Do your joints creek and squawk in complaint when you stand up? Maybe stiff or sore muscles are the culprit. Or maybe Father Time is following a bit too close for comfort.
Whatever the cause, one thing is noteworthy; your sitting posture just before standing up is a major factor in being able to stand without pain or discomfort.
For me, barely a senior citizen, standing up from sitting on the floor is no longer a piece of cake but rather a slow deliberate process. It seems like the slower I go, the lower the pain level. It is definitely easier to stand up when sitting on a good chair than it is rolling to my knees and contorting my body in the attempt to stand up from sitting on the floor! Why is the difficulty in standing up directly related to how low we are sitting just before standing? I submit that gravity and torso elevation (height) is a factor, but also, our sitting posture makes a big difference.
How about the difference in standing up from a very soft sofa where you sit low and feel like you are almost sitting on the floor, compared to standing up from a good solid chair that seems to be about the right height?
The fact of the matter is, standing up may be easier and less painful when the chair or sofa sitting height is properly suited to our body. Check our the diagram:
When sitting, if your bottom is lower than the top of your knees, more effort is required to stand up, than if the top of your knees are near the same height as your bottom. When the sitting height is correct, we have an advantage with both gravity and sitting posture.
So why don't we sit on the floor more often? Besides the fact that we love nice furniture, it is pretty obvious, especially for seniors. And when standing, we definitely want to avoid pain whenever possible. Try it out. Do a self-test of your sitting posture. Get the right sitting elevation and make standing up a piece of cake again!