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Our featured picks
The Original McKenzie SuperRoll Lumbar Support
Comfysure Wedge Cushion
Furbish Needlepoint Decorative Throw Pillow
There’s a host of wellness products that can offer relief from lower back pain, but a lumbar support pillow is one of the cheapest and easiest interventions around. Designed to support the natural curve of your vertebrae, the small-but-mighty lumbar pillow encourages your back’s neutral alignment, which takes tension off of the spine, said Dr. Alice Chen, a spine physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery.
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In the world of lumbar support pillows, Robin McKenzie is the name to know. In the 1960s, McKenzie, a New Zealand physiotherapist, “basically invented the lumbar support,” Dr. Travis Falls, a physical therapist at Duly Health and Care, said. While The Original McKenzie is still a top brand, these days you’ll find many different styles on the market, including rolls, wedges and contoured seat cushions.
To find the best lumbar support pillows, I consulted two physical therapists, a spine physiatrist and a spine surgeon for expert insights and recommendations. I also asked CNN Underscored editors to share their favorite cushions. Whether you’re sitting at a desk eight hours a day, commuting for long hours or cramped on a long flight, these lumbar support pillows will keep you comfortable.
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Best lumbar support pillows overall
The Original McKenzie SuperRoll Lumbar Support
Falls has been recommending the McKenzie SuperRoll throughout his 26 years as a physical therapist. “It’s the gold standard,” he said. This strap-on style features a pre-compressed polyurethane foam interior that provides contoured support, stays cool and maintains its shape over prolonged periods. The adjustable elastic strap ensures the SuperRoll is compatible with a variety of seats. “You can take it on a plane, you can put it in your car, you can put it on your office chair,” Falls said.
It boasts impressive durability as well; Falls said it lasts up to a decade with frequent use. What’s more, the low-profile design makes it comfortable for a variety of body types, regardless of the user’s size and weight.
The Original McKenzie Lumbar Roll
Dr. Andy Fata-Chan, cofounder of Moment Physical Therapy and Performance, is a fan of the Original McKenzie Lumbar Roll, and he’s not alone. “It’s used by professional athletes, it’s used by healthcare professionals,” he said. “It’s a proven commodity.” Compared to the SuperRoll, the classic Original McKenzie Lumbar Roll offers a wider area of support — it’s 4.75 inches in diameter, compared to 2 inches deep. Therefore, it’s a good option for larger, taller people. It’s available in standard and extra-firm options depending on the pillow density you prefer.
Best lumbar support pillow for office chairs
Comfysure Wedge Cushion
Yes, you can get back support via a seat cushion. Falls said this Comfysure model indirectly improves your posture by shifting your hips forward while seated. The impacts of this change in positioning might not be noticeable at first, but Falls said the spine training can boost comfort in the long term. The Comfysure wedge isn’t only suitable for office chairs — the lightweight cushion is also ideal to use on top of gaming chairs, wheelchairs or even the floor.
Furbish Needlepoint Decorative Throw Pillow
If you’re looking for some lower back support but not willing to sacrifice your home’s aesthetic, a simple throw pillow can do the trick. CNN Underscored health and fitness editor Summer Cartwright uses this one while working from home. “It fits perfectly at the small of my back and provides a noticeable amount of cushion that prevents back stiffness and soreness at the end of the day,” she said. “The cute design and Taylor Swift nod are a bonus.”
Qutool Lumbar Support Pillow
For lumbar and upper back support, try this elongated cushion that has more than 2,500 perfect reviews and an impressive 4.4-star rating on Amazon. The pillow has two adjustable shoulder straps that securely fit onto seats of various sizes, and is made with high-density memory foam that keeps its shape even after hours of use.
“I’ve had lower back problems for as long as I can remember, and this is the only lumbar support pillow that helps me work long hours at my desk comfortably,” CNN Underscored managing editor Rachel Quigley said. “I’ve also taken it on long car rides with me, as you can easily strap it to any seat. It’s easy to wash, lightweight and isn’t showing any signs of wear and tear despite the fact I’ve had it for years.”
Best lumbar support pillow for car travel
Cushion Lab Cloud Cradle Car Seat Cushion
“Car seats tend to dip down a little bit,” Chen said, adding that a wedge chair can offer relief for those who experience buttock pain when they sit. Cushion Lab’s car pillow distributes your weight for more comfort in the car, whether you’re taking a road trip or your daily commute. The contoured design promotes good posture, according to Fata-Chan, making slouching less comfortable “so that you would naturally be a little bit more upright.” Plus, the cushion’s outer cover is washable, and the grippy underside prevents the cushion from slipping around.
Best lumbar support pillow for air travel
The Original McKenzie Self-Inflating AirBack Travel Lumbar Support Pillow
When you think of travel pillows, you probably picture one of those horseshoe-shaped cushions that support your head, but a lumbar pillow can be just as useful for staying comfortable in a cramped airplane seat. Falls likes McKenzie’s self-inflating lumbar pillow as a convenient option for air travel. Simply twist the valve to inflate the pillow to your desired firmness, and place it behind your lower back for in-flight use.
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How to choose the best lumbar support pillows
Evaluate firmness
An effective lumbar support pillow should strike a balance between comfortable and supportive. “You want something that’s going to provide you a little bit of resistance,” Fata-Chan said. “If it’s too compliant, it’s not gonna actually provide any support.”
Dense memory foam or pre-compressed polyurethane foam is ideal. A cushion made from these materials will likely maintain its shape for years longer than more plush options. “If you buy something soft, in two months it’s going to be super soft,” Falls said.
Consider the fabric it’s made from
Ideally, the pillow’s cover should be moisture-wicking and breathable so it doesn’t feel too warm while in use. Falls prefers the McKenzie SuperRoll’s breathable mock-mesh cover over the brand’s Signature Roll, which features a suede-like outer layer. Many options also offer a removable cover for easy cleaning.
Pick something practical
Simple designs are often the most effective. Falls warns against awkward, large options. “Some of the ones I see are just huge and bulky, and I don’t think they’re realistic to use.” Instead of keeping you vertical and aligned, “they’re just pushing you forward,” he said.
If you plan to use the pillow consistently, Fata-Chan and Falls both recommend designs with adjustable straps that wrap around the back of seats to keep the support secure and at the proper height. “Compliance-wise, if you attach it to your chair, you’re more likely to use it,” Falls said.
If, in addition to lower back pain, you experience discomfort around the tailbone or sacroiliac (SI) joint where the spine meets the pelvis, you might benefit the most from a sitting cushion. Whereas a classic lumbar pillow supports the lower back directly, a sitting cushion indirectly takes pressure off your lumbar spine. “With the sitting wedge cushions, you’re basically shifting the pelvis forward, which increases the natural curvature of your back,” Falls said.
Comfort is key
At the end of the day, comfort is the most important factor when considering the best lumbar support pillow for your needs. Falls recommends noting how your back feels while using the pillow and after getting up: If you feel less stiffness and strain, the pillow is doing its job. Since everyone’s body is different, “trial and error is your best bet,” Shah said.
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FAQs
To maximize relief, place the pillow in the right position. Cushions with a wave-like contour can surround the spine, but a lumbar roll should fit around the small of the back, “just above the buttock where the back starts to dip,” Chen said.
Once you’ve found a comfortable placement, secure the cushion to the back of your chair so you don’t need to reposition it every time you sit. Falls said this kind of consistency is important because so much of our day involves sitting.
You don’t need to use the pillow all day, every day. “It’s not about sustaining one position forever,” Fata-Chan said. “It’s ideal to sit in as many different postures as possible: upright, slouched, sideways, rotated. The spine is meant to move in all these different ways, so when you adopt one position, and it’s just flexed over a computer for a while, getting a lumbar pillow and extending might feel like a ton of relief.”
The lumbar region of the spine is the area between the bottom of the rib cage and the top of the pelvis. “There are 33 bones in your spine, and the lumbar spine is the last five,” Falls said. When placed in the spine’s natural C-curve, he said a lumbar support pillow “follows the contours of your natural back alignment, so it provides a little bit of support by filling in the gaps.” This support helps maintain proper spine alignment “so that there’s an effective transfer of weight from the torso down to the pelvis,” Shah said.
According to Falls, lumbar support pillows work best in chairs with a square seat and a firm, vertical back. Size of the seat matters too: “You don’t want to be crammed in your chair, like in a roller coaster, but you also don’t want it so wide that you can slump over,” he said.
Many kitchen and dining chairs fit these stipulations, but ergonomic desk chairs are an even better option. According to Falls, premium models from brands like Herman Miller, Steelcase and Humanscale can have hefty four-figure price tags. Meanwhile, he said an affordable office chair paired with a lumbar pillow can offer the same lower-back support as an expensive one. Plus, a lumbar support pillow is adjustable, meaning it can be raised to provide proper support for tall people.
Meet our experts
For this article, we consulted the following experts to gain their professional insights:
- Dr. Alice Chen, spine physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery
- Dr. Travis Falls, physical therapist at Duly Health and Care
- Dr. Andy Fata-Chan, cofounder of Moment Physical Therapy and Performance
- Dr. Rahul Shah, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon at Premier Orthopaedic Associates
Why trust CNN Underscored
CNN Underscored editors and writers ensure every product included in an article is thoroughly vetted and something we ourselves would feel comfortable buying and using. Our team has many decades of collective experience researching, testing and recommending products across every category — from fashion and food, to home goods and health, to electronics and everything in between — and we’re committed to using that expertise to help you make the most of your money and live a better life.
For this article, CNN Underscored contributing writer Caroline Curran interviewed spine experts and physical therapists to get their recommendations on the best lumbar support pillows. She also consulted CNN Underscored editors for their referrals.
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Caroline Curran is a contributing writer and former deals editor at CNN Underscored. Based in New York City, Curran researches and writes about deals, trends and product launches across the online shopping sphere. Before joining CNN, she was a deals writer at Wirecutter.
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