What Equipment Is Needed After Knee Surgery
Knee replacement and knee surgery recovery is a significant undertaking. The weeks following your procedure will require careful movement, limited weight-bearing, and a home environment set up to keep you safe and progressing. Having the right equipment in place before you return home is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure a smooth, complication-free recovery.
At Must Medical Equipment, we work closely with patients, families, and discharge planners across Metro Vancouver to ensure the right equipment is delivered and set up before you walk through your front door. This guide covers everything you need to know.
The Essential Equipment Checklist
Mobility Aid
Walker or rollator for safe ambulation
Lift Chair
Powered recliner for safe sit-to-stand
Bathroom Safety
Grab bars, shower chair, raised toilet seat
Adjustable Bed
Elevate the leg and ease transfers
Ice / Compression
Reduce swelling and manage pain
Reaching Aids
Reacher, sock aid, long-handled tools
1. Walkers & Rollators — Your Primary Mobility Aid
In the first days and weeks after knee surgery, you will not be able to bear full weight on the operated leg. A walker or rollator provides the stability and support needed to move safely around your home, attend physiotherapy, and gradually rebuild strength.
Standard walkers offer maximum stability but require lifting with each step. Rollators (wheeled walkers with a seat and hand brakes) allow a more natural gait and are preferred by most knee surgery patients once partial weight-bearing is permitted.
Your physiotherapist will advise on the right type and the correct height setting for your frame.
2. Lift Chair Recliner — Protecting Your New Knee
One of the most underestimated challenges after knee surgery is getting in and out of a chair. The act of pushing yourself up from a seated position places enormous strain on the operated knee and surrounding muscles — exactly the kind of stress your surgeon wants to avoid in the early weeks.
A power lift chair uses a motorised mechanism to gently tilt the entire chair forward, bringing you to a near-standing position with minimal knee effort. It also reclines fully for leg elevation — critical for reducing post-operative swelling.
3. Bathroom Safety Equipment
The bathroom is the highest-risk room in the home for post-surgical falls. Wet surfaces, awkward bending, and the need to lower yourself onto a toilet or into a shower all place stress on a healing knee. The right safety equipment eliminates these risks.
- Grab bars — fixed support points beside the toilet and in the shower
- Raised toilet seat — reduces the depth of the sit-to-stand movement
- Shower chair or bench — allows seated bathing, eliminating prolonged standing
- Non-slip bath mat — reduces slip risk on wet tile
- Handheld shower head — allows bathing without twisting or bending
Equipment in Action
Recovery Timeline & Equipment by Phase
Sale or Rental — Which Makes Sense?
🏠 Rental
Most knee surgery patients only need equipment for 6–12 weeks. Renting a walker, rollator, or lift chair avoids the cost of purchasing items you'll only use temporarily — and includes delivery, setup, and pickup when you're done.
🛒 Purchase
If you anticipate ongoing mobility needs, or if you're purchasing bathroom safety items like grab bars (which are permanent installations), buying outright offers better long-term value and full ownership.
Must Medical offers both options with same-day delivery and in-home setup across Metro Vancouver, Surrey, White Rock, Burnaby, Richmond, and surrounding communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Your Recovery Kit Ready
Talk to our specialists before your surgery date. Same-day delivery across Metro Vancouver.