Orthopedic Cushions & Pillows
Memory foam pillows, seat cushions and supports
Memory foam pillows and cushions that support the neck while sleeping and the spine and pelvis while seated.
The hours you are not moving
People spend a third of their life asleep and a large part of the rest sitting, and both positions are held for hours without adjustment. That makes the pillow under the neck and the cushion under the pelvis more influential than most people expect.
Memory foam responds to body heat and pressure, taking the shape of the part of the body resting on it and spreading the load rather than concentrating it. In a pillow, that means the neck is supported in line with the spine. In a seat cushion, it means the weight is distributed instead of pressing through a small area.
Narrow it down
Getting the fit right
A seat cushion fits when the hips sit level with the knees or a little above them and the feet reach the floor. A pillow fits when the head stays in line with the spine rather than tipped up or dropped forward. Waking with a stiff neck, or feeling pressure in one spot after sitting, means the height is wrong rather than that the product needs breaking in.
Choosing the right one
Choosing a cushion or pillow
- Match the pillow to how you sleep. Side sleepers need enough height to keep the head level with the spine; back sleepers usually need less. Stomach sleeping generally needs the flattest option available.
- Seat cushions should support the whole of the sitting surface, not just part of it. A cushion narrower than the chair will tip.
- Coccyx cut-outs exist to keep pressure off the tailbone. If that is not where your discomfort is, a flat or wedge cushion is usually the better choice.
- Give it a week. Memory foam feels different from a conventional pillow and most people take several nights to settle.
If you are recovering from surgery or an injury, or you have been given a specific brace to wear, follow the instructions of the clinician who prescribed it. Nothing on this page replaces that advice.
Care and safety
Common questions
Why does it feel firm at first?
Memory foam softens as it warms. It will feel firmer in a cold room and on the first minute of use.
Can I wash the pillow?
Wash the cover, not the foam. Soaking a foam core damages its structure and it will not dry properly.
How high should my pillow be?
High enough to keep the head in line with the spine in your usual sleeping position — no tilt up towards the ceiling and none down towards the mattress.
Looking after memory foam
Memory foam should not be soaked. Almost all of these products have a removable cover, and washing that cover is how the product is kept clean; the foam core itself is spot-cleaned and air-dried.
Foam also softens with time. If a pillow that used to hold your neck level has started to flatten out under your head, it has reached the end of its working life.
Supports for the neighbouring areas are gathered in Cervical & Chin Supports and Lumbosacral & Abdominal Supports.
Cushions and pillows
The right height and shape depend on how you sleep or sit, not on preference alone. Side sleepers, back sleepers and desk users need different things. A seat cushion is chosen by the chair it sits on and the hours spent in it; a pillow is chosen by the gap between the shoulder and the head. Give one shape a few nights before deciding.