Without further ado, let us answer the question on how high should toilet seat be after hip replacement. Well, the height of the toilet seat depends on your body height. Our physiotherapist says that your knees and hip should be on at least 90 degrees. More is okay, but less is bad and could lead to a dislocation. For standard sized people who use the normal standard toilets, one could add 5″ to the 17″ standard toilet height to make it 22″.
After a hip replacement, normal activities such as sitting in your living room watching TV, going to the toilet and sitting on the toilet seat become a tall order. Your surgeon and physiotherapist will advise that you get the best raised toilet seat after hip surgery to increase the height of your toilet seat. In the house, you will be advised to use cushions or high seats so that your knees are never above your hip region. Observing these things will make your healing easy as well as fast. You will also not strain your hip which could dislocate if strained too much. The practices once observed will also make you feel comfortable and relieve the pain.
In this post, we answer a question asked by one of our readers who wanted to know how high should toilet seat be after hip replacement. Well, the standard toilet seat measures 17” high from the ground. Once you have had hip replacement, the physiotherapist will advise that you add an extra 5” to your 17” standard toilet height so that your toilet seat will now measure 22”. At 22”, you will not be straining your body and at the same time, you will feel comfortable emptying your bowels seating on such a high ground.
However, there might be short people who would not reach the 17” height leave alone the 22” toilet seat. What about them? Well, our physiotherapist Kelvin James advises that one can use any toilet seat height as long as the hip will be at a degree of at least 90 degrees with the knee. Less than this angle is bad as it could lead to a dislocation, pain and discomfort. If you are short and the 17″ toilet seat is too high, you could use the support of a stool to have your knees on a little bit higher ground. But make sure that they are never higher than your hip.
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All in all, the toilet seat height for someone who has had a hip replacement will depend on your height. If you are tall, then you might need a toilet seat higher than the standard raised toilet seat of 22”. If you are short, you will look for something shorter and comfortable for you. The only condition that should be met is that you need to have a toilet seat which ensures that your hip and knee are at least on a 90 degrees angle with each other. More is better, less is detrimental.
You could also check out one of our posts here where we discuss general toilet hygiene after hip replacement.
