How to Get Around After Surgery — Lawrence, KS Guide

The surgery date is circled on the calendar, and the part keeping you up at night isn't the procedure — it's the Tuesday two weeks later when you still can't reach the mailbox. In Lawrence, the right piece of equipment is the difference between counting on everyone else and getting yourself to the follow-up, the kitchen, the front porch. We deliver it clean and ready so recovery happens on your terms, not the couch's. Call 913-775-1098 or reserve online when you know your dates.

Surgery isn't the hard part. The four to eight weeks AFTER surgery — getting to the bathroom, getting to your follow-up appointment, getting groceries, getting your kid to school — that's where most people realize they didn't think this through.

This guide is for Lawrence, Kansas residents (and the families helping them) who are about to have surgery and need a practical mobility plan for the recovery period.

Match the equipment to the surgery

The right rental depends on what got operated on. Here's the quick decision tree:

Foot, ankle, or lower-leg surgery → knee scooter

If your surgery is on a foot or ankle (Achilles repair, bunionectomy, fracture fix, plantar fasciitis surgery), your surgeon will tell you to keep weight off that leg for 4 to 6 weeks. The standard option is crutches, but crutches are exhausting after the first day.

A knee scooter lets you rest the injured leg on a padded platform and roll yourself around using your good leg. Faster than crutches, less tiring, and your hands stay free to carry coffee or a phone.

Knee or hip replacement → walker first, then nothing

Joint-replacement surgery typically goes like this: you leave the hospital with a walker (or crutches), use it heavily for 1-3 weeks, then transition to a cane, then to nothing. A 4-wheel rollator with a built-in seat is more comfortable than a basic walker because you can rest mid-walk.

If your hospital sent you home with a basic 2-wheel walker that's hurting your back or wrists, switching to a rollator usually fixes it.

Back surgery → wheelchair or rollator depending on severity

Back surgery recoveries vary wildly. Spinal fusion can knock you down for 2-3 months; a smaller microdiscectomy might have you walking the next day. Talk to your surgeon about expected weight-bearing and movement restrictions.

If standing for more than a few minutes is going to be hard, a transport chair (caregiver-pushed) handles short trips and the rollator covers walking with rest stops. For longer recovery where you need to leave the house regularly, a manual wheelchair gives the rider self-mobility.

Cardiac, abdominal, or general surgery with extended fatigue → mobility scooter

Heart surgery, major abdominal surgery, and recoveries from cancer treatment often leave a patient mobile-but-tired for 2-3 months. They can stand and walk for 5 minutes; they can't do a 45-minute trip to the grocery store.

A mobility scooter bridges this gap. They can leave the house for normal life — the store, follow-ups, family events — without burning all their energy on the walk from the parking lot.

How long do you need it?

Match the rental term to the recovery, not the calendar:

If your recovery runs longer than 8 weeks, the math sometimes favors buying instead of renting. See our rent-vs-buy knee scooter comparison — the same logic applies for other equipment.

Plan delivery before surgery, not after

Most of our Lawrence delivery calls happen the day before discharge — the family realizes their mom is coming home tomorrow and there's no equipment in the house. We can usually still make it work, but it's stressful.

The cleaner sequence:

1. Two weeks before surgery: Talk to your surgeon about expected recovery time and equipment.
2. One week before surgery: Reserve the equipment. Tell us the surgery date — we'll deliver the day before discharge.
3. Day of discharge: Equipment is already at home. Family member meets the patient and the equipment together.
4. End of recovery: Call us, we pick up. No long-term contract.

What you'll spend

Roughly, for a Lawrence rental:

• Knee scooter, 6 weeks: $279 monthly + ~$25 second-month adjustment = around $304 + $75 delivery = $379 total
• Standard rollator, 3 weeks: $79/week × 3 = $237 + $75 delivery = $312
• Manual wheelchair, 4 weeks: $429 monthly = $429 + $75 delivery = $504
• Mobility scooter, 8 weeks: $695/month × 2 = $1,390 + $75 delivery = $1,465

These are rough — your actual rate depends on the specific equipment and term. See Lawrence pricing for the full rate sheet.

What we don't do

Three things we want to be clear about:

1. We don't give medical advice. We rent equipment. Your surgeon, primary care doctor, and physical therapist make the medical decisions; we deliver the gear that follows from them.
2. We don't bill insurance. Direct-paid only. If Medicare or your plan needs to cover this, you need a certified DME provider, not us.
3. We don't pressure-sell long contracts. Rent for one week, four weeks, or whatever the doctor's plan is — extend if you need to, return when you're done.

How to get started

Call 913-775-1098 with your surgery date and your surgeon's recovery timeline. We'll recommend the equipment, quote a price, and schedule delivery.

Or browse the Lawrence equipment list and reserve online.