Does it work? Yes, if your pain is musculo-skeletal pain in your lower back or hips or thighs (or even pressure-sensitive pain in your heels). The theory is that having pillows under your knees while lying on your back takes the strain off your lower back by altering your posture and where you're putting the pressure. Likewise, having a pillow between your knees when you're lying on your side can improve how your body distributes pressure and take pressure off problem places. With the pain in my heels, I find that sometimes they're very touch sensitive and having two pillows under my calves when lying on my back allows me to hang my heels over the edge and not touch the mattress, thus alleviating any pain from pressure on my heels. It's also possible that changing where the pressure is when you're lying down like this may help muscle or skeletal pain on other areas, so might be worth a try.
Who does it work for? See above.
Who doesn't it work for? People whose pain isn't musculoskeletal and/or isn't at all affected by their posture or where they feel pressure.
Where can I get it? Anywhere they sell pillows - the Internet, bed shops, shops that sell bedding such as supermarkets or Argos or Wilko's.
How much does it cost? Free if you already have spare ones, otherwise the price of a pillow, such as this pair for £10 from Asda. Plus pillowcases if you don't already have spare ones, such as this pair for £2 from Asda. You don't need fancy, expensive pillows for your knees, although based on my own experience I do recommend getting firm ones. Alternatively, if you consistently sleep on your side, you may prefer a full-length body pillow like this one from Argos for £13.99, which already comes with its own cover. I don't think this would work for me, as I need to regularly change positions (including mixing up whether I'm lying on my side or my back) to sleep through the night, and a body pillow would make that harder, but if you consistently sleep on your side, this could be a good answer for you.
Is there a cheap or free version? You really don't need fancy pillows or attractive pillowcases, so if any of your family or friends is throwing pillows out and even pillowcases with largely aesthetic flaws, those would be fine, providing the pillows' level of firmness suits you. You could also use cushions instead if you needed. Rolled up towels or clothing are a reasonable emergency solution (for instance if you are staying somewhere with no spare pillows), but I can't recommend them as a long-term solution, they're not nearly as effective or comfortable.
Is there any evidence for it? I couln't find any. The nearest I could get was an article saying an expert recommended sleeping with a pillow between your knees. If there's evidence either way, my search didn't find it, which means I couldn't find any proof that it's any better than placebo, but also I didn't find any proof that it isn't. The best I can do is tell you that not having a pillow under my knees means I'm significantly more likely to wake up with severe pain in my lower back in the morning. Me telling you this is only anecdotal evidence, so barely better than no evidence at all, but I can't see anyone bothering to do a trial, so this and the fact some experts recommend it is probably about as good as you're going to get. I suggest trying this for yourself with spare pillows or cushions if you have them, and considering buying dedicated pillows if it works and you need to. I noticed it worked for me on the basis of the following:
- with leg pillows I largely avoid severe lower back pain the next morning
- I don't wake up with my lower back in a position that is painful to get out of (I think the fact this happens to me without leg pillows may be a hypermobility syndrome thing)
- I think I find my position while lying in bed less painful (although not pain free)
- I think I may wake up in pain less often during the night (my pain fluctuates anyway and it's been years since I had to sleep without leg pillows, so I'm not 100% sure on that one, but I think it may well be the case)
Are there any other upsides? It's drug-free and has no side effects.
Was it worth the money? Yes, absolutely, I actually get quite worried about what sort of state I'll be in the next day if I don't have access to proper knee pillows for any reason. It does, however, only save me from pain I would have gained during the night. It certainly doesn't solve all the pain I went to bed with or guarantee a pain-free night or a pain-free day the next day.
Do you use leg pillows? What level of firmness works best for you? Do you use a body pillow and would you recommend it? How did you work out if they were helpful for your pain or not?
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