Have Trouble Standing Up From Low Chairs or Couches? Check Out This Simple Fix!

Standing Up  From Low Couches or Chairs Can Become More Difficult As You Age

When you sit in a low chair, soft couch, or other low sitting surface (such as the toilet), you have to raise your bodyweight a greater distance in order to get up.

In addition, as your knees get closer to a 90 degree angle, it increases the distance form your hips (center of gravity) to your knees.  This mean's you'll need a lot more muscle force in order to help raise yourself up from sitting.

As people age, they tend to become less active, and as you become less active, you start losing muscle mass and muscle strength.

Now, aging does not necessarily mean that you will have trouble standing up from sitting, even if you're sitting on a low couch or chair.  

The best things you can do are:

1. maintain your activity level around the house and in the community
2. exercise regularly
3. maintain a healthy weight
4. not spend too much time sitting around during the day.

Do You Get Back or Knee Pain When Standing Up From A Seated Position?

We have other posts about how to stand up from sitting without back pain or knee pain.

However, one really easy tip to help you get up from lower couches or chairs is just to raise them up higher using furniture risers.

We recently did this in our office, and we've had numerous patients comment how easy it is to stand up from sitting.