Walker vs. cane vs. crutches after knee replacement
Walker, cane, and crutches are all Medicare-covered DME after knee replacement — HCPCS E0143 (folding wheeled walker), E0100 (cane), and E0114 (crutches, underarm, pair) each have a Medicare fee-schedule entry.
That makes mobility aids the one item cluster on this checklist where nothing is excluded from the DME benefit. But usage isn't even: Medicare paid claims for the walker 508,460 times nationally in DY2024 (about $24.1M), crutches 44,541 times (about $1.9M), and the cane just 27,202 times (about $540K) — the utilization gap roughly tracks how many people end up needing each one at all, not just how the sequencing goes.
Which one comes first?
- Before surgery — the walker. A folding wheeled walker gets set up at home ahead of time so it's there the morning of surgery. It gives steady support for the first steps without the lifting a standard (non-wheeled) walker requires.
- Week 1 — crutches, for some people. Used instead of or alongside the walker in the first days, especially on stairs.
- Weeks 2–6 — the cane. As balance and strength come back, most people step down from the walker to a cane before walking unaided.
That's a common pattern, not a protocol. The actual week you switch — or whether you use crutches at all — is your surgeon's or physical therapist's call, made from how your knee is healing, not a calendar.
Is Medicare really covering all three?
Yes. Unlike the bath-safety cluster (raised toilet seats, shower chairs — zero Medicare fee-schedule entries by statute), every device here has one:
| Device | HCPCS | Medicare fee range | DY2024 claims | Policy citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folding wheeled walker | E0143 | $55.55–$125.91 | 508,460 | Walkers – Policy Article (A52503), LCD L33791 |
| Crutches, underarm, pair (non-wood) | E0114 | $57.17–$88.73 | 44,541 | Canes and Crutches – Policy Article (A52459), LCD L33733 |
| Cane | E0100 | $25.53–$48.89 | 27,202 | Canes and Crutches – Policy Article (A52459), LCD L33733 |
E0114 is the standard aluminum underarm pair — the one most people mean by "a pair of crutches." Medicare bills it almost 38x more often than forearm crutches (E0110, 1,179 claims in DY2024).
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Walker (E0143) | 508,460 claims |
| Crutches (E0114) | 44,541 claims |
| Cane (E0100) | 27,202 claims |
What do you actually pay, and how?
Three things have to line up before Medicare pays anything toward any of these three:
- A written order from your doctor. Not just a purchase receipt — an actual order tied to medical necessity.
- A Medicare-enrolled supplier. Medicare only pays claims from a supplier holding a DMEPOS supplier number (42 CFR § 424.57(b)) — a retail purchase from a non-enrolled seller doesn't get reimbursed, even with a valid order.
- 20% coinsurance, on you. Medicare pays 80% of the lesser of the actual charge or the fee-schedule amount; you owe the rest, after your Part B deductible (42 CFR § 414.210(a)).
One thing we can't tell you yet: how the Medicare fee compares to a retail sticker price for the same walker, cane, or crutches. We haven't verified live retail listings for these three — that comparison will go on the walker gear page once real prices are checked, not estimated.
Is it OK to just borrow a walker?
Yes. Walkers get handed down and borrowed constantly — a neighbor's, a parent's, one that's been in a closet for years. Medicare's prescription-and-supplier path above is one option, not a requirement.
The one thing worth doing first: check the borrowed walker's brand and model against the CPSC recall list. It takes a couple of minutes — see the borrowing checklist for exactly how to run it.
Go deeper
The full knee-replacement checklist
Every item you'll need before surgery, week 1, and weeks 2–6 — with Medicare coverage flagged line by line.
What Medicare actually pays for after knee replacement
Every fee, every claim count, the prescription gate, and the 20% coinsurance rule — the full citation-magnet page.
The borrowing checklist
What's fine to borrow, what to check first, and what to never accept unchecked.
Rent vs. buy
The break-even math for the bigger-ticket items — knee scooter, ice machine, hospital bed.
Sources
- CMS DMEPOS Fee Schedule, July 2026 release (DME26-C) — purchase-fee ranges for E0143, E0100, E0114, E0110
- CMS DMEPOS utilization by Geography and Service, DY2024 — national claim counts and totals; live data.cms.gov API
- Walkers – DME MAC Policy Article (A52503)
- Canes and Crutches – DME MAC Policy Article (A52459)
- 42 CFR § 414.210(a) — DME payment basis (80% of fee-schedule amount)
- 42 CFR § 424.57(b) — DMEPOS supplier enrollment requirement