Can a lumbar roll reduce back and leg pain while sitting?

Details

This study compared how sitting with portable supports in either a kyphotic posture or a lordotic posture affected low-back and referred pain. These are, respectively, a rounded posture and an inward-curved lower-back posture.

In this randomized comparison, 210 patients with low-back and/or referred pain were assigned to either the kyphotic-posture group or the lordotic-posture group. A flat foam cushion facilitated the kyphotic posture, while a lumbar roll facilitated the lordotic posture.

Pain location and the intensity of back pain and leg pain were assessed over 24–48 hours, both in standardized clinical settings and in general sitting environments.

When patients sat in a lordotic posture, back and leg pain were significantly reduced, and referred pain shifted toward the low back. The study concluded that, in general sitting environments, a lumbar roll reduced back and leg pain and produced centralization of pain—that is, pain shifted toward the low back.

These findings do not apply to patients with stenosis or spondylolisthesis, whose symptoms may be aggravated by using a lumbar roll.