Published 27 September 2026
Quick answer: For hip or knee osteoarthritis, the chair features that matter are seat height, seat depth, firm armrests you can push up from, and a rise function that brings you close to standing. Measure from the floor to the crease behind your knee and buy a seat at about that height. A dual motor lets you raise your legs without tipping back. Councils do supply riser recliners, but only after an occupational therapy assessment, and VAT relief applies if you are chronically sick or disabled.
Last checked: 27 September 2026. Chair specifications and prices were read on the makers’ and retailers’ own pages on that date. This page is general buying information, not medical advice. If you have had a hip replacement or are waiting for one, follow your surgical team’s seating advice, which can overrule anything below.
Why the chair matters with osteoarthritis
Getting up from a low, soft chair asks the most of the joints that osteoarthritis most often affects: the hips and knees bend deepest just before you stand. A chair that is too low turns every stand into a deep squat. One that is too deep leaves you perched on the edge before you can push off. The fix is mostly measurement, and the rise motor only helps if the chair fits you first.
Arthritis UK (formerly Versus Arthritis) gives the plain version of this advice: choose the highest chair you can while still putting your feet flat on the floor, with a seat deep enough to support your thighs when you sit right back, and armrests at a height that does not make your shoulders hunch. It also suggests talking to a therapist at your nearest Disabled Living Centre before you buy.
How to measure yourself for a chair
Living Made Easy, the Disabled Living Foundation’s equipment guide, sets out a measuring method you can do at home with a tape measure and one other person.
| Measurement | How to take it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Seat height | Floor to the crease at the back of your knee, sitting with feet flat | The seat height to look for, allowing for how far the cushion sinks |
| Seat depth | Sitting right back, from the back of your bottom along your thigh to about 3cm short of the back of the knee | The maximum seat depth that still lets your feet reach the floor |
| Armrest height | Elbow height when seated with shoulders relaxed | Armrests that let you push up without hunching or leaning |
| Armrest reach | Check the arm ends against the front edge of the seat | Living Made Easy advises arm ends level with the seat’s front edge, for leverage when standing |
When you sit, your hips and knees should be at roughly right angles with your feet flat. Measure the chair you use now while you are sitting in it: the difference between how it feels and those figures is the problem a new chair has to solve.
Seat heights of riser recliners on sale in the UK
We read the published seat height, depth, width and weight limit of eleven riser recliners on 27 September 2026. Nine publish a seat height; two, the HSL Risborough and Oak Tree’s The Oak, publish none because they are made to measure or sold by consultation.
| Chair | Motor | Seat height | Seat depth | Max user weight | Price read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CareCo Bergen Petite | Dual | 45cm | 49cm | 150kg | ยฃ679.99 (VAT relief) |
| CareCo Whitley (S / M / L) | Dual | 45.7 / 50.8 / 53.3cm | 45.7 / 50.8 / 53.3cm | 127 / 158.8 / 158.8kg | ยฃ1,999.99 (VAT relief) |
| Celebrity Westbury Petite | Not stated | 46cm | 46.5cm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Cosi Chair Jubilee Tilt in Space | Dual, tilt | 46 / 51 / 53cm by size | 46 / 51 / 53cm | 127 / 159kg | From ยฃ1,199 (retailer) |
| Pride 660 | Dual | 48cm | 50.8cm | 170kg | ยฃ749.95 (VAT relief, retailer) |
| CareCo Wellington | Dual | 49cm | 52cm | 150kg | ยฃ899.99 (VAT relief) |
| Drive DeVilbiss Dual Motor | Dual | 50cm | 51cm | 140kg | ยฃ399.00 (0% VAT, retailer) |
| CareCo MaxiComfort Classic | Dual | 51cm | 53cm | 180kg | ยฃ599.99 (VAT relief) |
| Drive DeVilbiss Three Tier Back | Single | 51cm | 54cm | 140kg | ยฃ499.00 (retailer) |
| HSL Risborough | Single or dual | Made in four sizes, no figure published | Not published | 110kg single / 160kg dual | Not published |
| Oak Tree The Oak | Dual or high leg lift | Made to measure | Made to measure | Not published | Not published |
Across the nine that publish a figure, seat heights run from 45cm to 53.3cm, a spread of just over 8cm. That is the difference between a chair that suits someone about five foot tall and one that suits someone near six foot, which is why the measuring step comes first. Several chairs come in sizes; a single model name is not a single seat height.
Prices are what each page showed on the day, and “retailer” means the figure came from a shop, not the maker. Our riser recliner buying guide covers brands and prices more widely.
Single or dual motor?
With a single motor, the backrest and leg rest move together: as the back reclines, the legs rise. With a dual motor, one motor drives the leg rest and another the backrest, so you can raise your legs while sitting upright. For osteoarthritis the dual motor has a practical advantage: you can put your feet up without being tipped back, and you can sit upright to stand. There is more on the trade-off in our single vs dual motor guide.
Tilt-in-space chairs tilt the whole seat and back together, keeping the angle between them fixed. Living Made Easy suggests them for people who slide forward in an ordinary recliner, and suggests a referral to a specialist seating clinic for complex needs.
If you have had, or are waiting for, a hip replacement
Many people choosing a chair for hip osteoarthritis will have a hip replacement at some point, and NHS trusts give specific seating rules for the weeks after surgery. They vary. Leeds Teaching Hospitals tells patients their knees should never be higher than their hips for six weeks after the operation, not to use the recline action of a recliner chair or an integrated footstool, and not to use a footstool for 12 weeks. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust says precautions apply for up to 12 weeks, with the exact period set by the consultant or physiotherapist, and has the occupational therapist check the height of your chair before the operation.
If surgery is planned, tell the salesperson and your OT, and check whether the recline and leg-rest functions can be locked or simply not used during recovery. A riser recliner can still be the right chair after a hip replacement, because the rise function helps with standing. It just may not be used as a recliner for a while.
Can you get one from the council?
Yes, after an assessment. Several suppliers’ guides say riser recliners are not provided by councils or the NHS, but council records show otherwise. In a Freedom of Information response dated 16 February 2026, Nottinghamshire County Council said its community equipment loans service supplied 228 riser recliners between April 2024 and March 2025, and 265 between April 2025 and February 2026. Cumbria’s 2022 FOI response described supplying 355 and 364 a year, at between ยฃ395 and ยฃ1,800 a chair, where a person needs the seating to stand up or sit down independently or with help.
The route in is an occupational therapy assessment through adult social care. Provision depends on assessed need against local criteria, so it is not a way to get a chair on request, and waits vary. Our guide to NHS wheelchair services versus council equipment explains who to ask.
VAT relief on riser recliners
HMRC’s VAT Notice 701/7 zero-rates riser-recliner chairs (it names them, including “lift and tilt chairs”) for people who are chronically sick or disabled, and excludes recliners without the lift or tilt function. The test is a condition with a long-term, substantial effect on everyday activities, confirmed by signing a written declaration for the seller. Arthritis is not named in the notice and a diagnosis does not qualify you automatically; HMRC also states the relief does not cover someone who is elderly but not disabled or chronically sick. Our VAT exemption guide explains the declaration.
What to do next
Take the three measurements above and write them down. Ask your GP for an OT referral, or contact adult social care directly, because an assessment is free and may end with a council chair. If you are buying, try chairs in a showroom with the measurements in hand, favour a dual motor, check the weight limit against your weight with room to spare, and ask about lead times on made-to-measure models. If a hip operation is coming up, tell the seller before you order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best recliner chair for someone with osteoarthritis?
The one that fits your measurements. Look for a seat height close to the distance from the floor to the back of your knee, a seat depth that lets your feet stay flat, firm armrests level with the seat front, and ideally a dual motor rise function. Seat heights on UK riser recliners we checked ran from 45cm to 53.3cm.
Is a riser recliner good for arthritis in the knees and hips?
For many people it makes standing easier, because the rise function lifts the seat and tilts you forward so the hips and knees bend less. It does not treat arthritis. A chair that does not fit can still be hard to use, so measure first and ask an occupational therapist if you can.
How high should a chair seat be for arthritis?
Living Made Easy advises measuring from the floor to the crease at the back of your knee while seated, with hips and knees at roughly right angles and feet flat. Choose a seat height near that figure, allowing for cushion compression. Arthritis UK suggests choosing the highest chair you can while keeping your feet flat.
Can I get a riser recliner free from the council?
Possibly. Councils supply riser recliners through community equipment services after an occupational therapy assessment, when someone needs the chair to stand or sit. Nottinghamshire supplied 228 in 2024/25. Provision depends on local criteria.
Do riser recliners qualify for VAT relief?
Yes, if you are chronically sick or disabled. HMRC Notice 701/7 names riser-recliner chairs as eligible and excludes recliners without a lift or tilt function. You sign a declaration for the seller. Being older is not enough on its own.
Sources
Arthritis UK, Finding a chair; Living Made Easy (Disabled Living Foundation), High seat chair and Chairs that rise and/or recline; NHS, Osteoarthritis treatment; Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Total hip replacement rehabilitation guide; Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, My recovery at home (hip); HMRC, VAT Notice 701/7; Nottinghamshire County Council FOI response, 16 February 2026; Cumbria County Council FOI-13102-2022. Chair specifications from careco.co.uk, celebrity-furniture.co.uk, hslchairs.com, oaktreemobility.co.uk, and retailer pages at mobilitysmart.co.uk, essentialaids.com, adaptlife.co.uk and livingmadeeasy.org.uk. All read 27 September 2026.
Published 27 September 2026