What to Buy Before Your Hip Replacement: The Complete Pre-Surgery Checklist

Hip replacement recovery begins before you go into hospital. The decisions you make in the week before your admission date have a direct effect on how manageable the first few days at home are. Coming home from major surgery to a house that is not set up for it, without the equipment you need, is a problem that is entirely avoidable.

This is a practical list of what to have ready before you go in.

Movement aids

Your hospital will discharge you with a walking frame or a walking aid of some kind. Use it. Even if you feel steadier than expected, the risk of a fall in the first few days is significant and the consequences of one are serious. Most people transition from a frame to a single crutch or walking stick somewhere in the second or third week, depending on strength and confidence.

A long-handled grabber is one of the most useful items you can have at home. One of the hip precautions you will be given is to avoid bending past 90 degrees at the hip, which means reaching down to pick things up off the floor is not something you can do freely. A grabber solves this without you having to think about it constantly.

A long-handled shoe horn and a sock aid are worth getting. Putting on footwear requires exactly the bending you need to avoid. These are inexpensive and available from most pharmacies.

Home setup

Walk through your home before surgery and remove anything on the floor that could cause a trip. Rugs, cords, pet toys, anything at ankle height. Do this before you go in, not when you get home.

Your main chair matters. A firm chair at a height that allows you to stand without excessive bending at the hip is important. The rule of thumb is that your hips should be higher than your knees when seated. Low sofas are difficult and should be avoided in the early weeks. A chair riser or firm cushion can help if your usual chair is too low.

If your bedroom is upstairs and stairs present a significant challenge in the first few days, consider whether a temporary ground floor sleeping arrangement makes sense for the first week. Discuss this with your physio who can advise based on your specific situation and the approach your surgeon used.

Practical items

Prepare several days of meals in advance or have delivery options organised. Standing at a bench cooking is tiring and potentially awkward in the first week, and the last thing you need is to be navigating a kitchen while managing a walking frame on top of everything else.

Loose clothing is important. Anything that requires pulling on over the feet in a way that demands hip bending will be difficult. Loose trackpants with an elastic waist, shorts, and slip-on shoes or sandals are the practical choices for the first few weeks.

A shower stool and non-slip bath mat might be helpful. Showering while managing balance and hip precautions takes more effort than it normally does. A stool reduces the standing time and fatigue involved.

Cold compression

Swelling after hip replacement is significant and often travels further down the leg than people expect, reaching the thigh, calf, and ankle as fluid follows gravity. The acute inflammatory response peaks in the first few days and has a direct effect on pain levels and how freely you can move in the early rehabilitation period.

Cold compression applied to the hip reduces blood flow to the surgical site and manages the inflammatory response at its source. Consistent use in the first two to three weeks, particularly after physio sessions and periods of activity, makes a real difference to swelling and discomfort. Have the kit set up and ready before you leave for hospital so it is waiting when you get home. You can continue to use your kit for the weeks and months following your surgery, anytime you overdo it. 

Medication

Fill your prescription before your surgery date. Your surgical team will provide a post-operative pain management plan. Write down the dosing schedule before you go in, because retaining information while coming round from anaesthetic in a hospital discharge situation is not reliable. Have paracetamol available as well, as it is commonly used alongside prescription pain relief in the post-surgical period.

A note on timing

None of this preparation is complicated. It is an afternoon of work. The value of doing it before surgery rather than after is that you arrive home ready, rather than spending the first difficult days trying to sort things out while in pain and on medication. Get it done in the week before your admission date.