If you are recovering from hip surgery, then sitting down and resting can become a struggle. Thankfully, special chairs for hip replacement patients are designed to avoid pain and improve the rehabilitation process.
To aid your recovery, we’ve reviewed some of the best hip chairs available, including our favorite, the APEX Hip Chair.
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Dedicated Chairs for Hip Replacement Patients Reviewed
What are the best chairs for hip replacement patients? It ultimately depends on your mobility level and specific needs. After a hip replacement, even sitting can become difficult and you’ll need to sit in a certain way. To help you with that, you can find:
- High chairs for use around the house
- Water-proof chairs for the bathroom
- Portable cushions to use on existing furniture in your home
The products reviewed below cover a range of uses. All chairs are user-tested and help hip replacement patients during recovery.
1. APEX Hip Chair — Recommended Hip Chair
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This two-in-one hip chair can be used for both general purposes around the house and as a shower chair. Meaning you won’t have to buy two separate products.
The adjustable height and seat angle settings allow this chair to be adapted to specific patient needs. We like the hard-wearing foam cover, durability, and adjustability. These features, in tandem with its versatility, make this our top recommended hip chair.
Pros
- Durable polyurethane foam padding
- Waterproof, padded seat and back
- Easy to clean and disinfect
- The cover feels warmer than ordinary vinyl seats
- Adjustable floor-to-seat height 23 to 27.5 inches
- Adjustable seat angle from 0 to 13 degrees
- 20-inch gap between armrests
- Removable armrests
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- Unattractive color for use in living areas
- No footrest
2. Drive Medical Deluxe Hip High Chair — Best All-round Hip Chair
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This chair is built specifically for patients post hip surgery. In line with its dedicated use, Drive Medical’s hip chair features a high seat and a footrest. These qualities ensure the hips are positioned well above the knees without unnecessary bending at the hip—required for a speedy recovery.
Pros
- Cushioned seat and back for comfort
- Washable and water-resistant fabric
- Easy maintenance
- Sturdy steel construction
- Seat to floor height 26 inches
- Weight capacity of 300 pounds
Cons
- Footrests are not adjustable
- Fixed armrests
- The seat width is only 17.5 inches
3. Drive Medical 1710 Wood Hip High Chair — Most Stylish Hip Chair
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With similar features to the Deluxe High Chair, Drive Medical’s Wood Hip Chair is a much more attractive piece of furniture while still fulfilling all the functions of a hip chair.
Made of solid maple, this hip chair is a good choice for patients who prefer their living rooms to maintain a certain look. We appreciate its combination of aesthetics and functionality.
Pros
- Washable green vinyl seat and back cover
- Sturdy, padded armrests
- Made with solid maple hardwood
- Adjustable footrest
- Seat to floor height 26 inches
- Weight capacity of 300 pounds
- Seat width between arms is 19 inches
Cons
- Arms not removable
- Fixed seat height
- Weighs 33 pounds so not the lightest option on our list
4. EagleHealth Hip Shower Chair — Recommended Shower Chair
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After hip surgery, you need extra support in the shower, so a stable chair like the EagleHealth hip chair is a great addition to your home.
If you have someone to help you, you might prefer one chair that does double duty in the living room and bathroom. But if you’re alone quite often, consider purchasing two hip chairs to minimize lifting and straining.
Pros
- Easy-clean, blow-molded plastic seat cover with a textured finish
- Attractive chrome finish
- Made from lightweight aluminum that will not rust
- Adjustable floor to seat height from 25.5 to 29.5 inches
- Large anti-slip leg tips
- Weight capacity of 250 pounds
Cons
- No footrest
- Seat width only 17.75 inches
- Non-returnable once opened
5. Drive Medical Kitchen Stool — Best for Larger Patients
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A very sturdy, well-finished model recommended for practical use in the kitchen and around the house.
While the 14-inch seat is not that large, the gap between the seat handles is comfortably wide and the arm supports are removable. These features mean this hip chair is suitable for larger patients.
Pros
- Chrome-plated steel legs and arms
- Angled seat
- Adjustable floor to seat height 21 to 27 inches
- Washable white nylon seat and back material
- Removable armrests with adjustable width
- Weighs only 12.5 pounds
- Weight capacity of 300 pounds
Cons
- No footrest
- Armrests not padded
6. Socket Seat — Best Hip Chair Substitute
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A carefully designed cushion made with memory foam creates chairs for hip replacement patients out of regular furniture.
It’s ideal for relieving pain in the buttocks, lower back, hamstrings, and helps with sciatica. The cushion is also useful for hip replacement patients.
The Socket Seat allows patients to maintain good posture even when they are unable to use a full-sized hip chair. Recommended for use in the office, the car, on airplanes and anywhere else you need to sit down.
Pros
- High-density memory foam
- Ergonomic design
- 18.5 inches wide universal fit
- Durable and washable mesh cover that can be removed
- Built-in carry handle
- Weight capacity of up to 250 pounds
Cons
- Not a raised hip seat so not suitable for patients immediately after surgery
- Not easy to get on and off when placed on high barstools or similar
How to choose a good hip replacement chair
Following hip replacement surgery, life will improve but careful rehabilitation is necessary. Hip replacement chairs help with that. Medical advice recommends arranging furniture at home and avoid bending the hips and twisting.
It’s paramount that you follow medical advice after a hip replacement for as long as advised by your doctor. Ignoring precautions increases the risk of hip dislocation. These can go undetected since they are not always painful. Using the right equipment is the best way to ensure that a dislocation won’t happen.
A suitable high hip chair should be used while avoiding low, soft-cushioned seats. And a shower aid must also be available.
Keeping these considerations in mind, what features should you look for in the best hip chairs?
Height Above the Ground
To avoid angling the hips too much, the legs should rest comfortably on the ground or a footrest. The best floor-to-height distance will depend on the size of the patient as well as their stage of recovery.
A good hip chair should, at the very least, have adjustable footrests, like the Drive Medical 1710 Wood Hip High Chair.
Even better is a seat that can be lowered or raised, such as the APEX Hip Chair, the , and the Drive Medical Kitchen Stool.
Arm and Foot Support
To get into a high hip chair a patient needs armrests to lower themselves. To get up, the armrests are also necessary as they allow patients to push up from the chair.
Foot supports are advisable for higher chairs as these allow the optimal angle without bending at the hips.
Attaining the proper sitting position is further aided with a tilted seat such as the Drive Medical Kitchen Stool offers. The adjustable seat angle of the APEX Hip Chair does the same job.
Comfort
Cushioning is not just a matter of comfort, it reduces the impact as you sit down. To avoid cushions falling to the ground and out of reach, seats should have foam upholstery.
Padding on the back and armrests may also be important to you. The recommended APEX Hip Chair, as well as the Drive Medical Deluxe and the Wood Hip High Chair are fully padded.
Hygiene
Hip chairs will be used a lot and so need to be easily washable. Nylon or similar material can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. All the chairs in this hip chair review have easy-clean material.
The for use in wet areas is the easiest to clean.
Travel
Special cushions are available for traveling by car, plane, or in other forms of transport to help patients avoid unfavorable positions. The can be carried along to provide a raised sitting position.
Tip: Place your cushion inside a large plastic bag which will make it easier to slide and turn into the right sitting position.
Other Equipment
If you or the person you’re caring for will come home soon after a hip replacement, consider other recommended equipment for hip replacement patients:
- Raised Toilet Seat or High Toilet: To make sure the knees do not sit higher than the hip
- Bedside Commode: To place in the patient’s bedroom. Commodes should be high enough to avoid bending the knees and sit close enough to a bed so transfers are easy.
- Hip Knee Replacement Kit: These typically contain implements to help patients avoid bending over.
- For bathing after a three-month no-bath period, a Transfer Bench is recommended.
- Consider a non-slip mat, a hand-held shower head with an on/off switch, and a long-handled sponge/brush to wash your back and legs without twisting or bending over.
Conclusion
We found the best hip chairs and sitting aids. After our reviews, we recommend the APEX Hip Chair as the best overall product. We like that it does double duty in the bathroom and the living room. It’s also sturdy and should suit most patients regardless of their weight.
Make sure you have the right tools for the job and your hip replacement recovery should be smooth and uneventful.
