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After my knee replacement, my shoes became the hardest part of the morning

Told by the Nutelix team · 7 November 2026 · 3 min read

A woman sitting on a bench pressing the EasyWrap strap closed with a flat hand

8:15 in the morning. I'm dressed. Coat on. Keys in my hand.

My shoes are on the floor, which is the whole problem.

I sit on the bottom stair, stick out a knee that doesn't bend much anymore, and reach.

Some mornings I win. Most mornings I sit there a minute and think about it first.

I own a shoehorn in every room

A long-handled shoehorn and a sock aid leaning against the bottom stair

One by the front door. One by the bed. One in the car, for reasons I can no longer explain.

Then the sock aid, which works once you've practiced. Elastic laces, which my granddaughter threaded for me. A pair of slip-ons I don't trust on the stairs.

And the worst fix of all: waiting. Waiting for my husband, whose back is no better than my knees. Waiting for my daughter to come by on Saturday. Or giving up and walking to the mailbox in my slippers, hoping the neighbors are at work.

Worn house slippers by the front door, with keys and a handbag nearby

Every fix still ends with me reaching for my feet

A loose knit slip-on with the heel lifting out mid-step

It took me a year to see it. Every one of those fixes has the same weak spot.

Even the hospital leaflets hand you the same kit. US guidance for after hip surgery says to use "a long-handled shoehorn, elastic shoelaces, and an aid to help you put on your socks" (MedlinePlus, NIH), and to wear slip-on shoes "with a lip in the back or a closed back" (Hospital for Special Surgery). A closed back, without the bending. That was the shoe nobody handed me. And I'm hardly alone: more than 700,000 knee and 450,000 hip replacements are done in the US every year (AAOS).

  • No: Laces need you to reach your feet. Twice.
  • No: Slip-ons need you to force your heel in, and then they slide off on the step.
  • No: A long shoehorn is just a longer way of bending.

Then my daughter sent me a link

It looks like a normal sneaker. Then you lift the strap, and the whole top folds back. It opens about twice as wide as a shoe with laces.

So I don't fight it anymore. I sit in my kitchen chair, set my foot down flat, and it goes in. No forcing the heel. No shoehorn. No stair.

See the EasyWrap

How I put them on now, sitting down

Seated, lifting the black EasyWrap strap fully back
  1. Lift. I open the strap with the shoe on my lap, then set it on the floor in front of the chair.
  2. Step. Foot down flat and straight in. My knee stays where it's comfortable.
  3. Press. Fold the strap over and press it shut with a flat hand. No bow, no knot, no pinching.
Seated, stepping a foot flat into the open black EasyWrap
An older hand pressing the black EasyWrap strap closed

I still reach down once, to press the strap. Once. Not the ten-minute wrestle.

Coat, keys, shoes, door. In that order, by myself.

I walk to the car in real shoes. I get the mail in real shoes. No slippers in public, which my neighbors may or may not have noticed.

Nobody has to come over to help with my feet. That was the part I minded most, if I'm honest. Not the knee. The asking.

Get the shoe I put on sitting down

They look like sneakers. Not like a hospital gave them to me.

Black or maroon. The strap sits where laces would be. A friend at church asked where I got them. She didn't ask why.

Pick black or maroon

The details, for the people who read labels (me)

Black EasyWrap from the side, strap closed over the top of the foot

$79.95, with free US shipping.

  • Opens about 2x wider than a laced shoe, so the foot goes in flat
  • Widths D to 6E, so a wide foot isn't squeezed
  • US women's sizes 5 to 14. I ordered my normal size
  • About 450g for the pair, light in the hand
  • Thick foam sole and a low, wide heel with a firm back
  • Closed back, so it stays on like a real shoe, not a slipper

Tomorrow at 8:15, sit down and put your shoes on.

Free US shipping, 3 to 5 days. Wear them for 50 days: to the car, to the store, to church. If they're not for you, you get every cent back.

Choose your size
Black EasyWrap with the strap open. Still fits at 3pm. Opens all the way and adjusts as your feet swell. 50-day returns

Nutelix EasyWrap Adjustable Shoe

The whole top opens about 2x wider, so your foot goes in flat while you sit. Then one strap presses shut with a flat hand. And it looks like an ordinary sneaker.

  • Opens about 2x wider: foot in flat, no forcing the heel
  • Put on sitting down: lift, step, press
  • Closed back, low wide heel: stays on like a real shoe
  • Widths D to 6E, US women's 5 to 14

Opens up to 2x widerRoom to set your foot straight in, then closes snug again in seconds.

$79.95$119.99Save $40.04

Order your normal size. The strap fits the swelling.

Color: Black

Size:

Order today, arrives in 3 to 5 business days

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  • Free US shipping, 3 to 5 days
  • 50 days to return
  • Secure checkout

Before you order

What size should I order?
Your usual shoe size (each size shows US women's and men's). The strap takes care of the width and the swelling. Between sizes? Go up one.
Can I put them on without bending?
You sit, set your foot down flat, and press the strap shut with a flat hand. You do reach down once, for the strap. No laces, no shoehorn, no forcing your heel.
I've seen shoes like this before. What's different?
We sell only here, in real US women's sizes, with a breathable upper. A real person answers your emails.

Only sold here. Not on Amazon, eBay, Etsy or any other platform.

P.S. Tomorrow at 8:15 my coat will be on, and so will my shoes. It only took me two knees and a lot of shoehorns.

Get your pair

Questions readers ask

Can I wear them after hip or knee surgery?

Ask your surgeon or physical therapist what you're cleared to do. EasyWrap is an everyday sneaker, not a medical device. What it changes is the putting on: sit down, foot in flat, one strap.

Will they stay on?

Yes. It's a closed-back sneaker with a firm back and a strap across the top of the foot, not a slip-on, so your heel sits in the shoe.

Sources

  1. MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine). Hip joint replacement, precautions (000171): "Use a reacher, a long-handled shoehorn, elastic shoelaces, and an aid to help you put on your socks." "Avoid hip flexion greater than 90 degrees."
  2. Hospital for Special Surgery. Putting on your socks and shoes (hss.edu rehab guide): "Supportive, slip on shoes with a lip in the back or a closed back are suggested."
  3. NHS. Recovering from a hip replacement: "do not bend down to touch your feet or ankles". Knee replacement recovery: "avoid twisting your knee, bending down and reaching up as much as possible".
  4. AAOS OrthoInfo. Total hip replacement: "Your hip may be stiff, and it may be hard to put on your shoes and socks."; "more than 450,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the U.S." (citing AHRQ). Total knee replacement: "more than 700,000 total knee replacements are performed annually in the U.S."

This page is an advertisement for Nutelix EasyWrap, written by Nutelix. The story is told in one woman's voice to describe an experience many customers share with us; she is not one named customer, and the people in the photos are illustrations. EasyWrap is footwear, not a medical device: it does not treat or prevent any condition, prevent falls, or protect a joint after surgery. You still reach down once to close the strap. Follow your surgeon's or therapist's instructions.