Best walking shoes after knee replacement surgery in 2022
Best walking shoes after knee replacement?
For the sake of clarity, let’s break this blog post up into three primary sections. First, I will discuss the best shoes (footwear) to wear at home immediately after surgery. Next, I will discuss what shoes to wear while going to physical therapy. Then finally, I will discuss the recommended footwear for community-based activities.
Best House Walking Shoes After Knee Replacement
Immediately after a total knee replacement surgery and during the first couple of days my favorite shoes to recommend are a simple aqua sock/house slipper you can find on Amazon.
These are comfortable slip-on house slippers that have a flexible sole, and a quick-dry wicking material that will allow your feet to sweat, and will allow you to wear them for extra safety when walking on wet surfaces.
The best part about these inexpensive shoes is that they accommodate even the most swollen foot.
Since these shoes are very low cost and machine washable you can wash them or throw them away if you have any problems with blood drainage after surgery.
Is it safe to use the hospital socks when I get home?
Hospital-Socks-After-Knee-Replacement
Patients often want to wear hospital socks that have a non-skid bottom.
The problem with this is if you wore these socks in the hospital it is not recommended to bring them home due to the risk of cross-contamination.
For your safety and to reduce the chances of infection it is always recommended to dispose of anything you used in the hospital or find a way to disinfect those items that are not disposable.
According to the CDC “on any given day, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.”
Do I need new shoes after knee replacement?
The main reason to purchase new shoes after a total knee replacement is to accommodate the new alignment of your hip, knee, and ankle.
Before surgery, most patients will have a dysfunctional alignment of the knee known as genu varum or genu valgum. The knee will bow in or out before surgery. As a result, your old shoes will be broken down on the outer sole or the inner sole. This breakdown will place undue stress on the new knee.
A new pair of shoes will form your new knee alignment and reduce the chances of causing repetitive stress conditions like shin pain, calf pain, and hip pain.
Examples of why you should buy new shoes after knee surgery.
The above image shows a pair of shoes in which the outer edge has been worn down. This may result in lateral stress being translated through the ankle into the knee. This may contribute to lateral knee pain, lateral ankle pain, and possibly shin splints.
In the photo above you can see how the outside sole of the same shoe shows signs of excessive wear and tear.
Which are the best shoes to wear when I go to physical therapy?
Your physical therapist should recommend appropriate attire and footwear for physical therapy. It may depend on the goals for each treatment session.
As a therapist myself I will often recommend the simple slip-on shoes mentioned at the start of this article if I plan to do any barefoot exercises or balance exercises.
I will recommend athletic shoes if we will be doing more advanced agility exercises or if I want to see what you might be used to wearing while in the community.
Finally, I will request work and casual shoes to see how you function in all other forms of footwear.
The goal of physical therapy is to get you back to the best condition to perform the activities you want to perform. If you work in steel-toe boots climbing ladders all day we will want to see you do that in therapy. If you enjoy fine dining and social gatherings in high heels we will want to see you walking and moving around the clinic in your finest stilettos.
1. SEEKWAY Water Shoes Women Men Adult Quick-Dry Aqua Socks Barefoot Non Slip
2. Keds Women’s Champion Slip on Sneaker
3. Hey Dude Women’s Wendy Shoes Multiple Colors
4. Crocs Unisex-Adult Men’s and Women’s Classic Clog
5. MEJORMEN Men’s Diabetic Shoes Extra Wide Width Easy On & Off Walking Sneakers
In the video below, I review a new pair of Hey Dude Shoes. I purchased these shoes after seeing several of my patients wear them to the clinic.
This is not a paid endorsement. This is an unbiased review of the Hey Dude shoe.
Anthony Maritato, PT
Physical Therapist
Anthony Maritato, PT has been a licensed physical therapist and private practice owner since 2006. Ohio license #PT011602.
Anthony has been passionate about helping patients recover from total knee replacement surgery as well as rotator cuff repair surgery.
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