Squatty Potty: 5 Benefits of an Angled Pooping Position
Medically reviewed by Kumkum S. Patel MD, MPH
The Squatty Potty is a toilet footstool designed to mimic a natural squatting position that may promote faster, more complete bowel movements (poop). Constipation is a common gastrointestinal complaint. In the United States alone each year, over 2.5 million people visit healthcare providers seeking relief from uncomfortable constipation symptoms.
Constipation rates are significantly lower in countries where squat toilets are the norm, suggesting a powerful link between posture and easy defecation.
This article discusses the benefits of modifying your poop position with the Squatty Potty or similar device, conditions postural modification may be helpful for, and what to use to create a squatting toilet.
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Squatty Potty: 5 Benefits of Height and Positioning
A bowel movement is the body’s way of eliminating solid waste products after digesting and absorbing nutrients from food. Bowel movements are a natural and essential bodily function, but the act of passing stool doesn’t come as quickly for some as it does for others.
The Squatty Potty and other defecation postural modification devices offer a solution. By elevating your feet on a simple footrest, the rectum straightens and aligns with the colon, creating a smoother pathway for waste to leave your body and minimizing the need for straining.
Easier Elimination
Using a Squatty Potty may help you avoid straining during bowel movements by creating a smoother passage for waste to exit the body. Raising your feet and legs on a footstool increases the angle between the anus and rectum, allowing the puborectalis muscle to relax. Typically, the puborectalis muscle stays flexed when standing or sitting to maintain continence (prevent stool leakage). By elevating your feet, waste can pass more smoothly through the anus and rectum.
Reduced Strain
The human body is designed to eliminate waste in a squatting position, with the knees bent and the torso angled forward. This posture straightens the rectum and anus, creating a smooth passage for waste.
Sitting on standard toilet seats bends the rectum, hindering the natural flow of stool. For many people, this unnatural position can lead to straining during bowel movements, contributing to constipation, incomplete bowel movements, and hemorrhoids.
Using the Squatty Potty allows your hips to be in an angled position similar to a squat, encouraging a more relaxed and effortless bowel movement by aligning the body to minimize strain on the muscles involved in elimination.
Complete Evacuation
The Squatty Potty and similar tools may help support complete bowel evacuation, avoiding the uncomfortable feeling of incomplete bowel movements. A 2019 study exploring the effects of body positioning on bowel movements found that participants who previously reported experiencing incomplete bowel movements saw significant improvements and more feelings of complete elimination after two weeks of using the Squatty Potty.
Faster Bowel Movements
Using a footstool like the Squatty Potty may streamline the waste elimination process, promoting more efficient evacuation of stool. Research shows that bowel movements on a standard pedestal toilet can take almost twice as long as when using a footstool to raise your legs and hips.
Study participants spent an average of 113.5 seconds to poop when using standard toilets and only 55.5 seconds when using a footstool. This suggests that facilitating the natural alignment of the rectum and anus may lead to quicker and more efficient bowel movements, reducing time spent straining on the toilet.
Enhanced Pelvic Floor Support
The Squatty Potty may indirectly protect the pelvic floor muscles and prevent pelvic floor dysfunction by facilitating easier elimination. Positioning your knees slightly above your hips when using the Squatty Potty helps relax the pelvic floor muscles, reducing straining during bowel movements.
Straining puts pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, which increases the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction and related conditions, such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
Conditions That Stand to Benefit
While not a one-size-fits-all solution, the Squatty Potty and similar tools may benefit people with certain conditions, such as:
Constipation: By promoting proper alignment and relaxing the rectal muscles, the Squatty Potty allows for smoother waste flow and reduces straining, which may help people struggling with chronic or occasional constipation.
Hemorrhoids: Straining during bowel movements is a common cause of hemorrhoids. Minimizing strain with the Squatty Potty may help reduce bleeding and offer relief for existing hemorrhoids or prevent the development of new ones.
Digestive discomfort: Bloating, gas, and abdominal cramps can often stem from incomplete bowel emptying. The Squatty Potty may make it easier to empty your bowels and reduce these uncomfortable symptoms.
Pelvic floor conditions: While research is ongoing, some research suggests a squatting posture while pooping may indirectly benefit weak pelvic floor muscles, potentially helping prevent or manage conditions like prolapse and incontinence.
Pregnancy: Increased hormone levels and a growing uterus that presses on the bowels can lead to constipation during pregnancy. A Squatty Potty may ease constipation during pregnancy and reduce the risk of hemorrhoids.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): People with irritable bowel syndrome regularly face digestive discomforts, such as constipation and diarrhea. The Squatty Potty may help relieve pooping problems and make defecating more comfortable for people with IBS and other digestive disorders.
Should I Use a Squatty Potty?
With its catchy name and clever advertising, you may wonder if the Squatty Potty is just another gimmicky gadget or a genuine game-changer for improving bowel habits. Basic Squatty Potty models start around $25. If you struggle with constipation, hemorrhoids, or general discomfort of elimination, it may be worth exploring the potential benefits.
Ultimately, the decision to try the Squatty Potty is personal. If you struggle with constipation, hemorrhoids, or general discomfort with elimination, it may be worth giving the Squatty Potty or a similar device a try.
Squatty Potty Complaints
While the Squatty Potty may be helpful for some, others are not as enthusiastic about the tool. Concerns and complaints about the Squatty Potty include:
Uncomfortable position: Some people find the squatting posture uncomfortable.
Inconsistent: Some users report that the Squatty Potty is helpful for some bowel movements but is not a consistently foolproof method for effortless bowel movements.
Height adjustments can be tricky: Finding the perfect height for optimal alignment can be challenging, and some models offer limited or no adjustability.
Cost: While basic models are relatively affordable, some designs or adjustable stools can be pricey.
Safety concerns: Some people express concerns about the risk of falls or instability, especially for older adults or young children.
What to Use to Create a Squatting Toilet
While the Squatty Potty is the most popular option for easier pooping, it’s not the only way to have a bowel movement in a more natural squatting position. There are several options to align your body for smoother bowel movements, such as:
Step stool: A simple step stool typically used in the kitchen can be repurposed for use in the bathroom.
Stackable stools: For a customizable height, stackable stools allow you to adjust the number of layers until you find the best elevation for comfortable squatting.
Milk crates: A milk crate can serve as a makeshift footrest in a pinch.
DIY wood stool: If you’re handy with tools, creating a custom stool tailored to your height and toilet dimensions allows complete control over the stool’s design.
While the Squatty Potty and similar tools offer promising potential for improved digestive health, talk to a healthcare provider if constipation, hemorrhoids, or other digestive concerns persist.
Summary
While eliminating stool is a natural function that should happen with relative ease, constipation, hemorrhoids, and other digestive problems mean that pooping isn’t always easy. Fortunately, defecation postural modification devices like the Squatty Potty may help relieve some digestive-related concerns.
By raising the feet, aligning the rectum and anus, and supporting the body’s optimal pooping position, the Squatty Potty may help minimize strain, facilitate smoother elimination, and reduce the frequency of constipation.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
