Walker vs. cane vs. crutches after knee replacement
Wondering which mobility aid you'll actually need, and when? Most people go through all three, in order: a walker right after surgery, sometimes crutches for stairs in week 1, then a cane once balance comes back. All three are Medicare-covered with a prescription — the one item cluster on this checklist where nothing is excluded.
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 2024 (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 | 2024 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 2024).
| 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 checked current retail prices for these three, so we can't compare them yet.
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 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, 2024 — national claim counts and totals from data.cms.gov
- 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