Knee Surgery Equipment: What to Have Ready at Home in Vancouver
After knee surgery you need three groups of equipment at home: a walking aid, bathroom and dressing aids, and a safe way to get in and out of bed and around the house. Hospitals in Canada ask you to have most of it in place before surgery day. If you are short of time, or only need it for a few weeks, renting is the practical route. We deliver wheelchairs, hospital beds, mobility scooters, walkers and knee scooters across Greater Vancouver, with no deposit and same-day delivery.
This guide is for patients, family members and caregivers who are planning a knee replacement or other knee surgery recovery at home. It covers what Canadian hospitals list, how to fit a walker, when the equipment can go back, and where a wheelchair, hospital bed or mobility scooter fits in.
TL;DR
- Canadian hospital guides agree on the core kit: a walker (usually two-wheeled), often a cane, a raised toilet seat, a bath seat or transfer bench, a reacher, a sock aid and a long-handled shoehorn.
- Have everything at home 1 to 2 weeks before surgery so you can practise with it.
- Most people use a walking aid for at least 6 weeks, so short-term rental usually makes more sense than buying.
- A wheelchair, hospital bed or mobility scooter is not on every list, but each solves a specific problem: distance, getting in and out of bed, or outings.
- Our rentals start from $60 per week for a walker, $75 for a wheelchair, $175 for a hospital bed and $200 for a mobility scooter.
Table of Contents
- The core equipment hospitals ask for
- Why timing matters: get it before surgery day
- Choosing a walker and fitting it correctly
- Bathroom and daily-living aids
- Where a hospital bed, wheelchair or mobility scooter fits
- Cold therapy and elevation: what to check first
- How long you will need the equipment
- A step-by-step plan for the weeks before surgery
- Our view
- Rent your knee surgery equipment in Greater Vancouver
- FAQ
- Sources
The core equipment hospitals ask for
The lists from Canadian health bodies overlap heavily. Alberta Health Services’ knee replacement guide names a walking aid (a two-wheeled walker, cane or crutches), a reacher, a chair with armrests, a sock aid, a leg lifter, elastic shoe laces, a long-handled shoehorn, a non-slip bath mat, a raised toilet seat, toilet arm rests and a long-handled sponge. It also lists a shower seat, a tub seat or a transfer bench, depending on your bathtub, and says your healthcare team tells you which tub item to get.
Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto is stricter about the walking aids. Its guide says a two-wheeled or no-wheel walker and an adjustable single-point cane are required to walk and climb stairs safely. Other items, such as grab bars, a firm hip cushion and a raised toilet seat, are recommended.
Here is the same information as a working checklist.
| Need | Typical equipment | When it matters most |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Two-wheeled walker, cane or crutches | From the day you leave hospital |
| Toilet | Raised toilet seat or commode, toilet arm rests | First weeks, when bending the knee is hard |
| Bathing | Shower seat, tub transfer bench, non-slip mat, hand-held shower, grab bars | Every wash |
| Dressing | Sock aid, reacher, long-handled shoehorn, elastic laces, leg lifter | Daily |
| Sitting and sleeping | Chair with armrests, firm cushion, sometimes an adjustable bed | Daily, and nightly |
| Longer distances | Wheelchair, transport chair or mobility scooter | Appointments, outings, travel |
Your surgeon’s team and your occupational therapist (OT, the specialist who assesses how you manage daily tasks at home) decide what applies to you. Sunnybrook suggests discussing the recommended items with an OT at the pre-admission visit. Take your list from them, then fill the gaps.
Why timing matters: get it before surgery day
University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto asks patients to have all equipment delivered before surgery day. It also advises that you tell any vendor your height and weight before buying or renting. Alberta’s guide gives a clear window: set things up 1 to 2 weeks ahead so you can practise.
In real life, plans change. A surgery date moves up, a discharge comes a day early, or a relative flies in and finds the house is not ready. This is where same-day delivery helps. We deliver, set up and sanitize equipment before it reaches you, and we take no deposit, so a last-minute booking does not tie up cash while you are already paying for other things.
Choosing a walker and fitting it correctly
The walker is the most important single item. Ask your care team which type they want you to use. UHN says you will need a two-wheeled walker for the hospital stay and early home recovery, and to bring it on surgery day. Sunnybrook also asks you to bring your walker and at least one cane so the team can confirm the height.
Fitting a walker
An Edmonton orthopaedic handout gives the standard fit: the grips at wrist level with your elbows slightly bent. Stand upright, let your arms hang, and the crease of your wrist should line up with the handle. Our own guide walks caregivers through it in six steps to adjust walker height, and the same logic applies to a cane in our cane height guide.
Using it safely
The same handout describes the sequence: walker first, then the operated leg, then the good leg, putting only as much weight through the operated leg as your team allows. Other practical points from it:
- Wear supportive, flat shoes.
- Check the rubber tips on the legs.
- Keep the walker within one step of you.
- Never use a walker on stairs.
A Quebec hospital physiotherapy guide adds a useful habit: use an attached basket or bag rather than carrying items in your hands, and stay near the back legs of the walker when walking. If your home has stairs, you may also need a cane for going up and down, so read our comparison of walker or cane and our guide to a walker on stairs.
We rent a four-wheel rollator walker from $60 per week and sell walkers and related accessories. If your surgeon’s team has specified a particular walker type, give us the details when you book and we will go through what is available.
Bathroom and daily-living aids
The bathroom is where most home-recovery planning goes wrong, because it is small, wet and full of hard edges. UHN strongly encourages a raised toilet seat and grab bars in the toilet, bathtub and shower areas. It lists a raised seat or commode, a bath bench, a grab bar, a no-slip mat, a hand-held shower head and a bath rail as items to rent or purchase.
The choice of tub seat depends on your tub. Alberta’s guide says a tub seat with a clamp-on bar suits metal tubs and a transfer bench suits fibreglass tubs, and your healthcare team will tell you which. That is a good reason to measure and photograph your bathroom before you shop. Our bathroom safety guide for Vancouver seniors covers the options in more detail.
For dressing, the small tools matter more than they look. A sock aid, reacher and long-handled shoehorn let you dress without bending the new knee past what your team allows. They cost little, so buy them rather than rent.
Where a hospital bed, wheelchair or mobility scooter fits
These three are not on every hospital’s required list, which is why many families overlook them. They are not for everyone, but when the situation fits, they make the first weeks easier and safer.
Hospital bed rental
UHN’s discharge goals include getting in and out of bed on your own, and its team says patients will not be sent home if it is unsafe. If your bed is low, soft or in an upstairs bedroom, that goal can be hard to meet at home. An electric adjustable bed lets you raise the head, lower the height to get your feet on the floor and raise it again for caregivers.
Our electric hospital bed rental starts from $175 per week and is delivered same day. A large install carries a one-off $250 delivery fee, and small items are $30 to $60 each way, as set out on our delivery fees page. If you want a lifting aid for a caregiver to use as well, we also rent an electric patient lift from $250 per week and a power lift chair from $175 per week.
Wheelchair rental
A walker is for short distances at home. For a clinic visit, a trip to the physiotherapist or a family outing, a wheelchair or transport chair saves energy and lowers the risk of a fall. A standard wheelchair rental is from $75 per week. We also have a lightweight folding wheelchair for cars and taxis, and a wheelchair with elevating leg rests from $90 per week, which lets you keep the leg supported while seated. A bariatric extra-wide wheelchair is from $100 per week, and a commode wheelchair is also available.
Visitors recovering while travelling are a common case: a tourist who has had a knee operation, or a relative flying in for surgery, can have a chair at the hotel or home on the same day.
Mobility scooter rental
A mobility scooter suits someone who is not able to walk far, but who wants to stay independent outdoors, such as in a park, at a shopping centre or on the seawall. Your surgeon and physiotherapist should agree you can use it safely. Our mobility scooter rental is from $200 per week, with 3-wheel, mid-size 4-wheel and heavy-duty options.
Knee scooters
If your surgeon has told you to keep weight off the operated leg, a knee scooter may be the aid they discuss. We rent an indoor model from $60 per week and an all-terrain model from $80 per week. Confirm with your care team that it suits your procedure.
Cold therapy and elevation: what to check first
Ice and elevation are a normal part of recovery, and the guidance is consistent across Canadian health authorities. The Saskatchewan Health Authority booklet advises icing the knee for 10 to 15 minutes, especially after exercise, as often as every 1 to 2 hours, and elevating the whole leg above heart level for 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day. It says not to apply heat to the incision without talking to a physiotherapist.
HealthLink BC adds practical safety points: put a towel between the cold pack and your skin, and avoid cold on broken skin, while sleeping, or on areas with poor blood flow or numbness. If you use a compression wrap, it should not be too tight. Numbness, tingling, increased pain, coolness or swelling below the wrap are warning signs, and you should see a doctor if you need a wrap for longer than 48 to 72 hours. Compression stockings should be fitted by a professional, and home health agencies usually require a prescription.
A 2015 Canadian study of total knee arthroplasty patients found that those who used a cooling device for 48 hours reported higher satisfaction than those using ice bags. Ask your surgeon which approach they prefer.
How long you will need the equipment
London Health Sciences Centre says patients use a walking aid for at least 6 weeks after joint replacement. Many stop between 6 and 12 weeks, some still use a cane for up to a year, and your physiotherapist decides when to move from a walker to a cane, as ordered by the surgeon.
That range is why we suggest renting the big items. You pay weekly, you can extend if your physiotherapist wants you on the walker longer, and you return it when you are done. Buying suits the small items you will use daily, and longer needs. Our renting versus buying guide goes through the comparison. Hospitals also say equipment can be rented or purchased and that you arrange it before surgery.
An example of a rental plan for six weeks, using our listed starting prices:
| Item | Weekly price | Six weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Rollator walker (4 wheel) | from $60 | from $360 |
| Standard wheelchair | from $75 | from $450 |
| Hospital bed | from $175 | from $1,050 |
Delivery fees are separate, and the final price depends on the model and terms you choose.
A step-by-step plan for the weeks before surgery
- Get the list. Ask your surgeon’s team or OT which equipment they require, and your bathtub type.
- Measure. Note your height and weight, and photograph the bathroom, the stairs and the bedroom.
- Walk the route. Check the path from bed to toilet to kitchen. Remove loose rugs and cords.
- Book early. Reserve the walker and any chair or bed for delivery before surgery day.
- Practise. Adjust the walker to wrist height and practise the walk sequence, and try the toilet seat and shower seat.
- Pack the walker and a cane for the hospital if your team asks for them.
Our home discharge equipment checklist and our guide to home recovery equipment in Surrey cover the same steps for last-minute discharges. If you are supporting someone else, our caregiver’s guide to mobility equipment helps you match equipment to their abilities.
Our view
Most families call us the week before surgery, or the day before a discharge. They have a list from the hospital and no idea where to start.
Our approach is simple. We deliver the equipment, set it up, and sanitize it before it arrives. There is no deposit, because recovery is expensive enough already. Our prices are listed, so you can plan the weeks ahead.
If you only remember one thing, make it this: get the walker fitted and the bathroom sorted before you go in. A hospital bed, wheelchair or mobility scooter can then be added when your team or your home calls for it, and returned when you no longer need it.
Chandan
Rent your knee surgery equipment in Greater Vancouver
If you are planning knee surgery recovery in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond or Surrey, we can deliver the walker, wheelchair, hospital bed or mobility scooter you need, with no deposit and same-day delivery. Start with the full rental range, or go straight to a hospital bed, wheelchair or mobility scooter page.
Tell us your height, weight and surgery date when you book, and bring your care team’s list.
FAQ
What equipment do I need after knee replacement surgery?
Most Canadian hospital guides list a walker, often a cane, a raised toilet seat, a bath seat or transfer bench, a reacher, a sock aid and a long-handled shoehorn. Your surgeon’s team and OT confirm the exact list for you.
Do I need a walker after knee surgery?
Usually yes. UHN and Sunnybrook both list a walker as required, and many patients use one for at least 6 weeks. Your physiotherapist decides when you can move to a cane.
Should I rent or buy knee surgery equipment?
Rent the large items you will need for a few weeks, such as a walker, wheelchair or hospital bed. Buy small daily aids such as a sock aid, reacher and shoehorn. Renting lets you extend if recovery takes longer.
How quickly can I get equipment in Vancouver?
We offer same-day delivery in Greater Vancouver, with setup and sanitizing included and no deposit. Large installs carry a one-off $250 delivery fee, and small items are $30 to $60 each way.
Sources
- myHealthAlberta: Equipment you’ll need
- Sunnybrook: Having Hip or Knee Surgery guide
- UHN: Patient’s Guide to Knee Replacement Surgery
- Edmonton Bone and Joint: walking aids handout
- CISSS de Laval: knee arthroplasty physiotherapy guide
- Saskatchewan Health Authority: Elective Knee Replacement booklet
- HealthLink BC: Using Cold and Heat Therapies
- HealthLink BC: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation
- Wounds Canada: Caring for Your Swollen Legs at Home
- Device or Ice: consistent cooling after total knee arthroplasty
- LHSC: Frequently Asked Questions about After Surgery
- Peterborough Regional Health Centre: Knee Surgery Booklet 2023
Recommended
- Hospital Equipment for Home Use in Vancouver: Complete Buying & Rental Guide (2026)
- Where to Get Hospital Equipment for Home Use in Vancouver – Affordable & Trusted Providers
- Complete Guide to Home Medical Equipment in Vancouver: Rentals, Sales & What to Choose
- Fast Same Day Setup: Home Discharge Equipment Checklist
