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The one thing to set up at home before knee, hip or shoulder surgery
Most people plan the surgery and forget the first weeks after it. Here's how to make them easier, starting with cold therapy.
The first weeks home are the hard part
Joint surgery is planned weeks in advance, but the days right after it rarely feel planned. You come home tired, moving slowly and relying on whoever is helping you.
If your surgeon recommends cold therapy at home, it's easy to leave it until the last minute and improvise with bags of ice or gel packs from the freezer.
Why ice packs get old fast
Ice packs are cheap, but they warm up quickly. Someone ends up swapping them from the freezer all day, and they slide around on a knee or shoulder. For the person helping you, it turns into a job of its own.
Still deciding between ice packs, renting or buying?
Compare the optionsA cold therapy machine works differently
A cold therapy machine is a small cooler with a pump. You fill it with ice and water, wrap a pad shaped for your joint, and the pump circulates the cold water through the pad and back.
The Breg Polar Care Cube, for example, is rated by Breg at about 6–8 hours of cold per ice fill. When the cold fades, you drain a little water and add fresh ice.
Granville P.
"I love the Polar Care Cube. Easy to use and incredibly soothing to my shoulder as I recover from surgery."
The Polar Care Cube starts at $176 and ships the same day if you order by 12 PM EST.
See the machinesHow it works
Fill
Ice to the ice line, cold water to the water line.
Wrap
Place the pad over a thin sterile dressing and connect the hose. Breg requires that barrier between pad and skin.
Plug in
A quiet pump moves the ice water through the pad. Follow your prescriber's schedule and check your skin every 1–2 hours, as Breg recommends.
These machines are prescription devices, so ask your surgeon which type they want you to use and for how long.
James K.
"[The Polar Care Cube] is simple and easy to use… [Breg] keeps it simple and performs very well."
Pay with your HSA or FSA card at checkout.
Find your machine5 things to set up before surgery day
A recovery spot. A chair or couch you can get in and out of easily, with your phone charger, water and medication schedule within reach.
A clear path. Move loose rugs, cords and clutter between that spot, the bathroom and the kitchen, especially if you'll use a walker or crutches.
Cold therapy. If your surgeon has recommended it, have it set up before you get home rather than scrambling after.
Easy clothes. Loose shorts, zip-front tops and slip-on shoes are easier with a bandage, brace or sling.
Help lined up. Agree who handles meals, driving and errands for the first days. Fewer ice runs leaves them more time for the rest.
Cold therapy machines to consider
