For truckers, good lumbar support is essential for doing their job comfortably. While anyone who sits for long periods needs a good cushion, truckers face additional challenges that make a good pillow essential. This is particularly the case if you’re driving all day long.
Why Truck Drivers Need Back Support While Driving
By now, most people are aware of how bad sitting for long periods is for your body. Besides not being active, your body faces some strain while driving. You’ll naturally want to end up in a C position that isn’t good for your neck or legs, straining the muscles and leading to pain.
Combine this with vibrations from driving, as well as low temperatures, and you’re looking at a recipe for pain. These problems will only compound over time as you continue to drive for long hours, resulting in back pain and eventually serious health issues.
A good seat cushion can help position your body better and reduce pain and injury. Modern truck seats can help, but if you’re experiencing pain during long drives you need a good cushion to support your spine health. A cushion is also much cheaper than buying a whole truck seat for yourself.
What to Look for in a Good Lumbar Cushion
You’ll want to look for a high-quality cushion that lasts. Check reviews to be sure your cushion will last. Be sure it’s made of breathable material as well. This cushion will be against your back for hours, and no one wants to deal with a sweaty back.
Be sure your cushion is either adjustable or molds to your body well. If your cushion isn’t a good fit for your body, it will only cause more pain. You’ll also want to look for the resistance level, too much or too little can cause pain. This is hard to judge without trying out a cushion.
As for materials, memory foam will last longer than other types of pillows and should keep its shape over time better. When it comes to covers, you’ll want either bamboo or a mesh cover to be sure your cushion is well-ventilated and doesn’t make you sweaty after using it for an hour. Be sure it’s removable and washable so you can keep it clean easily.
Keep these in mind along with your budget while you’re deciding on a cushion. Also, remember what other choices you decided against in case your first cushion doesn’t work out. You might need to try a few cushions, particularly if you’re very heavy or very light.
5 Best Lumbar Support Pillows for Truck Drivers
Adding a good lumbar support pillow to the driving chair can provide the back support, good posture, and proper circulation that truckers need. Here are the five best lumbar support pillows for truck drivers.
1. Samsonite – Full Back Lumbar Pillow
Samsonite is a trusted brand for travel products, so it knows a thing or two about making travel comfortable. For a truck driver, Samsonite’s full back lumbar pillow offers great back support while driving.
It’s made of memory foam contoured to your back, a cooling gel, and a breathable mesh.
This lumbar cushion makes it more comfortable for long drives, especially as a trucker and it won’t flatten over time.
It has a long strap to attach it to many seats, but you can get extenders if you need more length to attach it. Just be sure you have it positioned properly to ensure it’s helping to support your spine properly.
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2. Vertteo – Full Back Lumbar Cushion
The Vertteo full back cushion is meant to help reduce pressure on your tailbone and relieve pain caused by sciatica and similar conditions. It’s made of memory foam and cooling gel. It has a removable cover and should help fix pain from sitting too long. It helps promote good posture while sitting and has a non-slip bottom so you shouldn’t have issues with it sliding around on your seat.
If you’ve ever had pain in your legs after sitting for long periods or found yourself shifting around because your legs are getting numb, this cushion should help.
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3. ComfiLife
The ComfiLife half-back cushion offers lumbar support and features a mesh cover that helps to make it cooler than other cushions. It’s made entirely of memory foam, so it should avoid flattening over time. The one thing to note is that like all memory foam, the feel will change depending on temperature.
It will feel softer when it’s hot and firmer when it’s cold. It also comes with extender straps to help it fit more seats. Be sure to try this cushion if you have lower back pain or find yourself slouching to get pressure off your lower back.
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4. Xtreme Comforts (seat + lumbar cushion combo)
This set by Xtreme Comforts includes both a seat and lumbar memory foam cushion, so you don’t need to buy separate pillows.
The lumbar pillow is ergonomically designed to maximize lumbar spine alignment.
The bottom coccyx cushion has a u-shape cut-out design so that your tailbone floats rather than gets compressed. This is especially helpful for truckers who drive all day.
And although the seat cushion doesn’t have a non-slip bottom, most reviewers find it stays in place well.
The cover for the deluxe option is made of bamboo, so it should stay cool throughout the day. If you find yourself experiencing a combination of spinal problems, this set can help by taking care of both sets of problems.
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5. Plixio (seat + lumbar cushion combo)
The Plixio set is another combination to help support your spine. You get both an ergonomic seat cushion and a lumbar cushion. It’s made of memory foam and has a washable mesh cover. It comes with extension straps to make sure it will fit on any seat you want to use it with. This is another option for those who want to buy one set of cushions and be done.
The combination of lumbar support and a reduction of coccyx pressure should help with pain along the whole of your back and legs. If you’re also experiencing shoulder and neck pain, this should help you feel better by improving your posture.
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Conclusion
Hopefully, these options will work for you — just remember that a quality cushion can save you from years of pain and many treatments for back and leg pain caused by driving all day.
A support cushion with a cutout for your tailbone and a properly positioned lumbar pillow is all you need to prevent years of troubles. You might prefer a set or find mixing and matching better for your personal gear.
Geoff is a freelance writer at TruckersTraining.com with 20+ years of experience driving trucks and buses, dispatching, supervising, and training commercial driving teams. His expertise is writing topics on the transportation and trucking industry, and information technology trends.
