilet. This is not required, but I am glad to have it installed. I have back problems and it helps to have a nice grab bar by the toilet. by Shower or Tub – I found myself to be very unsteady for a few weeks after surgery.
Getting in and out of the shower without help was a problem. I was 61 and not a spry as a younger person, but felt I needed to be very careful not to fall. A Grab Bar by the shower or tub would be a great help for most people, even if they have not recently experienced surgery. Bed – If you have a low bed, you will want to consider a way to raise your bed. Many of the newer beds and mattresses are fairly high and you can get in and out of bed without breaking the 90 degree rule. If your bed is low, raising your bed with special risers or just bricks or wood blocks, help getting in and out of the bed without breaking the 90 degree rule. Be careful that your risers are secure and your bed won’t slip off of them. Test them out before your surgery. Sheets – These are certainly not required, but some ladies like to use them because they are slippery and it makes sliding on and off the bed much easier. Some ladies just wear silky PJs to allow them to rotate easily when getting in and out of bed.
Men sometimes like to wear nylon warm up pants so they can rotate or slide in and out of bed easily. Ice Packs –Ice packs are often used by many hip surgery patients. Ice helps reduce swelling and also pain. There are many varieties of commercial ice packs available that you can freeze in your freezer. Some people just use ice cubes in a plastic bag while others have used frozen bags of peas since they conform to your hip. The peas can be frozen over and over – Just don’t eat them after they have been thawed and frozen too many times! Garbage Bags – Sitting on a plastic garbage bag when getting in and out of the car or bed makes it easier to rotate you body after surgery. It is often difficult to move your operated leg and body shortly after surgery. Type Recliner-Lounge Chair – Most people have a difficult time sleeping after hip surgery. Many people need to lie on their backs and it is often difficult to sleep in that position for days at a time. Many people find sleeping or napping in a nice recliner is a great help after surgery.
I slept many nights in my Lazy Boy and took many naps in my favorite chair after surgery. Many people like the La Fuma recliner chairs after surgery. It is a personal choice as to which chair works best, but having some type of recliner is a define help to most people. Shoes – Many people find it much easier to use slip on shoes after surgery. You don’t have to worry about getting a helper to put them on and tie them for you. Stool Softener– A stool softener or similar product is a must after surgery. Many people start to take them just before surgery. The anesthesia and narcotic based pain meds often cause severe constipation. Pillows – Extra pillows to put under your legs while you are lying in bed. Extra pillows under your legs make lying on your back feel much better. Also many doctors suggest you keep your legs elevated while laying down to help circulation and prevent blood clots. Dr. De Smet always suggests “toes above your nose when lying down.”