Bathroom / Toilet
Using the Bathroom After ACL Surgery
Recovering from ACL surgery brings plenty of challenges. And one of the most under-discussed but important ones is simply using the bathroom. Pain, mobility issues, medications, and swelling all make this basic task a bit more complicated. Here’s a practical guide to help make your post-op bathroom experience safer, easier, and less painful.
Support Your Leg: Avoid the Dangling Pain
When you first try to use the toilet after surgery, you’ll quickly realize how painful it is to have your braced leg just hanging down. The solution? Place a block, milk crate, small stool, or even a stack of books in front of the toilet to rest your leg horizontally while seated. It keeps pressure off the joint and reduces pain significantly. Especially if it takes a while to go. Seriously, this was one of the best tips I got that I just never would have thought of. You’ll see what I’m talking about.
Prep for Constipation: Don’t Skip the Stool Softener
Constipation is extremely common after ACL surgery due to anesthesia, pain medications (especially opioids), and reduced movement. It may take several days before you have a bowel movement.
What helps:
- Colace (docusate sodium) or a similar stool softener, taken early and regularly.
- Natural laxatives like kiwi, prunes, or warm fluids may also help stimulate the gut gently.
- Stay hydrated and try to keep some fiber in your diet, even if your appetite is low.
You don’t want to strain when your leg is immobilized and in pain. Some people may need an actual laxative beyond just a softener. This is all going to be personal. And unfortunately, there’s no real good way to tell what you’ll need except with time and judgment as to your situation. Again, it could be a few days. Maybe more.
Consider a Urinal Bottle: Especially for Nighttime
Getting out of bed at night, groggy and possibly medicated, while maneuvering on crutches, is dangerous. A simple urinal bottle (available at pharmacies or online) lets you urinate without the risk of falling or injuring your knee. There are models available for men or women. (For some reason, some people think this might be gross / disgusting / whatever. If so, get over it. This is about basic hygiene, comfort and safety. Do what you have to do to stay safe and take care of this formerly simple human need that’s now temporarily a whole challenging event.)
Keep it within arm’s reach by the bed and empty it in the morning. To the left, you can see a pair of crutches with a crutch bag attached. And hanging off that is a hospital style urinal bottle, making it easy to take the bottle to the bathroom in the morning to dispose of contents and clean. It is likely more comfortable to use the bottle sitting on the side of the bed vs. lying down. But in any case, avoids having to get to a bathroom. This might not be much of an issue if your bathroom is nearby. But if it’s down a long hall, or on another floor, this may be a safe and easy overnight solution. (There are male and female urinal options available. Just search in the usual places. Here’s a link to one Unisex Urinal option, but you should look around for one that appears to match you best.)
Use a Toilet Seat Riser if You Can
A toilet seat riser is a game changer. It makes it much easier to sit down and stand up without bending the knee too much. They’re inexpensive, often clip onto existing seats, and add several inches of height. It can make it more challenging to clean up afterwards as it may be harder to reach either under or behind due to side handles, but this might be worth the tradeoff of being much easier and safer to sit down and get up. Make sure it’s attached securely. (But even if it is attached well, you should likely take care to not overweight either side handle. If something did slip or give way, a simple bathroom trip could get somewhat tragic fast. Take your time and move purposefully and with care.)
If you’ve got one, set it up before surgery. If not, search for one online or ask someone who’s gone through similar rehab.
Remove Slippery Rugs and Bath Mats
Crutches and rugs can be a bad combination. Remove all bathroom mats that could slide or bunch up under your crutches unless you’ve confirmed that their bottoms won’t slip. Falling post-op is one of the worst things that could happen during recovery.
If you’re lucky enough to have multiple bathrooms in your home, take over one and optimize it entirely for safety and function.
Wear the Right Clothes
The last thing you want is to fumble with tight waistbands or pants that snag on your brace. Set aside:
- Loose-fitting underwear
- Baggy basketball shorts
- Velcro tear-away shorts (highly recommended)
This makes every bathroom trip quicker and more manageable, especially when you’re still figuring out how to move around with crutches and a locked knee brace. Just pulling down your pants can be a tricky challenge. One way is to kind of push them down after you’re seated. Another is to use one crutch in one hand and use the other to pull down pants; but of course you have to take a lot of care doing this; especially if still non-weight bearing on bad leg. It might be you get them partially down, then sit, and pull them down a little more because just standing up it might be hard to get one side far enough down over top of brace.
Guys might just want to stand, but really, you might want to consider sitting, even though it’s a hassle. Due to drugs, it might take a little while longer than usual to go and you may struggle to balance on one leg. Maybe not worth it just to save the trouble of sitting.
Something to Watch For: Fainting
Defecating, or even just urinating (especially straining) can trigger a reflex called vasovagal syncope, where your nervous system overreacts and causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly, leading to fainting. The vagus nerve is a long nerve in the body. And if there is a reaction, it’s generally harmless, but if you outright faint or fall and injure yourself, that could be a problem. If you find you feel lightheaded, nauseous, experiencing blurred vision or sweating, try sitting or lying down and elevating your legs to restore blood flow. You should try to stay well hydrated and maintain good nutrition. Make sure to stand up slowly, whether rising from bed or a seated position, such as from the toilet, and pause if you feel dizzy. There are techniques to try to maintain your blood pressure, such as crossing your legs, or gripping a ball or something if you feel an episode coming on.
If this seems like it may be a problem for you, discuss with your doctor. It could be medications are also possibly contributing to the issue. And even if they’re not, there may be others that can help if necessary.
Final Thoughts
It may feel silly to think about toilet logistics before surgery, but after ACL reconstruction, comfort and safety in the bathroom are huge quality-of-life factors. The more you prep now, the more you’ll thank yourself later. So very many things about post surgery ACL are a hassle. But something as simple as going to the bathroom is an important aspect of hygiene and there’s aspects of it that all of a sudden may be challenging.
📰 Web Articles
How To Sit After ACL Surgery?
How to Use the Toilet After Knee Surgery
🎥 Videos
Post Surgery Bathroom Tips and Tricks
How to Use the Toilet After Knee Replacement Surgery | Walker & Toilet Riser Tips
How to Use Toilet Non Weight Bearing with Crutches, Walker, and Others