Hip replacement kit: the dressing and daily aids to have ready before surgery

What's in a hip kit

Kits vary, but GoodRx Health describes five standard aids: a reacher (grabber), a sock aid, a long-handled shoe horn, a long-handled bath sponge and a dressing stick. Some larger kits add elastic shoelaces, a leg lifter strap or a second reacher. Alberta Health Services lists the same small aids among the equipment to have ready after hip replacement. You can buy a boxed kit or the pieces one at a time. Buying separately lets you choose the reacher length you want, or skip an aid you already own.

• Reacher grabber (32-inch)
• Sock aid
• Long-handled shoe horn
• Long-handled bath sponge
• Dressing stick

Official sources: GoodRx Health: What are hip kits? · Alberta Health Services (MyHealth Alberta): Equipment you'll need after hip replacement

Why you need them: hip precautions

Hip precautions are movement limits that protect the new joint while the tissues around it heal. Common ones, listed by MedlinePlus and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), are: don't bend your hip past 90 degrees (a right angle), don't cross your legs or ankles, don't lean forward to pick things up, and keep your feet and knees pointing forward. The AAOS notes that not all surgeons recommend the same precautions, and that both the list and how long you follow it depend on the surgical approach. After an anterior (front) approach, the Hospital for Special Surgery says most patients do not need traditional hip precautions. Ask your surgical team which rules apply to you and for how long, and follow their list over any general guide, including this one.

Official sources: MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Taking care of your new hip joint · AAOS OrthoInfo: Activities after total hip replacement · Hospital for Special Surgery: Anterior hip replacement

When to get them

Alberta Health Services advises having equipment ready 1 to 2 weeks before surgery so you can practise with it, and says you may need it for up to 3 months afterwards. Practising while you can still bend normally makes the first days at home much easier. Some hospitals don't supply small dressing aids at all: one NHS trust's therapy guide asks patients to buy a reacher, sock aid, long-handled sponge and shoe horn before surgery. Some hospitals also ask you to measure the height of your chair, bed and toilet before surgery, so the team can tell you whether you need a raised seat or a cushion.

Official sources: Alberta Health Services (MyHealth Alberta): Equipment you'll need after hip replacement · Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust: Therapy advice following total hip replacement (PDF)

Reacher: the aid you'll use most

A reacher picks things up from the floor without bending. Hospital guides also use it to help with dressing: the Lahey Hospital guidebook describes using a reacher to put on underwear and pants and to pull up the bed covers without bending forward. Around 32 inches suits most people. A rubber-lined claw grips small and smooth items better, and a magnet tip helps with keys and cutlery. Reachers are for light items. Check the maker's guidance and don't use one to drag anything heavy towards you.

• Reacher grabber (32-inch)
• Unger Nifty Nabber reacher – approx. US$20 (36-inch); approx. US$25–39 (48-inch professional)
• Folding reacher

Related guide: Choosing a reacher or grabber

Official source: Lahey Hospital & Medical Center: Total hip arthroplasty guidebook (PDF)

How to use a sock aid

A sock aid is a flexible sleeve with two long cords. A Pacific University occupational therapy handout gives these steps. Sit down and hold the sock aid between your thighs, with the cords in your lap. Slide the sock onto it, heel at the bottom, until it reaches the knots on the cords, but not over the cords. Hold one cord in each hand and drop the aid to the floor in front of your operated leg. Slip your foot into it without bending forward, then pull on the cords until the aid slides out and the sock is on. Practise with a loose sock first. Compression stockings are much tighter and usually need a different aid, so ask your therapist if you've been told to wear them.

• Sock aid
• Vive sock assist and remover – approx. US$17–23

Related guide: Dressing aids for daily use

Official source: Pacific University occupational therapy handout: Getting dressed with hip precautions (PDF)

Pants, shoes and laces

MedlinePlus advises dressing sitting down, on a chair or the edge of a stable bed, and not standing up. Put pants, socks or tights on the operated leg first, and take clothes off that leg last. Use a reacher or dressing stick to lower the pant legs to your feet and pull them up past your knees, then finish pulling them up once you can reach without bending. For shoes, a long-handled shoe horn guides your heel in, and elastic no-tie laces turn lace-up shoes into slip-ons, so you never need to reach your feet. Choose supportive shoes with non-slip soles: MedlinePlus warns that slippers can make you fall.

• Long-handled shoe horn
• Vive long-handled shoe horn with sock remover – approx. US$15
• Elastic no-tie shoelaces
• HICKIES no-tie elastic laces – approx. US$15–18
• Dressing stick
• Vive dressing stick with zipper pull – approx. US$12–13

Official sources: MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Taking care of your new hip joint · Lahey Hospital & Medical Center: Total hip arthroplasty guidebook (PDF)

Bathing and the toilet

A long-handled sponge lets you wash your legs and feet without bending; the Lahey guidebook suggests wrapping a towel around it to dry off too. MedlinePlus advises not sitting down in the bottom of a regular bathtub, because it is too hard to get up safely, and using a rubber mat on the tub or shower floor. Alberta Health Services lists a shower chair for a walk-in shower, and a tub transfer bench or clamp-on tub seat for a bathtub; your healthcare team will tell you which type you need. A raised toilet seat keeps your hips higher than your knees, and toilet arm rests or a safety frame give you something to push up from.

• Long-handled bath sponge
• RMS long-handled bath sponge (2-pack) – approx. US$18 for a 2-pack
• Non-slip bath mat
• Tub transfer bench
• Raised toilet seat with arms
• Toilet safety frame

Related guides: Choosing a raised toilet seat · Shower chair vs tub transfer bench · Choosing a bedside commode · Toilet hygiene aids

Official sources: MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Taking care of your new hip joint · Alberta Health Services (MyHealth Alberta): Equipment you'll need after hip replacement · Lahey Hospital & Medical Center: Total hip arthroplasty guidebook (PDF)

Sitting, bed and getting your legs up

MedlinePlus recommends a firm chair with a straight back and armrests, with your hips higher than your knees. Avoid soft sofas, rocking chairs and low seats, and sit on a firm cushion if a chair is too low. To get up, slide to the edge of the seat and push up from the armrests. In bed, a leg lifter strap lets you lift your operated leg onto the mattress with your arms; Alberta Health Services includes one in its equipment list. MedlinePlus also advises not sleeping on the operated side or on your stomach, and keeping a pillow between your thighs if you sleep on your other side. Follow your own team's advice on sleeping positions.

• Leg lifter strap
• Vive leg lifter strap – approx. US$10–15

Related guides: Getting in and out of bed safely · Bed assist rails vs bed rails · Getting in and out of the car

Official sources: MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Taking care of your new hip joint · Alberta Health Services (MyHealth Alberta): Equipment you'll need after hip replacement

Your walking aid

Alberta Health Services lists a two-wheeled walker, cane or crutches. Your physiotherapist will tell you which one, and how much weight you can put on the operated leg. MedlinePlus advises using your walker or crutches until your surgeon says you can stop, taking small steps when you turn, and not pivoting. On stairs, hold the railing. Step up with the leg that didn't have surgery first, and step down with the operated leg first. A rollator is less stable than a standard or two-wheeled walker and isn't meant to take your weight, so don't swap to one without asking your therapist.

• Folding standard walker
• Adjustable offset cane

Related guide: Rollator vs walker

Official sources: Alberta Health Services (MyHealth Alberta): Equipment you'll need after hip replacement · MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Taking care of your new hip joint

Safety checks

These aids make dressing and washing possible within your precautions. They don't make a fall less likely on their own. Practise with each aid before surgery, sitting in the chair you'll dress in. Keep floors clear of rugs and cords between the bed, bathroom and chair. Keep the things you use daily between waist and shoulder height so you aren't reaching low or high. Check that seats, frames and raised toilet seats are fitted as the maker's instructions say and are within their weight limits. If an aid makes you lean forward, twist or lose your balance, stop and ask your occupational therapist for a different method. If you fall, or have sudden new hip pain, contact your surgical team.

• Motion-sensor night lights

Related guide: Bathroom safety setup

Official sources: AAOS OrthoInfo: Activities after total hip replacement · MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Taking care of your new hip joint

Cost, loans and funding

In Canada, the Canadian Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program lends short-term equipment, generally for three months or less, after a referral from a health professional. It runs in B.C., Alberta, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Yukon. Alberta Health Services also suggests pharmacies, medical equipment vendors, loan programs and home care as places to buy or borrow. Ontario's Assistive Devices Program (ADP) helps pay for wheeled walkers only when you need a mobility aid for 6 months or longer, and it lists raised toilet seats, commodes and grab bars as not covered, so short-term recovery equipment is usually bought, rented or borrowed. The CRA's medical expenses guide includes bathroom aids that help you get on or off a toilet or in or out of a tub, and walking aids, as eligible medical expenses with a prescription. Small dressing aids such as reachers and sock aids aren't named on that list. Keep receipts and ask your pharmacist or the CRA if you're unsure. In the US, Medicare Part B covers DME such as walkers, canes, crutches and commode chairs when prescribed and supplied by a Medicare-enrolled supplier. GoodRx Health says original Medicare doesn't cover hip kits, although some Medicare Advantage plans may through over-the-counter benefits. Medicare's commode policy states that a raised toilet seat is not covered.

Related guide: Home accessibility funding in Ontario and Canada

Official sources: Canadian Red Cross: Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) · Alberta Health Services (MyHealth Alberta): Equipment you'll need after hip replacement · Ontario.ca: Mobility aids covered by the Assistive Devices Program · Ontario.ca: Assistive Devices Program · Canada Revenue Agency: Medical expenses (RC4065) · Medicare.gov: Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage · GoodRx Health: What are hip kits? · CMS: Commodes policy article A52461

Ask your occupational therapist

Joint replacement programs often include an occupational therapist (OT), who can check how you manage dressing, washing and the toilet within your precautions. Sunnybrook's hip replacement booklet notes that a reacher, long-handled shoe horn and sock aid will help you dress, and that your OT will show you other devices to try if needed. If you are having surgery soon, ask before you buy: which precautions you'll have, how long they'll last, whether you need a raised toilet seat or tub bench, and whether the hospital or a local loan program supplies anything. In Ontario, an assessment by an ADP-registered therapist is also the first step to ADP funding for longer-term mobility aids.

Official sources: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: Total hip replacement booklet, restricted weight bearing with hip precautions (PDF) · Ontario.ca: Mobility aids covered by the Assistive Devices Program

Safety notes

• Suction grab bars are a balance aid only. They can release without warning and must never hold your body weight or be used to stop a fall.
• Anchor wall grab bars into studs or approved blocking, never drywall alone, and follow the manufacturer's instructions or use a qualified installer.
• Check the weight capacity and fit of any seat, rail or pole, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.