Are Lumbar Rolls Helpful or Not?

Jonathon Strefling, PT, DPT • Feb 02, 2022

Lumbar Rolls Shown to Reduce Pain and Improve Neck Posture

When considering back pain, the use of Lumbar (lower back) rolls often enter the conversation. Some people swear by them, others use them once or twice and bemoan the $30 they just apparently wasted. What does the research say about Lumbar rolls?


One study compared 2 groups of people, where one group was the control group (no intervention) and the other group was given a roll and had to use it at home, the office and in their vehicle. What were the results? The group using the roll had significantly lower to no back pain compared to the control group [1].


That is a significant result. But one thing to notice is that the group that got results used it at home, the office and in their vehicle. It is important to use it regularly for it to make a difference. The difficulty for many people is that they purchase one and, anticipating immediate relief, find that it is causing a new achiness that they didn't have before. It's important to understand that this is normal. It may take a few days or even a week to adjust. Therefore, it is a good idea to start with a smaller one and use it sparingly at first, and then increase your use as tolerated.

"Lumbar rolls are shown to help reduce pain...if you use them regularly."

What other findings are there about Lumbar rolls? Here is another interesting analysis of several studies investigating whether or not Lumbar rolls affected the position of the rest of the spine. They found a significant positive effect on the head & neck posture of those using Lumbar rolls over and against those not [2].  So if you are a person that sits a lot, whether at work or in the car or at home, using a roll in your low back can secondarily improve your head & neck position as well.


So now that you're convinced, you want to know where to find a good one I'm sure. While there are a lot of choices out there and not likely to be a huge difference between brands, the ones I use (also the ones used in the study noted above regarding chronic pain) can be found HERE. Here you will find smaller and larger versions. You will also find air-filled rolls that make them easy to travel with and allow you to start small and progress to a better, larger curvature.


We at Strength & Shield always ground our therapy approaches in the most up to date research that is out there. It is important for us to provide our patients with the best PT treatments available. So if you are in need of therapy or know someone who is, give us a call or click on CONTACT to send us a question or to request a free consult.


I pray you found this article helpful in stewarding your body for the glory of God. 


SSMPT covers all of Kalamazoo County and parts of Van Buren and St Joseph counties.

By City: Galesburg - Kalamazoo - Marcellus - Mattawan - Paw Paw - Plainwell - Portage - Richland - Schoolcraft - Scotts - Three Rivers - Vicksburg


[1] Williams et al. 1991. A comparison of the effects of two sitting postures on back and referred pain. Spine, 16, 1185-1191.

[2] Handa Y, Okada K, Takasaki H. Lumbar Roll Usage While Sitting Reduces the Forward Head Posture in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 13;18(10):5171. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105171. PMID: 34068139; PMCID: PMC8152998.

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