Attention! This is a posture checkpoint — how are you sitting right now?
I’m going to call myself out here: As I write this, I’m hunched over my laptop, my forearms resting on my kitchen table, and my shoulders curled inward like wilting leaves. I can try to sit up straight and engage my core, but inevitably, my lower back will ache from the strain, and I’ll curl right back over again.
As a health-obsessed writer, my first instinct when facing any kind of discomfort is to dive deep into the research to find a solution. My aching back led me to discover a product that has changed my posture (and, dare I say, my life?): lumbar support pillows.
Some quick Google searching pulled me toward the Samsonite Lumbar Support Pillow. It’s the best-selling lumbar support pillow at Amazon, boasts more than 11,700 five-star ratings, and costs less than $30. Plus, Amazon shoppers have purchased more than 10,000 of these pillows in the last month alone!
Samsonite Lumbar Support Pillow
Amazon
Size: 13.5 x 14 x 4.5 inches | Weight: 8 ounces | Material: Memory foam (fill), mesh (cover) | Features: Adjustable strap, machine-washable cover
So, can a lumbar support pillow really relieve lower back pain and help you sit up straighter? Keep reading to find out what all of my coworkers had to say about this lumbar support pillow.
How We Tested the Samsonite Lumbar Support Pillow
I’ve tested plenty of posture-correcting devices before, so my bar for the Samsonite pillow was high. There are a few must-have qualities that I looked for in the pillow:
- Design: First things first, I inspected the pillow right out of the package. It came fully assembled, so all I had to do was unclip the strap, slide the adjuster to its smallest setting, and buckle the clip around the back of my desk chair.
- Comfort: The pillow has one thin end and one slightly larger end, so at first, it was a little difficult for me to figure out which way went up (it turns out the thinner end goes up). When I first sat down and leaned back on the pillow, it took me about five minutes of adjusting and readjusting the pillow’s position up and down my back to find the most comfortable and supportive place to rest on it. Once I found that sweet spot, I instantly felt my shoulders and lower back relax.
- Correction: To find out whether I was really sitting up straighter than before, I enlisted one of my coworkers to take two photos of me: one while I was using the pillow and one of me sitting at my desk without the pillow. I compared the photos to see whether my posture looked visually different with the pillow and without.
I didn’t want to rely only on my own opinion of the pillow, so I also enlisted my coworkers to perch on the pillow themselves and give me their real, honest feedback. After using the pillow for a month (and my colleagues borrowing the pillow for a few days each), I was able to form my final opinion.
People / Cai Cramer
The Results
The visual difference was clear: Without the pillow, my shoulders rounded forward and my chin jutted towards the screen. Even looking at the photo was enough to make me cringe. With the pillow, my posture looked upright and elegant. My spine was aligned, and my shoulders were sitting in line with my hips, but I didn’t look tense or awkward in that position.
More important than looking better, my back hurt less after using the lumbar support pillow all day. Typically, during the 7+ hours that I sit at my desk, I’m notorious amongst my coworkers for getting up and stretching multiple times to feel some relief from my constant aching back. Using the lumbar support pillow, I found myself needing to stretch much less, if at all. At the end of the work day, I felt less exhausted and achy.
My coworkers had similarly positive things to say about the pillow. In fact, they started arguing over who would get to use the pillow when I wasn’t in the office.
Editors Say
“This pillow makes such a difference to my posture and comfort at the office. It helps align my spine during long sitting periods, and generally, I feel less stiffness and back pain at the end of the day when I use it versus when I don’t.” —Madison Yauger, shopping editor
“I often have back pain from years of strenuous workouts and weight lifting, so sitting at a desk chair all day isn’t always a comfortable experience. This lumbar pillow provided the support necessary to keep my spine and shoulders aligned, taking the pressure off my lower back and correcting my posture as a result.” —Alyssa Brascia, shopping writer
“My body isn’t used to sitting up straight, so at first, I found this pillow a bit uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t experiencing any of my usual back pain. This pillow forced me to sit up straight and be mindful of my posture.” —Genevieve Cepeda, shopping writer
Are Lumbar Support Pillows Worth It?
Everyone who tested the pillow in the office agrees: It’s a resounding yes. The Samsonite pillow that I tried is under $30 at Amazon, and it’s often on sale, but there are plenty of other options with great reviews if that one isn’t exactly what you’re looking for.
I prefer this pillow to any other posture-correcting device I’ve tried because it forces me to sit up straight without doing the hard work for me. Posture-correcting braces pull your shoulders back but don’t encourage you to use the muscles to keep yourself upright, so once I take those off, my back goes right back to the slumped position it’s used to.
This pillow makes it less painful for me to sit upright while still encouraging me to engage my core and relax my shoulders while I sit. This might be the best $30 I’ve ever spent!
