Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Helping someone move, sit and walk after surgery | CION Cancer Clinics
Help someone walk after surgery little and often, from the moment the team says they may get up. You are a steady handrail, not a lift: stand on the side away from the drain, let them hold your forearm, go at their pace, and stop before they tire. This page shows the safe way out of bed, what each movement needs from you, what to avoid, and when to stop and call. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- How do you help someone walk after surgery?
- How do you get someone out of bed safely?
- What does each kind of movement need from the helper?
- Four things helpers get wrong, and what is actually true
- What the helper should do, and what to avoid
- What if it is not going well, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about helping someone move after surgery
The short answer
How do you help someone walk after surgery?
Little and often, starting as soon as the team says the person may get up. You are a steady handrail, not a lift. Stand on the side away from the drain or the drip, let them hold your forearm, go at their pace, and stop before they are tired rather than after.
Why moving early matters so much
Lying still after an operation lets fluid settle in the lungs, encourages clots in the leg veins, weakens the muscles and slows the gut. Sitting up, standing and short walks work against all of that. After most operations the team wants the patient out of bed the next day.
Who needs more than a family helper
Someone who cannot bear weight, who has had surgery on the hip, spine or leg, who is very frail, or who becomes faint every time they stand needs the physiotherapist to set the method, and sometimes a frame or a second person. Ask the ward to show you before you try it alone.
Ask the team what limits apply to this operation. After chest or abdominal surgery, the usual rule is that a movement should not pull at the wound.Step by step
How do you get someone out of bed safely?
Roll, do not sit straight up
Ask the person to bend their knees and roll onto their side, facing the edge of the bed. Sitting straight up from lying pulls hard on a chest or belly wound.
Legs over, push up on the elbow
They drop their legs over the edge while pushing up with the lower elbow and the other hand. You steady the shoulders. Their own arms do the lifting, not your back.
Sit on the edge and wait
Feet flat on the floor, hands on the mattress. Wait until any dizziness passes. If it does not pass, lie them back down and try again later.
Stand on a count
Feet slightly back, lean forward, and stand on "three". You stand in front and to the side, one hand under the forearm. Do not pull on the hands or the armpits.
Pause, then walk
Stand still for a moment before the first step. Short steps, head up, eyes ahead. Turn back before they feel tired, because the walk back is the hard half.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistEach movement
What does each kind of movement need from the helper?
The person does the work, you provide the steadiness, and nothing is rushed.
Sitting in a chair
A firm chair with arms, not a low sofa. Back up to it until the backs of the legs touch, reach for the arms, and lower slowly. Getting up is the reverse: feet back, lean forward, push on the arms.
Walking
Walk on their weaker side, slightly behind. Hold the drip stand with your free hand if there is one. Count the walk in landmarks, the door then the window, rather than in minutes.
Build it up by
- Adding one landmark each time
- Walking more often, not further
The toilet
A raised seat or a commode chair spares the belly and the knees. Go early rather than in a hurry. Stay within earshot and leave the door unlocked. Help with standing, then step back.
Stairs
Only once the person is steady on the flat, and only if the team agrees. Up with the stronger leg first, down with the weaker leg first, one step at a time, hand on the rail. You stay one step below, going up and coming down.
If the stairs are steep, set up a bed downstairs instead.
!
Stop, sit them down, and call if any of these happen
Sudden breathlessness or chest pain while walking. Fainting, or going grey and sweaty on standing. A calf that has become swollen, warm and painful on one side. The wound bleeding through the dressing or feeling as though it has given way. Do not push on through any of these. On the ward, press the bell. At home, call the helpline or the ward number, and for breathing or chest symptoms go to the nearest emergency department.
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Commonly believed
Four things helpers get wrong, and what is actually true
"Walking will open the stitches. Better to rest until they heal."
Ordinary walking does not open a wound that has been closed properly. Lying still for days raises the chance of chest infection, clots and pressure sores. Walking is part of the treatment, and the team will say when it starts.
"I will lift her. It is quicker."
Lifting an adult hurts your back and frightens the patient, and a helper who is injured is no help at all. The person pushes up with their own arms and legs; you steady and guide. If they cannot do that, they need a frame, a second helper or the physiotherapist.
"He should walk as far as he can each time to build strength."
Walking to exhaustion means a hard walk back and a patient who refuses next time. Several short walks a day, each stopped before tiredness, build strength faster and more safely than one long one.
"Holding her under the arms is the safest grip."
Pulling under the armpits can injure the shoulder and gives the patient no control. Let her hold your forearm, or use a walking frame. Your job is to stop a stumble becoming a fall, not to carry her weight.
Side by side
What the helper should do, and what to avoid
Do this
Not this
Clear the floor of mats, wires and slippers before the walk
Walk on a wet bathroom floor or in loose chappals
Let the person hold your forearm and set the pace
Pull on hands, wrists or armpits
Stop at the first sign of dizziness and sit them down
Push on to reach the end of the corridor
Support a chest or belly wound with a folded towel when coughing or standing
Let them twist or reach across the body to get up
Being straight with you
What if it is not going well, and what can this page not tell you?
Some people do not progress the way the ward expects. They stay dizzy, they refuse to try, or they are in too much pain to stand. None of that is the helper's failure, and none of it should be pushed through without telling the team.
Pain that stops movement is a pain problem, not a movement problem
If the person will not get up because it hurts, the answer is to get the pain settled, usually by timing the pain medicine before the walk rather than after it. Tell the team.
Fear is normal and it responds to small wins
Many people are frightened that movement will damage the wound. Start with sitting on the edge of the bed, then standing for a count, then a few steps. Praise each one. Confidence returns faster than strength.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you when this particular person may climb stairs, lift a bucket, ride a two-wheeler or go back to work. Those limits depend on the operation and on how healing is going, and the surgical team sets them at the follow-up. If unsure, ask before trying.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about helping someone move after surgery
How soon after the operation should she start walking?
Usually the day after, sometimes the same evening, depending on the operation and how she is. The ward will say when, and a physiotherapist or nurse will supervise the first time. After that, short walks several times a day with you alongside.
He gets dizzy every time he stands. Is that dangerous?
A brief swim of dizziness on sitting up is common in the first days and passes if he waits on the edge of the bed. If it does not pass, if he nearly faints, or if it is getting worse rather than better, tell the team. It can mean low blood pressure, dehydration or bleeding, and it needs checking.
Can I use a walking stick or frame from home?
Ask the physiotherapist first. A frame that is the wrong height or a stick used on the wrong side can make a fall more likely, not less. Most equipment can be hired, and the ward can say what type suits this person.
How do I help him cough without hurting the wound?
Fold a towel or a small pillow and have him press it firmly over the wound while he coughs or sneezes. It supports the stitches and takes the fear out of it. Coughing and deep breathing keep the lungs clear after surgery, so do not discourage them.
She is very heavy and I am small. What do I do?
Do not try to take her weight. Use the roll and push-up method so her own arms and legs do the work, ask for a walking frame, and have a second person on the other side for the first few days. If nobody at home can manage safely, arrange a trained home attendant for a few hours a day.
When can he sit on the floor or squat again?
Not until the team says so. Squatting and floor-sitting pull hard on a belly or pelvic wound and are difficult to get up from. A chair for meals and prayers, and a western-style toilet seat, are safer for the first weeks.
Can she sleep on her side or on her stomach?
Usually whichever position is comfortable and does not press on the wound or the drain, unless the team gave a specific instruction. Pillows behind the back or between the knees help. Getting into and out of bed is where the care is needed.
How far should we be walking by the end of the first month?
There is no single figure, because it depends on the operation, the person's age and how fit they were before. The pattern that matters is steady improvement: a little further or a little more often each week. If distance is going backwards, or walking causes new pain, tell the team.
Meet the Specialists
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Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- NHS — Recovering from an operation
- Macmillan Cancer Support — After surgery
- Cancer Research UK — After surgery
- American Cancer Society — Caregiver Resource Guide
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
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Talk to us
Not sure how much movement is safe after this operation?
Tell us what operation was done and what is worrying you. A member of the surgical team will explain what applies to this patient. One helpline serves every CION centre.