Reduce back pain and correct your posture in an office chair or driver's seat with these cushions.
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We all spend a great deal of time sitting — in office chairs at work, in the car or train while commuting, on the family couch to watch a movie or in a reading chair with a book. Much of that time spent on our bums may be unavoidable, and if you're sitting with bad posture, you may be dealing with frustrating back pain. Rather than succumbing to the short-term comfort of slouching, lumbar support can make sitting straight-up effortless.
Slouching or slumping in a chair for a prolonged period can increase discomfort and pain in the lower back, according to one study. A lumbar support pillow can provide back support and help correct your sitting posture, leading to less lower back pain and allowing you to stay physically active and pain-free throughout your life.
The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab test all sorts of seat cushions, sleeping pillows and mattresses for back pain to help you stay pain-free in your daily life. To find the best lumbar support pillows, we had testers of a variety of ages try different options and provide their feedback on factors like comfort, ease of use and back support during their nine-to-five.
This highly-rated lumbar support pillow is a favorite among Amazon shoppers and our Textile Lab. Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab Senior Analyst Emma Seymour used this pillow for two years and loves the lower back support it provides. "The foam was both comfortable and supportive," Seymour said. "I noticed less neck pain as it encouraged me to not hunch over while working."
The curved shape promotes better posture while the memory foam is firm, yet comfortable to lean against. While the foam can trap heat, the mesh cover (available in five colors) is breathable and can easily be removed and thrown in the washer. The cushion easily slid over Seymour's office chair, but she noticed it shifted a bit over time, requiring her to occasionally readjust it.
Material: Polyester mesh cover and memory foam fill | Shape: Wedge | Straps: Yes
A cylindrical, oblong pillow may not be the first shape you think of when picturing a lumbar support cushion, but this pillow is surprisingly a popular choice among physical therapists for its ability to support proper spine alignment. Karena Wu, P.T., D.P.T., physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy, says she "always recommends the McKenzie lumbar roll."
The GH Institute's textiles analyst Grace Wu was coincidentally recommended this pillow by her physical therapist too. She used this pillow without the strap on her office chair so that it would slip down if she began to slouch: "It helped encourage me to actively correct my posture," she said.
The pillow comes in standard and firm density options, with a single strap that can fit around chairs or car seats and a removable cover for easy washing — all impressive features for such an affordable option. There's also an inflatable version for traveling that Dr. Wu shares "works wonders on airplanes."
Material: Polyester cover and foam fill | Shape: Cylinder | Straps: Yes
Whether you have a long commute to work, you're prepping for a road trip or your job involves driving, sitting in a driver's seat can be just as uncomfortable as sitting in an office chair all day. This cushion from Tempur-Pedic is thinner than other options, has a longer shape and is strapless, making it a great option for those looking to add lumbar support to their long drives.
GH Textiles Analyst Grace Wu rated this cushion at a medium firmness level. "It conforms to your body just enough to feel comfortable while also encouraging proper sitting posture," Wu says. One tester loved the "sink-in soft" material. While the memory foam is comfortable, our textile experts say this material traps heat, and Wu found herself overheating after several hours of use.
If you're on the shorter end, the Travel Lumbar Pillow size may be a better fit. Wu and another tester preferred it for fitting perfectly on their chairs and being "easily portable."
Material: Foam | Shape: Rectangle | Straps: No
The unique butterfly shape of this pillow is designed to support your spine and multiple areas of the back, and one tester said she liked that the shape "hugged" her sides a bit. The extended upper wings of the pillow provide support to the top half of your back, while the bolstered bottom of the pillow supports your lower back. The contoured shape creates an ergonomic spine crevice.
Testers liked how easy the pillow was to put on their chair and appreciated that it did not shift, saying the straps kept it perfectly in place. Multiple testers found the pillow to be hard and firm, but most agreed that it ultimately corrected their posture and alleviated back pain. Seymour thought it had a good balance between firmness and comfort, noting that she sat up straighter and taller than she did without it.
The outer fabric is a knit material and that Seymour says feels a little hot and sweaty at times. "My old one was mesh, which felt a little cooler to the touch," she says. Luckily, the cover is removable, so a quick wash will do the trick to keep it fresh.
Complete the set with the brand's Pressure Relief Seat Cushion (which our testers loved) and the Ergonomic Foot Cushion for better alignment of the body and maximum back support.
Material: Polyester cover and Hyperfoam fill | Shape: Butterfly | Straps: Yes
This bolster pillow is similar to the Original McKenzie Lumbar Roll but without the straps. The design promotes a more active and mindful correction of posture. Rather than a large rectangular wedge forcing you to sit upright, this pillow encourages you to engage with your core and back muscles to sit upright and prevent the pillow from falling.
One tester found the pillow to be squishy enough to lean back into, but firm enough to correct her posture. "I was surprised that the pillow rarely fell or budged, despite how much I fidget and move in my seat," she shared. That said, if you slide down your seat or move too much, the pillow will roll down. Another tester brought the pillow home and said it "did a good job of supporting [her] back" while sitting on a couch, but wishes it were slightly smaller.
Made from latex rather than memory foam, Grace Wu says the pillow will not trap heat and is more resilient — a feat that's rare among lumbar support pillows.
Material: Latex | Shape: Cylinder | Straps: No
Purple boasts the best cooling mattress according to our textile pros and one of our favorite mattresses in a box. The brand also sells a back cushion made of its GelFlex Grid, a unique grid-shaped elastic that is supportive, breathable and pressure-relieving. One tester who has experienced lower back pain for years thinks this squishy-yet-firm cushion would be helpful if she were having a flareup. She said, "This was very comfortable to use. I love the additional amount of support on my back, but also the almost massaging cushion that the purple insert provides."
Testers disliked the setup process, which involves fitting a floppy gel insert into a cover. One tester said the process was "a bit cumbersome" and another said the adjustable strap was difficult to fit around their chair.
Testers praised the "cushiony" pillow and our experts love the GelFlex Grid's breathability to reduce sweating and keep your back cool.
Material: GelFlex Grid fill and Hyper-Elastic Polymer fill | Shape: Rectangle | Straps: Yes
Lumbar support cushions are not the only pillows that can reduce lower back pain — seat cushions can also provide some relief, especially if your pain is in your lower back. "[This cushion] has lumbar support for the sacral area and conforms to your bottom and upper thighs,” says Klee Bethel, M.D., director of interventional pain management at the Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, Arizona.
Sitting in an office chair or for hours in a car will be much more comfortable with this all-in-one cushion made with gel-infused memory foam. The contoured seat cushion will provide relief to your tailbone, hips, thighs and legs, while the back cushion will encourage correct posture and support your lower back. Available in four colors, this cushion is pricey and a bit bulky if you're trying to travel with it, but the support it provides to your bum and back makes it worth it. Plus, the non-slip cover on the bottom prevents the cushion from shifting and sliding on your chair.
Material: Memory foam with gel pad | Shape: L-shape | Straps: No
The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab evaluates mattresses, pillows and seat cushions with the help of our experts and feedback from consumer testers. To find the best lumbar support pillows, our analysts recommended products they've tested. We also researched brands and evaluated customer reviews.
After narrowing down options, we gave our testers lumbar support pillows to try in their office chairs and homes. These testers responded to a detailed survey about their experience so that we could evaluate the comfort, ease of use, back support, quality, breathability and pain relief of the pillows.
On top of that, we spoke with physical therapist Dr. Wu about she recommends in a lumbar pillow.
The material, shape, firmness, size and more can affect which pillow is right for you and your chair.
✔️ Material: Our top picks feature memory foam, gel and latex fills. These materials support the back, but some are better at relieving pressure or correcting your posture. The fill will also affect the firmness, with memory foam feeling firmer than its bouncier counterparts, gel and latex. A mesh cover may be more breathable and less sweaty than knit covers. You can read more about the best material further down in this guide.
✔️ Shape: Popular shapes of lumbar support pillows tend to be cylinder/roll, curved wedge/rectangle and contoured. Grace Wu recommends speaking with a physical therapist or medical professional to evaluate your sitting position to decide what pillow shape to buy. "There’s unfortunately no 'one size fits all' in my opinion," she says. Factors to consider when picking a pillow shape and size are the setting (car vs. office), the type of chair, your frame and your height.
✔️ Straps: Some pillows strap onto the backrest of your chair, which can help ensure it is positioned properly and does not move. Pillows without straps can be easier to bring from one chair to another, and they may promote active posture correction. Wu says both options have their benefits: "Those with straps are likely meant to sit higher on a chair and can be adjusted based on your frame, but straps won’t always keep the support in place, as desk chairs can vary greatly in size and shape."
✔️ Size: The thickness of the cushion can affect the support, contour and firmness. Contoured options like Cushion Lab's Back Relief Lumbar Pillow are quite bulky and may be too big for smaller chairs. Small rectangular cushions like Tempur-Pedic's Travel Lumbar Cushion may be too thin and small for someone tall or a large office chair. The Cornell University Ergonomics Department's suggestion for backrests states that the depth of the lumbar curve of the backrest should be 0.6 to 2 inches and the height should be between 5 and 9 inches.
Studies show that sitting slouched or slumped for a long time can lead to discomfort in the lower back. Lumbar support pillows that effectively improve your posture while sitting at a desk or in the car for hours should relieve discomfort and reduce back pain. "The point of the lumbar support pillow is to remind you to sit up with good posture and to force you to use your postural muscles to work in maintaining this good upright posture," Dr. Wu says.
In one study of male participants with a "lumbar support pillow with a cut-out for the posterior pelvic tissues," there were multiple benefits found in the results: the center of pressure measure improved, the lumbar region was closer to neutral and the amplitude of the postural difference in the lumbar region slightly improved.
Dr. Wu says a lumbar support pillow helps prevent back pain because it forces your lower back to retain its normal curve. Future research is needed to definitively determine the long-term benefits of lumbar support pillows, but the correction of posture and reduction in pain for most users make them a useful tool in aiding back pain.
Dr. Wu advises placing the lumbar support pillow in the space of the lower back, above the pelvis. "If you have your bottom flush against the back of the chair, lean forward and place the support pillow in the 'crook' of the low back," she explains. It should not be placed between your buttocks and the back of the chair, so aim to place it a little higher up if it is a smaller pillow with straps. When you first set up the lumbar support pillow, Dr. Wu says it should immediately make you feel like your lower back has a slight arch.
Anyone who sits in a chair can benefit from a lumbar support pillow — and Dr. Wu says there are no downsides to using a support pillow long-term (so, it doesn't hurt to try). Those who sit for prolonged periods of time can benefit the most from lumbar support because it will prevent slouching and consequently, less back pain. This may include corporate workers at a nine-to-five job, truck drivers, people on a road trip and college students studying for hours at a time.
While it's safe to try a lumbar pillow, it's best to see a doctor if you are experiencing chronic pain in your back. The pain may be caused by a more serious factor or injury, especially if your lifestyle does not include tons of sitting.
Most lumbar support pillows are made of memory foam or gel and each has its pros and cons. While memory foam is firm, it notoriously traps heat and conforms to your body (causing your back to slowly sink into it). Latex and gel cushions have a bouncier, squishier feel. "Gel is a dense liquid, similar to what you would find in gel shoe inserts, while memory foam is a solid foam that displaces its cells as opposed to moving the fluid around,” explains Dr. Bethel.
Wu says most lumbar support pillows on the market are made of foam. "While foam, particularly memory foam, is known for conforming to your body and providing pressure relief, too much 'give' defeats the purpose," she explains. "I would recommend looking for a medium to firm lumbar support pillow over anything soft."
A lumbar support pillow will encourage you to mindfully correct your posture. "The idea is to train your body to develop better posture," Wu says. Ultimately, the best material is whichever material you find the comfiest that effectively corrects your posture.
The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab use specialized equipment to test apparel, mattresses, pillows and cushions. We distributed multiple lumbar support pillows to real-life testers to gain user feedback and spoke with experts to consider recommendations.
Isabella Cavallo, the Assistant Commerce Editor at the GH Institute, has experience reporting health topics and commerce content relevant to health and wellness. She has interviewed physical therapists and medical professionals to write stories about stretches, roundups of compression clothing and sneaker reviews. She never sits in a chair correctly but tested multiple lumbar support pillows to see which corrected her posture best.
For this story, she read through multiple scientific studies and interviewed Karena Wu, P.T., D.P.T., physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy to gain more insight on the benefits of lumbar support for posture and back pain. Cavallo also consulted Grace Wu, Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab Product Analyst. Wu evaluates fabric-based products at the GH Institute and has a background in fiber science, materials science and engineering.
Isabella (she/her) covers commerce and product-related content in the home, lifestyle, fitness, technology and beauty. She graduated from Binghamton University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in English: Literature & Rhetoric. Before joining GH, she was an editorial assistant at Prevention, where she covered health topics and celebrity news.
Grace Wu (she/her) is a product reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper and Apparel Lab, where she evaluates fabric-based products using specialized equipment and consumer tester data. Prior to starting at Good Housekeeping in 2022, she earned a master of engineering in materials science and engineering and a bachelor of science in fiber science from Cornell University. While earning her degrees, Grace worked in research laboratories for smart textiles and nanotechnology and held internships at Open Style Lab and Rent the Runway.
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