“Knee pillows help out with pain by realigning the spine when someone sleeps on their side,” says Blessen Abraham, DC, a chiropractor at Brunswick Health & Physical Therapy Center in New Jersey. “The hips are pushed together, which causes the knees to come together, [and] this puts your spine into an unnatural position.” A knee pillow, Abraham explains, puts the spine back into proper alignment by lifting the knees and hips into their correct positions.
When looking for a knee pillow, consider comfort, cushion, and support. We researched dozens of knee pillows and evaluated them for cushion materials, cover materials, sizes available, firmness levels, and return policies.
Here are the best knee pillows on the market today.
What we like best about this pillow, though, is that it’s height-adjustable: a one-inch insert within the pillow can be removed if the pillow is a bit too thick or dense for your body type or comfort level. Plus, you get 100 nights to decide if it’s the right pillow for you (and if it’s not, it’s fully returnable).
Price at time of publication: $40
In addition to its flexible comfort, the Luna boasts a few other notable features, like a washable cover, a contoured design for spinal alignment, and a compact size that makes it easy to travel with.
Price at time of publication: $25
On top of its customizable design, the Sleepgram pillow is also made of memory foam topped with a cooling gel layer and a breathable, bamboo-based cover for easy washing.
Price at time of publication: $50
The ComfiLife Orthopedic Knee Pillow is made from memory foam designed to prevent gradual collapsing, keeping your knees—and, therefore, your hips—in place while you sleep. It’s a little blockier than some other pillows, but for many users, that will be a plus: it’s slightly more rigid, promising a lot of firmness, and deep enough to accommodate users of many different weights, sizes, and body types.
Price at time of publication: $30
Other than a slightly different shape, however, the Legacy Leg & Knee Pillow checks all the important boxes: memory foam construction, washable cover, and a firm level of support that retains its shape all night long.
Price at time of publication: $25
One thing to keep in mind with this pillow, however, is that it functions more like a traditional bed pillow: it’s made of polyfill, not memory foam, and has a softer level of support. It does have a crevice running horizontally down the center, though, which makes it more comfortable to place between your legs than just a standard twin pillow made for resting your head.
Price at time of publication: $79
Leachco’s pillow has a removable cover that is machine washable, so you can reuse it throughout your entire pregnancy. Note that the pillow’s large size takes up a lot of space on a bed, especially if you sleep in the same bed as your partner.
Price at time of publication: $90
We recommend the Sleepgram Contour Knee Pillow (view at Sleepgram) because of its adjustable nature, making it super comfortable for back sleepers or people with chronic back pain.
If your pillow feels firm when you put it into position at bedtime but quickly stops providing support, there’s no point in using it at all. Dr. Abraham recommends a pillow with a thick and firm core of around six inches deep.
“If you get something super soft, what happens is your knees will start to sink and meet in the middle, throwing your hip out of alignment,” he adds. ‘Then your back will have to compensate for that.”
Fit
You want a pillow that’s both contoured to fit snugly between your legs, says Dr. Abraham, as well as one that’s the right size for your body type.
“It should be comfortable enough that you don’t even notice it,” he explains.
You may also want to consider a pillow with a strap, Dr. Abraham says, so you can benefit from that good fit all night long; when you roll over, the pillow will roll over with you and keep doing its work.
Washable, Breathable Cover
You might not think you sweat during the night, but chances are you do (at least some of the time!). Dr. Abraham says you want to have a pillow with a cover so you can wash it often with your sheets.
“Something that’s made out of pure cotton is recommended, because it lets the material breathe,” he advises. “There is less of a chance you will be sweating through the night, making it uncomfortable to use.”
Why Trust Verywell Health
Maintaining an improperly aligned spine for prolonged periods of time—by slouching in a recliner, hunching over in your desk chair, or lying down without the right support—can increase back pain, per the Mayo Clinic, so your posture, even while sleeping, is important. However, knee pillows can also reduce sciatic nerve pain as well as knee, leg, and hip pain.
“Maintaining proper hygiene [and cleaning of your pillowcase] is important,” explains Dr. Brown, “to minimize the development of harmful bacteria or germs that can lead to skin irritation or other harmful conditions.”
