by Lumbar support is way more important in facilitating overall health of the back than most people realize. If you talk to anyone who has been diagnosed with chronic lower back pain, they’re likely to give you an account of how the condition feels like paralysis. This is not surprising, since even the tiniest pain in your lower back can make your mobility challenging. It is for this reason that you should invest in only the best lumbar pillow. In this overview, we will highlight the best lumbar pillow on the market along with some great alternatives.
What are Lumbar Pillows?
Let’s start by looking at what lumbar pillows are. At their core, lumbar pillows are are versatile cushions designed to support your lower back. Often, these pillows are attached to an office chair or car seat. They are relatively cheap and feature a curved profile, which complements the natural curve of your spine. There is a wide range of lumbar pillows, but they all have subtle differences between them.
Who Should Get a Lumbar Pillow?
If your job necessitates that you sit in your office chair for prolonged hours, then you should be looking into getting a lumbar pillow…especially if your seat offers minimal lumbar support. Based on research studies, the majority of people who get diagnosed with lower back pain, are ones who sit at a desk all day every day, hunched over their computers. Adding a simple lumbar cushion to your office chair enables you to position the support in the best way to provide your back with optimal comfort. However, if you already have a supportive office chair, a lumbar pillow is not necessary. A supportive chair should provide you with a good posture, whereby your ears and shoulders align squarely over your hips.
What’s the Best Lumbar Pillow available?
#1 Everlasting Comfort Memory Foam Lumbar Support Pillow
This lumbar pillow is rated as a Best seller on Amazon. It’s made of high-quality memory foam which enables the pillow to conform to the contours of your spinal system and helps in keeping your lower back supported. By forcing you to sit up straight, any pressure points along your spine are alleviated. Similar to tempurpedic pillows, the memory foam used in making this lumbar pillow is responsive to your pressure and body heat. Where there is a lot of contact with your body, the pillow becomes softer and more pliable. Where there is less contact, it’s a bit more rigid. This makes it conform to your body. Moreover, this pillow is great at resuming its original shape once the pressure is taken off. This aspect makes the Everlasting Comfort lumbar pillow suitable for persons with different body shapes and weights.
Another thing we like about this lumbar cushion is its mesh cover which provides excellent air flow and prevents sweat from accumulating. The pillow’s material is also hypoallergenic, making it an excellent choice for persons with allergies.
What we like and why we rated it as the best lumbar pillow available
- A well thought out design
- The memory foam construction easily conforms to an individual’s contours
- Has dual straps to provide a secure fit
- Manufacturer offers lifetime warranty
What we do not like
- Some people find the memory foam too firm
- There have been a few cases of broken straps so the pillow is hard to attach to a chair backing
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#2 LoveHome Memory Foam Lumbar Support Back Cushion
If you don’t feel comfortable using our top pick, your next best lunbar pillow alternative is this lumbar support cushion by LoveHome. It has nearly the same features as the Everlasting lumbar pillow, the same design, the same shape and a memory foam construction. What sets this lumbar pillow apart is the fact that it does not sag even if it’s used for a prolonged period. However, this lumbar pillow only has a single strap, which is positioned at the back. Unfortunately, this makes it lack the secure positioning you’d get with a dual strap design of our best lumbar pillow above by Everlasting Comfort. This lumbar cushion also has an extension strap so it can attach to thicker and wider chairs and car seats. Thanks to the mesh cover on this pillow, your back remains cool throughout your use. And the best part is, it’s removable and machine washable. Perhaps the biggest advantages of using the Love Home lumbar support cushion is the extra thickness and wider base. The additional thickness makes it compatible for using with bigger chairs, which are associated with low-quality lumbar support. The wider base enables the pillow to fit well on any seat.
What we like and why its the best lumbar pillow alternative based on our analysis
- Memory foam design
- Cover is antibacterial, removable and washable
- Thicker and wider than most lumbar pillows
What we do not like
- Shorter warranty of just 60 days
- Single strap construction is not as secure as a dual one so it tends to move around easily on the chair
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#3 Sweet Relief Orthopedic Design Lumbar Pillow
Sweet Relief has not been left out in this quest for high-quality lumbar pillows. We found that it’s a pretty comparable product (in terms of support) to the other products on this list of the best lumbar pillow alternatives. Its memory foam back cushion makes an excellent addition to office chairs and car seats. Also, similar to other pillows it has an ergonomic design and it’s pretty breathable. The cushion ensures that your back is aligned properly by cutting back on any stress and strain and according to the manufacturer, it is recommended the most (compared to other lumbar pillows) by physicians. However, what sets this product apart is that it comes with the mesh cover that you can see in the picture. The mesh cover is designed to facilitate breathability and increase support and it can be used together with the cushion or on its own. That’s pretty useful, right? So, depending on whether you want the additional support only, or if you want both support + memory foam contouring to your body, you can choose. On warm summer days, you might really like this feature! Furthermore, the Sweet Relief lumbar cushion is travel-friendly…but not the mesh support because it doesn’t collapse and pack away easily. You can carry the pillow to your workplace, add it to your car seat or even travel on a plane with it. If for some reason, you receive the mesh support with defects, you can always return it and receive a full reimbursement with their life time warranty.
What we like and why it’s #3 among our list of the best lumbar pillow alternatives
- The mesh support makes the pillow versatile
- Has a lifetime warranty
- Premium-grade memory foam construction
What we do not like
- Single strap design for fastening not secure enough
- A few quality control issues which you might have to deal with…luckily they have a lifetime warranty
- Comfortable but the mesh support makes it hard to pack this product for travel
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#4 The Original McKenzie Lumbar Roll
This product takes a different approach to the conventional flat design of lumbar cushions. The McKenzie’s lumbar pillow, which features a cylindrical shape, goes for only about $22. OPTP, which is short form for Orthopedic Physical Therapy Products, is a company that specializes in making round lumbar cushions. This particular pillow has a foam construction, allowing it to conform to your back’s contour. Depending on your taste, you can choose between the firm and standard density. McKenzie lumbar roll is designed to rest along your spinal curve, hence keeping your back upright. I’m not sure how much I like the roll design though. It’s easy for it to get positioned incorrectly and to move. Plus, it doesn’t pack as well as a flatter cushion.
The roll pattern causes the cushion to be much smaller than the typical large, flat lumbar pillows that we’re used to. Another thing you’ll notice is that it has a single strap, which you use to fasten the roll around your waist. So it’s nt designed to attach to your chair but rather to you. The cover is fabricated from polyester, which enables it to withstand standard wear and tear. It’s pretty cool to my back and wicks away sweat well.
What we like and why we listed it here as part of the best lumbar pillow alternatives list
- Has a round design and small dimensions, making it portable
- Available in choices of firm or standard density foam
- Cover is removable for easy washing
What we do not like
- No warranty or limited trial period are provided by the manufacturer
- Harder to pack than the flat design pillows
- Positioning it so it doesn’t move is difficult as you would expect from the round design
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#5 Coop Home Goods Lumbar Support Back Cushion
The last lumbar pillow that is worth looking into is this memory foam cushion by Coop Home Goods. The key highlight of this cushion is its “charcoal-infused” memory foam construction. I’m not sure how useful this is since it feels just like other alternatives on this best lumbar pillow list. This pillow is easy to attach to a car seat or office chair, and is mostly recommended for persons looking to eliminate lower back pain or improve their posture. It comes with a belt, allowing you to fasten it around your body. This makes it less stable and versatile because you can’t leave your chair without removing it (it’s not very stylish to have a pillow stuck to you). I would almost use the charcoal color against the pillow because you can tell there’s something attached to your body (a pure black pillow is less unsightly). However, it is exceptionally breathable because of how the cushion is drilled with several holes. It’s moisture-wicking and sits very cool.
What we like (#5 on our list of best lumbar pillow alternatives)
- It supports your entire back and not just the lumbar section
- Infused with bamboo charcoal, which prevents it from getting stinky
- Sits extremely cool because of the air holes
What we do not like
- Not suitable for small people since it’s big
- May turn out to be too thick for some people
- A bit unsightly when you attach it to your body instead of to the chair
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Summary
If you sit in your office chair for prolonged hours or have a long commute, you should ensure that the seats you use facilitate proper spinal alignment. Your spine is the core framework around which the inner organs function. The spine is also responsible for keeping your body vertical and holding your head up straight. Maintaining good posture enables the spine to perform these roles efficiently. We highly recommend that you invest in quality lumbar pillows like the ones highlighted in our review. Look out for how easily you can strap them to your chair or to yourself, how breathable they are, and how comfortable they are. If you are also looking for some tempurpedic pillows, or for a new waterproof mattress protector, take a look at the appropriate guide.
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