Carol Eustice is a writer who covers arthritis and chronic illness. She is the author of "The Everything Health Guide to Arthritis."
David Ozeri, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist. He is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he does research at Sheba Medical Center. Previously, he practiced at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
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As you prepare for a hip replacement surgery, your healthcare provider may recommend a hip kit. A hip kit is a six-piece set of tools that will assist you as you recover from your surgery.
The items in a hip kit often include a sock aid, reacher, long-handled shoehorn and bath sponge, dressing stick, and elastic shoelaces.
These tools can help you perform daily activities like getting dressed and using the bathroom. A hip kit can make it easier to follow hip precautions and adjust to your limited mobility following a hip replacement surgery.
People who need hip replacement surgery typically have severe joint damage from osteoarthritis or other types of arthritis.
More than 300,000 hip replacement surgeries are performed each year in the United States.
Patients who need a hip replacement surgery have either failed to respond to conservative treatment or the disease has progressed to the point that conservative treatment is no longer adequate.
A total hip replacement prosthesis is surgically implanted to replace the damaged hip joint. A traditional hip prosthesis has three parts:
To prevent dislocation of the hip prosthesis after surgery, patients must follow certain precautions. Some assistive devices and tools can help patients follow these precautions and may make daily activities easier.
A physical therapist or an occupational therapist will teach you about hip precautions. They will also make recommendations for continuing with usual activities while being mindful of the necessary precautions.
Certain movements are restricted, such as:
There are assistive devices that will help you tremendously during the time that you must follow hip precautions. One assistive device is a raised toilet seat. This is a 2-inch to 5-inch plastic seat that allows you to sit higher on the toilet, making it easier to sit down and get up.
Another necessary item is a hip kit. A hip kit is a group of six items that can assist you with activities like getting dressed, walking, and using the bathroom.
You will need a hip kit and may also need a walker, cane, or crutches. In the bathroom, you may need safety bars, an elevated toilet seat or a commode chair, and non-slips mats inside and outside of your bathtub.
Your healthcare provider will provide you with a list of ways to prepare your home before surgery.
There are usually six items in a hip kit:
Some hip kits may not contain all six items, perhaps to keep the cost down. When purchasing a hip kit, look carefully at what it contains.
You can buy a hip kit from a medical supply store, drugstore, or your local pharmacy. Hip kits typically cost around $30, but the price can range between from $12 and $60. You can also purchase items individually rather than in a set if you prefer.
A sock aid is designed to help you put on your socks without bending over to reach your feet.
The sock aid has two main parts:
A dressing stick is a lightweight, thin rod with hooks at each end. The stick is about 27 inches long to help you get dressed without bending or reaching for your clothes.
The hook at one end helps you pull up pants or pick clothes up from the floor. The opposite end has a smaller hook that can be used to pull up zippers.
A reacher is an assistive device that allows a person to reach or pick up objects that otherwise would be difficult to grasp without bending or extending the body.
The device is often available in lengths ranging from 24 inches to 32 inches. One end of the reacher is usually a pistol-style handle. The other end is a claw that is triggered to latch onto an object.
The shoehorn found in a hip kit is an extended version of a normal shoehorn. These shoehorns can range from 18 inches to 32 inches. The extended length allows a person to slip on shoes without bending over.
A long-handled bath sponge is an assistive device that allows a person who is showering to reach their feet, back, or other body parts without over-extending or bending. The long handle is usually plastic and approximately 2 feet long with a bath sponge attached.
Elastic shoelaces are a great solution for people who want to continue wearing their tie shoes but are limited in their ability to bend down to tie them.
The elastic shoelaces are stretchable. This allows you to wear the tie shoes as if they were slip-on shoes. The shoes stay tied and you slip the shoes on and off.
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Ferguson RJ, Palmer AJ, Taylor A, Porter ML, Malchau H, Glyn-Jones S. Hip replacement. The Lancet. 2018;392(10158):1662-1671. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31777-x
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalization for total hip replacement among inpatients aged 45 and over: United States, 2000-2010.
Kaiser Permanente. Total hip replacement patient handbook.
Inpatient Surgery. FastStats. National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 16, 2012.
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