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Getting Dressed After Hip or Knee Surgery: Five Tools and What They Do
After a hip or knee replacement, bending to your feet can be difficult or off limits for a while, and dressing is one of the first tasks that becomes awkward. University of Utah Health's page on adaptive equipment after joint replacement lists five tools that are made for this. Here is what each does, and how to decide what to buy.
Five Tools on the University of Utah Health List
Optional, Not Required
Utah is clear that the equipment is optional. It "is not required" after joint replacement, but it "may make your recovery easier and safer," and your doctor and physical therapist can recommend what suits you. It also says the equipment is not typically covered by insurance, so you would buy it yourself. If you are having surgery, ask your surgeon's team which tools they recommend and when to have them ready.
Kit or Single Tool
If only socks are a problem, a single sock aid costs far less than a kit. If bending at all is a problem, a kit covers the five items in one purchase. The kits in our sock aid guide range from five to seven pieces. The RMS five-piece kit has the five tools on Utah's list. The seven-piece kit and the Phantawell kit add a leg lifter, a strap that helps you lift a leg onto a bed or into a car. Utah's page does not mention a leg lifter, so ask your therapist whether you need one.
Points to Check Before You Buy
- Compression stockings. The RMS sock aid kit says it is not for compression socks or stockings, which are tighter. Ask a pharmacist, nurse or therapist about a tool made for them.
- Foot width. The same listing says its sock aid suits feet 5 inches wide or less.
- Reacher length. The kits in our guide include reachers from 19 to 33 inches, and a longer one means less reaching.
- Get your therapist's advice on the technique. The tools help you dress without bending, but how you move while using them is for your surgeon or therapist to teach.
We give no movement precautions. We did not read a surgeon's or hospital's dressing instructions, so this article explains the tools and not how to use them after your particular surgery. Follow what your surgeon and therapist tell you.
Where to Look Next
Our sock aid and dressing kit guide compares five products, from a single sock aid to a seven-piece kit, with what is in each box.
