Lumbar support pillow guide: armchairs, recliners and car seats

Who a lumbar support pillow helps

Many armchairs, sofas and car seats leave a hollow behind the lower back. Over an afternoon of reading or a long drive, people tend to slump into that space. A lumbar pillow gives the back something to rest against.

Say your mother reads in the same deep armchair every afternoon and ends up sliding down with a cushion wedged behind her. A shaped pillow that stays in one place can replace the loose cushion. Or say your father drives an hour to visit you and shifts in his seat the whole way. A strapped pillow on the car seat may suit him better than a rolled coat.

A pillow is a comfort aid for sitting. It does not treat back pain, and new or severe pain needs a doctor first.

• Readers who sit for long spells in a deep armchair or sofa
• Drivers and passengers on longer trips
• People who keep tucking a spare cushion behind their back
• Anyone whose chair back feels too far away

Lumbar pillow for chair, recliner or car seat: check seat depth

Every lumbar pillow takes up space. However thick it is, that is roughly how far it moves the person forward on the seat. In a deep armchair that can help. In a chair that already fits well, it can leave the thighs with too little support and the knees hanging over the front edge.

Seat depth matters most on a lift recliner. These chairs are chosen to fit the body, so measure from the backrest to the front edge with the pillow in place. Then sit back and check that the back of the knees still clears the edge comfortably, with feet flat on the floor.

On a lift or power recliner, keep the strap above the seat and away from the mechanism, the hand control and the cable. Then run the chair through a full lift and recline, and watch where the pillow goes.

• Measure seat depth with the pillow in place, not without it
• Check the knees are not pushed past the front edge
• On a recliner, the strap stays well clear of moving parts
• In the car, set the seat first, then add the pillow

How to place a lumbar support pillow

HealthLink BC, the British Columbia health service, advises sitting with the lower back supported. It suggests placing a small pillow, a rolled-up towel or a lumbar roll in the curve of the back if extra support is needed.

The same page gives two checks that work in any chair. Both feet should rest flat on the floor, with the knees slightly lower than the hips. In the car, it advises adjusting the seat so the knees are nearly level with the hips, and using a small pillow or lumbar roll if more back support is needed.

Try the height before you fasten the strap. Slide the pillow up and down until it fills the curve without pressing into the ribs or the top of the hips.

• Sit right back in the chair before positioning the pillow
• Aim for the curve above the belt line
• Fasten the strap once the height feels right
• Stand up, move around and stretch during long spells of sitting

How the pick compares with what you already have

We list one product with a maker's page we could read. Everlasting Comfort describes its Lumbar Support Cushion as high-density memory foam with a breathable, washable cover and adjustable straps. Its FAQ says the foam is CertiPUR-US certified, the cover is OEKO-TEX certified and the cover unzips for machine washing.

The maker's page lists office chairs, car seats, gaming chairs and everyday seating. It does not mention recliners and gives no dimensions, so check the size on the listing. The maker states a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship for its non-electronic products.

HealthLink BC names a rolled-up towel as one option. It costs nothing, and a towel is a fair way to test whether support in that spot helps before buying anything.

• Everlasting Comfort: memory foam, adjustable straps, zip-off washable cover
• Everlasting Comfort: listed for office chairs, car seats and everyday seating
• Rolled towel: free and easy to change, but it slips and flattens
• Spare sofa cushion: soft and broad, and it often pushes the hips forward

Washing and everyday care

For the Everlasting Comfort cushion, the cover comes off and goes in the washing machine. The maker says the memory foam core should be spot cleaned and air dried rather than soaked, and to check the label on your own product.

Imagine your father uses the same pillow in the car and in his armchair. Moving it between the two is fine, but the straps need resetting each time. A second pillow, one for each seat, saves the daily fiddling.

• Wash the cover as the label says, and let it dry fully
• Spot clean the foam and let it air dry
• Refit the strap after every move between chairs
• Replace a pillow that stays flat or has a torn cover

When back pain needs a doctor

A pillow can make sitting more comfortable, but pain is a separate question. The NHS 111 Wales page on back pain says to see a GP if pain has not improved after a few weeks of home care, stops everyday activities, is severe or getting worse, or is hard to cope with.

It advises getting emergency help for back pain with numbness or tingling around the genitals or buttocks, numbness or weakness in both legs, difficulty peeing, loss of bladder or bowel control, chest pain, or after a serious accident. Call 911 in the US or 112 in Europe.

A physiotherapist or occupational therapist can help if sitting is hard every day, or if getting out of a chair is becoming a struggle. Ask them: "Would a lumbar support help in this chair, and where should it sit?"

• New, severe or worsening back pain: see a doctor first
• Pain with fever, unexplained weight loss or night pain: ask for an urgent appointment
• Numbness, weakness or bladder changes: call emergency services
• Daily trouble sitting or standing: ask a physiotherapist or occupational therapist