Part of Total knee replacement rehab
What to take to hospital for a knee replacement, and what to sort out at home
Warning signs, and when to get help
What to take to hospital for a knee replacement
Start with the letter. Every hospital sends one, every hospital's is slightly different, and that difference is not sloppiness: it reflects how long they expect you to stay, what they hand out on the ward and what they want you to bring. Where their list and this page disagree, follow theirs.
The list has different names depending on where you are. What a UK, Australian or New Zealand letter calls your hospital bag is what an American or Canadian one asks you to bring in with you, and what goes in it is much the same either way.
The items below are the ones that make a short stay easier. They come from what actually happens on the ward and in the first days at home.
- The paperwork: your admission letter, appointment details, and a written list of every medicine you take with its doses. OrthoInfo asks for that list to include vitamins, minerals and anything you buy over the counter.
- Your medicines themselves, in their original boxes, if your letter asks for them.
- Loose clothes. A wide trouser leg or shorts goes over a dressed knee. A tight one does not.
- Shoes you can get on without reaching your foot, with a sole that grips. You will be walking on the ward with crutches or a frame, and loose slippers are a hazard there.
- Glasses, hearing aids and dentures, each with its case. These are the items most often left at home and most badly missed.
- Washbag, a towel if asked, and a phone with a charging cable longer than you think you need, because the socket is rarely beside the bed.
- Something to pass the time that does not need two hands or good concentration.
Leave jewelry, valuables and more than a little cash at home. If someone is coming with you, agree before the day who takes your bag home and who brings it back.
What to wear, and what to leave at home
The clothes question is really a bending question. For a while after the operation, getting down to your own foot is the awkward part of the day, so sort out clothing that needs no bending now, before you find that out the hard way.
For coming home, think about the car rather than the ward. Getting into a passenger seat with a newly operated knee is a different problem from getting out of a bed, and the person driving you should know to park somewhere with room to open the door fully. The NHS asks you to arrange transport in advance, because you will not be driving for several weeks after the operation.
What to leave at home: anything expensive, anything you would be upset to lose, and any equipment you have bought on the strength of a video. Which walking aid you use is set by the people who watch you walk on the first day.
What do you need at home after a knee replacement?
The walking aid is the one piece that matters on day one, and it is usually the one nobody has tried. OrthoInfo suggests borrowing a walker, cane or crutches before the operation and moving around your home with it, which finds the doorway that is too narrow and the turn at the top of the stairs before they matter. Our set-up pages for sit to stand with a walker, step to walking with a walker and walking with a cane show how each one is used, and how long you use a walker, frame or stick covers when each gets handed back.
After that, the useful items all answer the same problem: bending and reaching are hard for a while. OrthoInfo names a long-handled shoehorn, a long-handled sponge and a grabbing tool or reacher, and for the bathroom it suggests considering a shower chair, a gripping bar or a raised toilet seat.
The chair you will sit in is equipment too, though nobody calls it that. You will get out of it many times a day, and a low, soft seat makes every one of those harder than it needs to be. A firm, higher seat with arms you can push up from changes the day more than most of the things on a shopping list, and sit to stand using armrests is the movement itself.
Who supplies all this varies enormously between the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and between hospitals inside each of them. Some teams issue the aid and the bathroom equipment, some assess your home first, some expect you to arrange it. Ask the pre-admission clinic what they provide before you buy anything, and ask whether equipment can be borrowed. We name no brands, no models and no shops on this site.
How do you prepare your home before the operation?
Walk your own home as if your knee had already been operated on, ideally with the borrowed aid in your hands. The route you want to look at is bed to bathroom, bed to kitchen, and the front door to a car.
OrthoInfo asks you to take up any throw or area rugs that could cause you to slip, and to fasten electrical cords securely around the edge of the room. Both are quick, and both are the kind of thing that only looks like a hazard when you are moving with a frame.
The NHS adds the ones people forget because they are not about the knee: get the things you use often somewhere easy to reach, and stock your freezer with cooked meals. OrthoInfo puts it as cooking double batches in the weeks beforehand and freezing half.
The stairs need deciding before you go in. If your bathroom is upstairs and you are not sure about them, work out now what you will do about the first week, and ask the ward physio to practice them with you before you leave. OrthoInfo mentions rearranging the ground floor, making the living room your bedroom for example, and it is much easier to move a bed before the operation than after it.
Falls are the reason all of this is worth an afternoon of your time. OrthoInfo is explicit that a fall in the first few weeks after a knee replacement can damage the new joint and may mean more surgery, and that stairs stay a particular hazard until the knee is strong and moving well. Its advice until your balance and strength come back is to use a cane, crutches, a walker or the handrails, or to have someone with you. So the rug you take up now, and the cable you clip out of the way, are not housekeeping.
If you are older, have fallen before or feel unsteady, the balance and falls prevention program is the one to look at while you are still waiting. Nothing on this page, and no item you buy, makes a fall impossible.
What to sort out before you go in
Start with the pre-admission clinic. The NHS describes it as an appointment a few weeks before the operation to make sure you are well enough for it to go ahead, which may include a blood test and a blood pressure check, and as the place to meet the care team and ask questions. OrthoInfo adds that a general medical evaluation happens several weeks beforehand and that tests such as blood tests, an electrocardiogram and a chest X-ray may be needed. Take your medicine list and your questions to it.
Medicines are the clinic's business. Take the full list, including anything bought over the counter and any vitamins or supplements, and let them tell you what happens to each one and when. The NHS says the assessment should leave you with clear information on whether to stop any of your usual medicines before you come in, so if that has not arrived in writing, ring and ask for it. Blood thinners, steroids and diabetes medicines are the ones that usually need managing on both sides of the operation, and they are managed by the team, with a plan for each. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine on your own, and never decide on the morning that you will skip one.
Dental work has a timing question attached to it that catches people out. OrthoInfo's page on preparing for a joint replacement asks you to schedule any dental work well in advance of surgery, and, because of the infection risk, not to schedule dental work, including routine cleanings, for several weeks afterward. Your own surgical team sets the dates for your operation, so raise it with them instead of working to a figure from a website.
If you live alone, say so at the clinic and say it early, because it changes the plan rather than your eligibility. OrthoInfo suggests having a friend or family member stay for several days where living alone or anything else makes looking after yourself hard, and it says that where that is not possible the answer may be a short stay somewhere with care in it rather than going straight home, worked out beforehand with the team and the hospital's social worker or discharge planner. Arranging that in advance is a different experience from being told about it on the day you were hoping to leave.
The NHS list covers the rest of it: arrange any help you need at home with day-to-day activities, sort transport, and speak to your employer and make a plan for going back to work. Add pets, plants and anything you are responsible for, since a dog that needs walking is a real problem in week one. Also find out, before you go in, who you call when something worries you at home and what hours they answer, because that number is the one you will want at nine on a Sunday evening. In some services the supply of pain relief you leave with is short: one NHS trust tells patients they are given a week of it on discharge and to contact their family doctor in good time if they need more or want it changed (South Tees).
Prehab exercises before a knee replacement covers the other half of getting ready, and the knee osteoarthritis program is what to do with a long wait. Total knee replacement rehab is the program waiting for you on the other side of the operation, and it is worth a look now so that none of it is new when you get home.
What do you do in the last day or two?
These are the instructions that decide whether your operation happens on the day it is booked, so follow your hospital's letter to the word here, not a general list.
Do not shave your leg, and do not tidy up the area around the knee. OrthoInfo's instruction is direct: do not shave the area of the surgery, and if shaving is needed it will be done in the hospital. This one is not a preference. NICE, which writes the UK guidance on preventing wound infection after surgery, says hair should not be removed routinely at all, and that where it has to come off the hospital uses electric clippers with a single-use head on the day of the operation, never a razor, because razors raise the risk of a surgical site infection. A razor leaves small nicks you can neither see nor feel, and intact skin is what has to be there for the operation to go ahead.
Check your skin instead. OrthoInfo asks you to look yourself over in a mirror, all over and not just the knee, including the groin, behind the knees, under the arms and under the breasts, and to report anything that looks wrong to your doctor. Any break in the skin gives bacteria a way in. It also asks you to shower or bath the night before, and your surgeon may give you an antibacterial wash to use for it, which is worth asking about at the clinic so you have it in the house.
Eating and drinking is set by the team giving your anesthetic, not by a website, and this page gives no times on purpose. The NHS says you will be told clearly whether to stop eating and drinking in the hours before the operation, and that if you have been told to fast you must not eat or drink anything, light snacks and sweets included, though you may be allowed water, which is worth checking rather than guessing. The point of it is a stomach that is empty while you are under anesthesia. If you take insulin for diabetes you still have to fast, and your team needs to know about the diabetes so they can plan around it. Eating or drinking outside the window you were given can move your operation to another day, so if you have slipped up, say so when you arrive rather than hoping.
The small things the ward will ask for anyway: the NHS asks you to take out body piercings and remove make-up and nail polish before an operation, partly for cleanliness and partly so the team can see your skin and nails, which is one of the ways they check your circulation. Jewelry, cash and cards stay at home.
How long will you be in hospital, and why do the lists differ?
Because every list you can find is one hospital's list, and the stay behind it differs. Some services plan for you to go home the same day, some for a night or two, some for longer, and that depends on the operation, on you, on what support you have at home and on how the service is organized.
OrthoInfo, writing for the United States, says you will either be admitted to hospital on the day of your surgery or go home the same day, and that which of those it is should be discussed with your surgeon before the day itself, so it is a question to ask rather than to assume. It adds that if you are admitted you will most likely stay overnight, and in some cases longer. The NHS, writing for the UK, gives 1 to 4 days as the usual stay there. Those two are not in conflict and neither is your answer: they describe how differently services are organized, and which one fits you is a question only your own surgical team can settle. The NHS says the pre-operative assessment, which is the same appointment as the pre-admission clinic, should leave you clear on whether you will need to stay overnight and, if so, for how long, which makes it the appointment to ask at.
What the NHS describes is what has to be true before you go home: no signs of complications, and getting around safely on crutches. That is also why practicing with the aid beforehand pays off.
The practical consequence is to pack for the stay your own hospital describes, and to prepare the house for a longer first fortnight than you expect. The recovery timeline week by week sets out what the published sources say about the arc, each figure with the source that produced it, and the exercises for weeks 0 to 2 describes what the first fortnight at home is actually like.
When to contact your surgical team before the operation
Before the date, tell them about anything new: a cold, a cough, a fever, a chest or urine infection, a skin break or rash anywhere on the leg, a dental problem, or a change in any of your other conditions. These can affect whether the operation goes ahead, and the judgement is theirs, not yours.
Here is the part that turns that into a phone call rather than a note to self. OrthoInfo asks you to report any cut, scratch, graze, rash or insect bite on the limb being operated on, because any break in the skin raises your risk of infection, and it says what follows in plain terms: if you have an infection, your surgery will be cancelled. That is not a hospital being awkward. Bacteria reaching a new knee implant is one of the few complications that can cost you the joint, so a team that calls the day off is protecting the replacement you are waiting for. The NHS puts the same duty on illness: let your surgeon know if you develop a cough, a cold or a high temperature in the days beforehand and they will tell you whether the operation can go ahead, and ring the hospital as soon as you know if you do not feel well enough for it. Early is better than brave, because a week's notice can sometimes be treated and a Monday morning cannot.
A history of repeated or recent urine infections is worth raising at the clinic, not on the day. OrthoInfo says people in that position should have a urological assessment before a knee replacement, for the same reason: an infection anywhere in the body can travel to a new joint.
Tell them too if your knee itself changes: a knee that locks, gives way, becomes hot and red, or swells for no clear reason. And tell them if your home situation changes, because the plan for getting you out of hospital is built on who will be there.
Each of the warning signs below carries its own level of urgency, from an emergency department straight away, through advice the same day, to a few days.
Related exercise programs
Warning signs
Get emergency help now
- Emergency: the knee has moved out of place, looks misshapen or is pointing at an odd angle, or you have tingling or no feeling in the knee, leg or toes, or your foot turns cold, pale or blue. Go to an emergency department straight away. Do not drive yourself: ask someone to drive you or call an ambulance.
- Emergency: the knee became very swollen very quickly, within a few hours of a twist, fall or blow, or you felt a pop or snap. Go to an emergency department straight away. Do not drive yourself: ask someone to drive you or call an ambulance.
Get help today
- Same day: the pain started with a fall, a twist or a blow to the knee, or you cannot put weight on the leg. Get medical advice the same day.
- Same day: the knee is locked, which means it is stuck bent and you cannot fully straighten it, even after gently trying to move it, or you cannot bend or straighten the leg at all. Get assessed the same day by a doctor, at urgent care or at an emergency department. A torn piece of meniscus can get caught in the joint and block it, and when a tear like this can be repaired, it should be done as early as possible. A knee that catches for a moment and then frees itself can happen with a meniscus tear. That is not the same as a locked knee, but tell your physio or doctor about it.
- Same day: the knee keeps giving way under you, or it gave way after a recent injury, or it gives way and is also very painful or swollen. Get medical advice the same day. If it only happens now and then, with no recent injury and no swelling, it is not an emergency, but book an assessment with a physio or doctor in the next few days.
- Same day: the knee swells up with no clear reason, especially if you take medicine to thin your blood. Get medical advice the same day.
- Same day: the knee is hot, red and swollen, or you have knee pain with a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery. Get medical advice the same day, and go to an emergency department if you feel very unwell. This can be a sign of infection in the joint, which needs treatment quickly.
- Same day: with an operation date coming up, you develop a cold, a cough, a high temperature or any other illness, or a cut, scratch, graze, rash or insect bite anywhere on the leg being operated on, or a dental problem such as toothache or a sore gum. Tell your surgical team the same day. Any break in the skin raises the risk of infection, and an infection means the operation is cancelled, so they need to hear about it while there is still time to act rather than on the morning of surgery. Keep taking your prescribed medicines as instructed; never stop or change one on your own.
- Same day: a calf or thigh that is newly swollen or getting more swollen, warm, tender, red or darker than usual, has swollen veins that are sore to touch, or has a throbbing or cramping pain that does not fit your injury or condition, or that feels different from normal muscle soreness after exercise. This can be a sign of a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis), especially after surgery, an injury, time in a cast or boot, a long trip or a spell of being much less mobile than usual. Get medical advice the same day. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
- Same day: pain at night or at rest that keeps getting worse. If you are being treated for cancer now, contact your cancer team the same day.
Book an appointment
- Within a day or two: pain at night or at rest that keeps getting worse. If you have had cancer, now or in the past, see your doctor sooner, within a day or two, and mention it, even if the pain is not getting worse. Do the same if you have knee pain and are losing weight without trying, even if it does not hurt at night.
- Within a few days: pain at night or at rest that keeps getting worse. See your doctor within a few days.
- Within a few days: you have had a fall, even if you were not hurt, or you keep tripping, stumbling or feeling that your legs might give way. Book an appointment with your doctor within a few days and ask about a falls assessment. Tell them about every fall, even the ones where you were not hurt.
Common questions
What should I take to hospital for a knee replacement?
Pack from your hospital's own letter first, because the list is theirs and it reflects their ward, their stay and what they supply. The items that turn up in every version of it are the practical ones: loose clothing, flat shoes you can put on without bending far, washbag, glasses, hearing aids and dentures with their cases, a written list of all your medicines with doses, your phone and a long charging cable, and something to read or watch. Leave jewelry, valuables and large amounts of cash at home. If your letter asks for your medicines themselves, take them in their original boxes.
What should I wear to hospital, and for coming home?
Something loose enough to go over a dressing and a bandaged knee, and shoes you can get on and off without reaching down to your foot. In practice that means a wide trouser leg or shorts, and a closed shoe with a grippy sole that fastens with a strap rather than a lace you have to bend to tie. Think about the trip home as well as the ward, because getting into a car with a newly operated knee is harder than getting out of bed.
What equipment do I need at home after a knee replacement?
The walking aid comes first, and OrthoInfo suggests borrowing a walker, cane or crutches and using it to move around your home before the operation, to find out where the tight corners are. After that the useful things all solve the same problem, which is that bending and reaching are hard for a while: a long-handled shoehorn, a long-handled sponge and a grabbing tool or reacher are the three OrthoInfo names. For the bathroom it suggests considering a shower chair, a gripping bar or a raised toilet seat. What is supplied and what you buy or borrow differs a great deal between countries and hospitals, so ask your team before you spend anything.
Should I shave my leg before a knee replacement?
No. OrthoInfo says not to shave the area of the surgery, and that if shaving is needed it will be done in the hospital. A razor leaves tiny nicks in the skin that you cannot see, and any break in the skin raises the risk of infection in a new joint, which is the one thing the team is most careful about before the operation. Leave the leg alone, follow whatever washing instructions your hospital gives you for the night before, and tell them about any cut, graze, rash or bite you find on the leg. If you have an infection, OrthoInfo says the surgery will be cancelled, so finding a problem early is what gets your operation done on time.
How much help will I need at home, and for how long?
More than most people plan for, and the answer is your team's rather than ours. OrthoInfo suggests having a friend or family member stay with you for several days after surgery where living alone or something else makes managing hard, and the NHS asks you to arrange any help you need at home with day-to-day activities before you go in. Ask the pre-admission clinic what they expect for you specifically, because it depends on your operation, your home and who else is there. If you live alone, say so early and say it clearly, since that changes the planning rather than ruling anything out: OrthoInfo says that where nobody can stay, the plan may be a short stay somewhere with care in it instead of going straight home, arranged in advance with the team and the hospital's social worker or discharge planner.
How long will I be in hospital?
Only your surgical team can answer this one. The length of stay after a knee replacement differs between countries, between hospitals in the same country, and between two people having the same operation on the same day. OrthoInfo, for the United States, says you will either be admitted on the day of surgery or go home the same day, that the plan should be discussed with your surgeon beforehand, and that if you are admitted you will most likely be in overnight and sometimes longer; the NHS, writing for the UK, gives 1 to 4 days as the usual stay there. The NHS describes the decision as being made when there are no signs of complications and you can get around safely on crutches. That is the real test, and it is why no page can give you a date. Ask at the pre-operative assessment, which the NHS says should tell you whether you need to stay overnight and for how long.
References
- NHS. Preparing for a knee replacement. Page last reviewed 9 September 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/knee-replacement/preparation/
- NHS. Recovering from a knee replacement. Page last reviewed 9 September 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/knee-replacement/recovery/
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Surgical site infections: prevention and treatment. NICE guideline NG125. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng125/chapter/Recommendations
- NHS. Having an operation (surgery): before surgery. Page last reviewed 9 July 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/having-surgery/preparation/
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Preparing for joint replacement surgery. OrthoInfo. https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/treatment/preparing-for-joint-replacement-surgery/
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Total knee replacement. OrthoInfo. https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/treatment/total-knee-replacement/
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Post total knee replacement management. Patient information, 26 February 2025. https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/resources/post-total-knee-replacement-management/
Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-10-17.
This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. See a physiotherapist or doctor for advice about your own situation.