What is a Lumbar Pillow? Why It Might Be Worth the Investment

Lumbar support pillows, like a Sutera pillow, are a special kind of orthopedic pillow. They help ensure maximum comfort levels by correcting poor posture. A lumbar support cushion promotes natural spine curvature and creates a neutral position.

Poor posture when sitting or sleeping is a common cause of severe pain in the spinal region.

Back pain is the sixth most costly condition in the country today. As Georgetown University notes, an estimated 65 million Americans suffer from chronic back pain. Chronic pain in the spine and lumbar region can create discomfort throughout the entire body and even affect sleep quality.

Lumbar support pads remain one of the most efficient ways to relieve pain and alleviate this problem.

What Is a Lumbar Pillow?

Lumbar pillows are unique and extremely beneficial. However, some people question the effectiveness of the pillow or are unaware of how the product works. In some cases, customers want to understand how lumbar pillows influence the lordotic and thoracolumbar curvature.

Each of these concerns are relevant and can be easily answered. We’ve extensively looked at the impact of these pillows on lumbar posture and proper alignment of the spine, and here’s what we found.

Do Lumbar Spine Support Pillows Help?

Lumbar spine support pillows are both comfortable and functional. The effects of a lumbar support pillow on lumbar posture has been shown to improve the user’s comfort level significantly.

Poor spinal posture is often a result of muscle fatigue. When we sit for long periods, we tend to bend the spine’s natural curve to make ourselves more comfortable. By doing so, severe back and joint pain may emerge.

The lumbar pillow’s ergonomic design includes multi-use memory foam and a hypoallergenic mesh cover that keeps the vertebral column in a neutral position, even when you have to be immobile for a long time.

Regardless of whether you’re behind the steering wheel or at your desk for hours, the lumbar pillow’s memory foam offers significant pain relief and maximum comfort levels. This is why more people consider purchasing a lumbar support pillow for an office or desk chair.

Impact on Lordotic and Thoracolumbar Curvature

Lumbar support pillows reduce lumbar flattening by encouraging proper posture. They also positively influence thoracolumbar angles and decrease pressure on the spine.

According to a recent study, individuals were assigned a prolonged seated task that challenged comfort and posture. The controlled study revealed that the lumbar spine benefited from using these types of lumbar pillows.

Still, a more current study needs to be done to better understand the long-term effects of lumbar support pads on thoracolumbar angles.

How Do I Know I Need Lumbar Back Support?

Sometimes, joint or back pain may be considered normal. This can make it difficult to know if you need a multi-purpose lumbar support pillow or cushion.

It’s not always immediately apparent that you need to start using a lumbar seat cushion for bad posture, unless you’ve received a direct recommendation from a physical therapist. However, you may be able to use your lifestyle as an indicator.

For example, if you’re an office worker who spends most of their time seated in the same position, you may benefit from using this seat cushion. Many office chairs offer little support for the lumbar spine and encourage lousy posture.

Sitting in the same position without compensating for a lack of back support can predispose you to chronic pain long-term. Purchasing a lumbar seat cushion can relieve tension in your lower body region, which helps you focus more on work and less on back pain. 

Similarly, you can benefit from placing a lumbar pillow on your vehicle seat if you spend a lot of time in your car. Regardless of how long you drive, a lumbar pillow can help you maintain the correct alignment of your neck, spine and lower body region, allowing you to achieve everlasting comfort.

If you’re a wheelchair user or suffer from chronic back pain, you can benefit significantly from a lumbar roll or pillow. Similar to office chairs, you need the quality features of lumbar support pillows to help maintain the normal curve of your spine while you sit.

When Do I Need to Use Lumbar Back Support?

Each person has unique needs and requirements, which means some individuals may choose to use lumbar back supports more often than others.

You can choose to place your lumbar support pads on your vehicle seat or office chair when you know you’ll be stationary for an extended period. Alternatively, you can make these a permanent fixture and take advantage of proper lumbar posture every time you sit.

Because these orthopedic pillows work perfectly before, during and after you suffer lumbar pain, there’s never a wrong time to use them. Lumbar pillows provide you support and comfort every time your back has to be in a seated vertical position.

Currently, there are no known side effects to constantly using a lumbar support pillow for office chairs, wheelchairs or vehicle seats.

Generally, it’s better to prevent a lumbar condition from occurring, and lumbar back supports can be a helpful resource.

How to Use a Lumbar Seat Cushion

If you want to take advantage of a lumbar seat cushion’s fullest potential, you need to understand how to use the product. Before making a purchase, you should determine whether you’ll use a lumbar roll or pillow.

Use for Home or Office Chairs

For the correct alignment of your lordotic and thoracolumbar curvature in home or office chairs, make sure you place the lumbar support pillow vertically across the back of the chair.

The pillows must stay flush against the back lower body region. Your ears, shoulders and hips will fall into proper alignment.

By doing so, you can easily maintain the natural curvature of your spine.

If you are using office chairs for an exceptionally long period of time, you may want to add another product to complement the pillow, particularly if you have any lumbar support conditions.

In cases like these, using a small stool to place your feet on can do wonders to relieve lumbar and lower back pain.

Use for Beds

You can also use your lumbar pillow to achieve a comfortable position in bed.

When using lumbar support pillows in bed, you need to lie on your back to get the best support. You’ll also need to elevate your knees by propping them on a cluster of regular pillows.

These methods help align your lower spine in a proper curve and increase your comfort levels while you sleep.

Bottom Line

What is a lumbar pillow? Can it help with back pain? What’s the best way to use it? As mentioned in this article, lumbar pillows are a great tool for relieving back pain and correcting poor posture.

If you spend a lot of time sitting, don’t wait until you develop a serious lumbar support condition before considering using a lumbar pillow. Bad posture affects how people perceive you and your quality of life.

It’s time to be more conscious about your bedding products. If you’re unsure of where to start, you can take a pillow quiz to learn about the right pillows for your body.

Featured image courtesy of Frette/Facebook.