What gets hard, when it gets hard, and the equipment that answers it — checked against Medicare data and named hospital discharge instructions.
A knee replacement has no bending rules the way a hip replacement does. The new knee is stiff and swollen at first, and it won't take your full weight. That is the whole shape of the first six weeks, and it is why the equipment that matters here is not the equipment a hip patient needs. Below is what changes at each stage and what answers it.
Every pick here is checked two ways — Medicare’s own coverage and fee data, and named hospital discharge instructionshow we choose →
The two things you cannot improvise on day one. Order these before you go in.
Cold and elevation do most of the work in the first weeks. Hospital discharge sheets tell you to ice the knee and keep the leg up. Follow your own sheet first. Ask your surgeon how high to raise the leg and for how long.
Because gel packs work for most people — this is for the days they're not quite enough.
Holds a steadier cold than gel packs — most people don't need it.
Because keeping your leg propped up is what keeps the swelling — and the ache — down at night.
Pillow under your calf, not your knee — raises your leg above your heart.
How we chose it: We checked one leg-elevation pillow against its Amazon listing. Treat it as a reasonable choice, not the winner of a field we compared. Its listing gives 29" × 17" × 9" and says it works in bed or on a sofa.
One flaw (not a dealbreaker): No HCPCS code exists for a wedge or leg-elevation pillow, so Medicare never bills for it under any circumstance.
Because a wet floor and a new knee are a bad combination — this is the cheap insurance.
A cheap extra layer of grip under your shower chair or bench.
You can bend. You cannot take weight, and the swelling is bigger than most people expect.
The walker is the week-one tool. Your physical therapist tells you when to switch to a cane.
Sleep can be hard in the first weeks, and buying something rarely fixes it. If pain or a medicine keeps you awake, ask your surgeon or pharmacist.
Bathroom equipment is where this page differs most from a hip-replacement checklist. A raised toilet seat and a shower seat are useful if your toilet is low or your shower has a step. They are skippable if not. Measure before you buy either.
Because stairs and hallways come before strength does.
A plain folding walker with front wheels and no seat.
How we chose it: We compared 11 walkers and rollators. This two-button Drive is the only one with no seat: nothing extra to break, and at 7.5 lb (Drive's spec) the lightest of them.
One flaw (not a dealbreaker): No seat — if you'll want rest breaks mid-hallway, see the rollator options in our walker comparison.
Because the toilet is the hardest thing in the house on day two.
Toilets come in two bowl shapes, and each riser we link fits one. This is the round-bowl fit; the elongated match is one tap below.
How we chose it: Our raised toilet seat guide compares the seats and frames side by side. The ones we link here each fit one bowl shape, so measure first. If you mainly need handles rather than extra height, the Carex support rail below fits either bowl.
One flaw (not a dealbreaker): Round bowls only — the listing says it is for round toilets. Measure first; if your toilet is elongated, use the elongated Carex riser below instead.
Because standing and balancing on one leg isn't happening yet — you need something to sit on.
Backrest and arms give you something to push off, not just balance on.
How we chose it: Our shower chair guide compares the seats side by side. This is the one built for a standard walk-in shower, with a full backrest and padded arms. The backless stool skips the back, the tub bench is for stepping over a tub wall, and the bariatric bench costs more for capacity most people don't need.
One flaw (not a dealbreaker): Made for a walk-in shower — if your only bathing option is a tub with a wall to step over, this won't help; see the tub transfer bench instead.
Because a raised seat doesn't fit every toilet — this works regardless of shape.
Handles to push up on, with no added height. Best for a low-cost pair of handles that bolt under the seat hinge, on round or elongated toilets.
Because a hallway that used to take ten seconds can feel like a mile at 2 a.m.
Shortens the bathroom trip — for stairs or a hallway that feels too far at night.
Because both hands are on the walker, and nothing else gets carried.
Both hands are on the walker — this is where a drink actually rides.
Someone at home. Plan for a partner, family member or paid carer in the first week, mostly for getting to the bathroom at night. If you live alone, that is the gap to plan around, and it is a bigger one than any item on this page.
Stairs. If your bedroom or only bathroom is upstairs, decide before surgery whether you are sleeping downstairs for a few weeks.
The change from walker to cane, and the one item we do not yet have a pick for.
The big change in these weeks is the handover from walker to cane. It happens indoors first. Your physical therapist clears you for it.
We do not have a cane pick yet. We have not researched canes, so there is no card here. Ask your physical therapist about height and grip at the session where they clear you for it; that is the moment it matters.
The same applies to a recliner. If you already own one, that is your chair. We have not researched buying one.
Because reaching down to tie a shoe is hard while your knee is stiff.
Turns any lace-up shoe into a slip-on — no bending to tie.
Because stepping over a tub wall is hard while your knee is stiff and not yet strong.
Sit outside the tub, then slide across — no lifting your leg over the wall.
Hip patients need these. Most knee patients do not.
A reacher, a grabber and a sock aid are standard on hip-replacement checklists. They show up on a lot of knee checklists too. A knee replacement has no bending rules, so they matter less here.
The reason is mechanical, and it is the difference between the two operations. Hip precautions stop you bending past 90 degrees, so you cannot reach your own feet — hence the reaching tools. A new knee has no bending rules; it is stiff and will not take full weight at first. So the knee equivalent of a hip kit is not a hip kit. It is ice and something to elevate on.
Because a knee replacement has no bending rules, so most people do not need one.
Every reach and dressing piece in one box, and today it costs less than buying a reacher, sock aid, and shoehorn separately.
How we chose it: We compared four reacher and hip-kit options. This is the only one that bundles all four pieces (reacher, sock aid, shoehorn, dressing stick) in one box.
One flaw (not a dealbreaker): Marketed for hip surgery, not knee — but the four pieces that matter most (reacher, sock aid, shoehorn, dressing stick) are exactly what a knee recovery needs too.
Because if you have decided you want a grabber at all, carrying one between floors means stairs you shouldn't be doing yet.
One upstairs, one down — never carrying a grabber between floors.
Both stay on the page for some people: if you live alone, or you are having a knee and a hip done close together, a grabber earns its keep. They are no longer presented as essentials.
Eight follow-up pages cover the questions that come up most — sequencing, coverage detail, and the borrow-vs-buy calls worth thinking through further.
Every fee, every claim count, the prescription gate, and the 5-year rule — no affiliate links on this page.
Shower chairs, raised seats, and grab bars — how to pick the right ones. Medicare pays for none of them.
How the three sequence week by week, and what Medicare pays for each.
The break-even math for the three items people are most likely to overspend on.
The rent-vs-buy math on cold-therapy units versus a bag of gel packs.
Leg positioning, elevation, and the cited pillow-placement instruction.
Where the hospital-to-home hand-off leaves a gap once you’re home.
What’s fine to borrow, what to check first, and what to never borrow unchecked.
The complete before-surgery / week-1 / weeks-2–6 timeline, with every item's coverage flag and HCPCS code. This is what prints when you use the button up top.
| Item | Category | Phase | Flag | HCPCS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folding wheeled walker | Getting around | Before surgery | Covered w/ Rx | E0143 |
| Raised toilet seat | Bathroom | Before surgery | Buy | E0244 |
| Shower chair or bench | Bathroom | Before surgery | Buy | E0240 |
| Tub transfer bench | Bathroom | Before surgery | Buy | E0247 |
| Tub or toilet grab bar | Bathroom | Before surgery | Buy | E0246 |
| Wedge pillow / leg-elevation cushion | Sleeping | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Hospital bed (only if stairs are a problem) | Sleeping | Before surgery | Covered w/ Rx | E0260 |
| Portable bed rail | Sleeping | Before surgery | Borrow — check recall | — |
| Gel ice packs (2-4) | Ice & swelling | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Sock aid | Dressing | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Long-handled shoehorn | Dressing | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Elastic no-tie shoelaces | Dressing | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Reacher / grabber tool | Kitchen & carrying | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Walker bag, basket, or apron with pockets | Kitchen & carrying | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Portable bedside / over-chair table | Kitchen & carrying | Before surgery | Buy | — |
| Crutches (forearm or underarm) | Getting around | Week 1 | Covered w/ Rx | E0114 |
| Recliner / lift chair | Getting around | Week 1 | Covered w/ Rx | E0627 |
| Bedside commode | Bathroom | Week 1 | Covered w/ Rx | E0163 |
| Body pillow / positioning pillow | Sleeping | Week 1 | Buy | — |
| Cold therapy (cryo) machine (optional) | Ice & swelling | Week 1 | Rent | — |
| Dressing stick | Dressing | Week 1 | Buy | — |
| Cane | Getting around | Weeks 2–6 | Covered w/ Rx | E0100 |
Medicare covers 6 of the 22 items on this knee-replacement equipment checklist with a doctor's prescription.
Every bathroom-safety item on this checklist — shower chairs, tub benches, and raised toilet seats — pays zero Medicare dollars, by law, regardless of prescription.
Source: CMS DMEPOS Fee Schedule, July 2026 (DME26-C) + CMS DMEPOS utilization by Geography/Service, 2024
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