What Is a Leg Lifter, and How Can It Help?
Getting your leg into bed, into the car or onto a footstool sounds simple, until your hip or knee is stiff, sore or recovering from surgery. Then it can mean asking for help more often than you'd like.
A leg lifter is a simple tool designed for exactly that moment.
What is a leg lifter?
A leg lifter is a strap you use to guide your leg with your arms, so your leg muscles don't have to do all the work. Ours, the Triple Grip Leg Lifter, has a rigid loop that sits around your heel and three grip points along the strap, so you can hold wherever feels most natural. It folds flat, so it fits in a hospital bag or beside the bed.
The Triple Grip Leg Lifter: a rigid foot loop and three places to hold.
How to use one: a general guide
Please check with your treating health professional that it suits your situation, especially after surgery, where there may be specific movement precautions.
- Sit on the edge of the bed or chair, in a steady position.
- Slip the foot loop around your heel so it sits snugly.
- Hold the strap at whichever grip point feels comfortable.
- Gently lift your leg by drawing the strap up, letting your arms help.
- Guide your leg into position: onto the bed, into the car, or onto a footstool.
- Lower it slowly and with control.
A leg lifter is for guiding your leg only. It isn't designed to take your body weight or to pull yourself up.
Who might find it useful?
- People coming home after hip or knee surgery, where their health team has suggested an aid
- Anyone whose leg feels stiff, heavy or hard to move on some days
- Carers and family members who want to take some of the lifting off themselves
Our physio's take
Sometimes you don't know what you need until you need it. A leg lifter is one of those. Many people only need one for a few weeks, and those are exactly the weeks it's handy to have.
Patrick Sikombe, DPT, BSc
Physiotherapist & Founder
Tools that can help
- Triple Grip Leg Lifter ($75): on its own, if the leg is the main challenge.
- Hip Replacement Ready Kit ($249) or Knee Replacement Ready Kit ($249): if surgery is booked. Both include the leg lifter, plus other tools for the first weeks home.
- Balance & Independence Kit ($209): the leg lifter, a balance pad and a foldable long reach grabber, for everyday steadiness rather than surgery.
The Knee Replacement Ready Kit includes the leg lifter.
Skip the kits if a leg lifter is the only thing you need.
When to get help
If moving your leg is painful or getting harder, speak with your GP, surgeon or physiotherapist.
Keep reading
- Moving More After 65: What the Guidelines Say, and How to Start
- Staying Steady at Home: 5 Practical Falls Prevention Tips
- Shop After Surgery
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for professional health or medical advice. A leg lifter may not be suitable for everyone. Please speak with your GP or a qualified health professional before using mobility aids, particularly after surgery.