A Squatty Potty is a small stool that sits at the base of your toilet and elevates your feet, bringing your knees above your hips. This mimics a squatting position, which straightens out a natural bend in your lower bowel and makes it easier to have a bowel movement. The idea is simple, but the anatomy behind it explains why sitting on a standard toilet can make things harder than they need to be.
The Muscle That Controls the Kink
A U-shaped muscle called the puborectalis wraps around your rectum like a sling. When you’re sitting or standing, this muscle stays contracted and pulls the rectum forward, creating a bend where it meets the anal canal. Think of it like a kink in a garden hose: the bend holds everything in place so you don’t have an accident. When you sit on a standard toilet with your feet flat on the floor, your hips are at roughly a 90-degree angle, and that kink stays partially in place. The anorectal angle (the bend between your rectum and anal canal) sits at close to a right angle.
When you squat, the puborectalis muscle relaxes. The kink straightens out, and the anorectal angle opens to roughly 126 degrees. That gives stool a much more direct path out. X-ray studies confirm this: the rectum visibly straightens when a person shifts from sitting to squatting. A Squatty Potty raises your knees high enough to partially replicate this squat position while you remain seated on the toilet.
Why Standard Sitting Makes Things Harder
The core problem with a regular sitting position is that it keeps the puborectalis muscle engaged enough to maintain that bend in the lower bowel. To compensate, you push harder. That extra straining increases pressure in your abdomen and on the veins around your rectum. Over time, repeated straining is one of the factors that contributes to hemorrhoids, which are swollen blood vessels in and around the anal canal.
By reducing the amount of effort required to pass stool, a squatting position lowers the pressure on those blood vessels. It also means you typically spend less time on the toilet, which further reduces the sustained pressure on the pelvic area.
What Happens to Your Pelvic Floor
The position your body takes on a Squatty Potty also affects your pelvic floor, the hammock of muscles that supports your bladder, uterus (if you have one), and rectum. In a deep, wide squat, the sitting bones spread apart and the pelvic floor muscles lengthen and release. This is the opposite of what happens with a partial squat or when hovering over a toilet seat, where those muscles actually shorten and tighten.
For most people, this relaxation is a good thing during a bowel movement. However, people with chronic pelvic pain caused by an already-too-tight pelvic floor should be thoughtful about the position. A full deep squat with diaphragmatic breathing generally helps lengthen tight pelvic floor muscles, but holding a partial squat can make tightness worse. The foot elevation from a Squatty Potty generally promotes the deeper, more relaxed position rather than a tense partial squat.
How to Use It Properly
Place the stool at the base of your toilet so your feet rest flat on it when you sit down. Your knees should be noticeably higher than your hips. Once seated, lean your torso forward slightly. This forward lean is important because it works with the elevated knees to open the anorectal angle as much as possible. Keep your back relatively straight rather than hunching over, and let your abdominal muscles relax. Breathing normally rather than holding your breath helps avoid unnecessary straining.
You shouldn’t need to push hard. If the position is working correctly, gravity and gentle abdominal pressure do most of the work. Many people notice a difference on the first use.
Choosing the Right Height
Squatty Potty stools come in two main sizes: 7 inches and 9 inches. The right one depends on your toilet height and your own body.
- 7-inch stool: Fits toilets that measure 14 to 15 inches from floor to rim. This is a good starting point for most people, especially if you have limited flexibility or mobility.
- 9-inch stool: Fits toilets that measure 15.5 inches or taller. The higher elevation brings your knees closer to a true squat, which straightens the anorectal angle more. Shorter or more flexible people often prefer this height even on standard toilets.
Taller people generally benefit from the 9-inch version because their longer legs need more elevation to achieve the same knee-above-hip angle. But flexibility matters too. Someone who is tall but not very flexible may find the 7-inch stool more comfortable, since the 9-inch version requires a deeper bend at the knees and hips. If you’re unsure, starting with the 7-inch and stacking a book or towel on top to test a higher position is a practical way to figure out your preference before committing.
What the Research Actually Shows
A study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology evaluated what researchers called “defecation postural modification devices” (their formal term for products like the Squatty Potty) and found they modified bowel habits in healthy subjects. The researchers noted that these devices offer a non-pharmacologic option for healthier bowel movements, meaning they can help without medication.
No major medical organization has issued a formal guideline telling everyone to use a toilet stool. But the underlying anatomy is well established and not controversial. Gastroenterologists widely acknowledge that squatting straightens the rectum, and imaging studies confirm the change in angle. The Squatty Potty is essentially a practical workaround for a design limitation of modern toilets, which were built for convenience rather than optimal anatomy.
People who tend to benefit most include those who strain frequently, deal with constipation, have hemorrhoids, or simply feel like bowel movements take longer than they should. For people who already have easy, complete bowel movements, the difference may be less dramatic but the position is still anatomically favorable.