Hello my Zebras and Spoonies! Thanks for coming and hanging out with me today, I’m glad that you are here. Today I am going to be doing a product review for the Pressure Relief Seat Cushion from the Cushion Lab. There is a link up above where you can check this product out. I think it has been about a year now that I have been using this seat cushion.
The cushion is designed to remove pressure from the coccyx and shift it towards the hips. This is great for those that have sacroiliac joint pain or who are prone to getting pressure ulcers over the sacral area. This cushion works under the same pressure relief principles as the donut cushions. It creates a pocket where the coccyx (tail bone) descends and thus eliminates pressure on it. However, this cushion is way more comfortable to sit on then the donut cushions. For one thing it is made out of better materials rather then the crappy plastics that most donut cushions are made from.
I personally have sacroiliac joint pain because of my Elhers Danlos Syndrome. These joints are much more mobile then they should be, causing sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Which is just a fancy medical way of saying that these joints are moving around in ways that they are not designed for which causes stress on the structures resulting in pain and inflammation. It sucks. Sitting or standing for any length of time results in pain which means that the only position that doesn’t lead to pain is laying down, but that is a difficult position to get anything done in.
I personally have found this cushion to be of an immense help. It allows me to tolerate sitting for much longer periods of time without getting lower back or sacral pain. However, it isn’t perfect and I cannot sit indefinitely. I still have sacroiliac joint dysfunction and that still limits my ability to tolerate sitting, but this cushion increases that tolerance from around an hour without the cushion to around eight hours with the cushion. This means that taking breaks for position changes and standing breaks are still important things in my sitting life.
What do I love about this cushion?
It has a removable cover that is machine washable. This is important for those of us that are likely to spill things on it, like myself. Not to mention that anything that is against my person for long periods of time will just eventually need to be washed. So, it is really nice that this is made to accommodate that. The cover can be a pain in the butt to get on and off, but it isn’t something that you need to do all the time, so I’ve forgiven them for that one.
I like that the company is using recycled products to make the cushions. This is a feel good, knowing that I am choosing a company that is being a little bit responsible regarding the health of our planet.
I love that it comes in two sizes with a wider size that better accommodates my wider hips. Most seat cushions don’t have a model that is wide enough for my hips and I feel like I am pouring over the edges of them. That’s not the case with this cushion. I bought the larger, wider size and feel that my hips sit nicely within the cushion.
What do I dislike about the cushion?
The cushion’s core cannot be washed. In general this isn’t an issue since you can wash the cover. However, if you are like me, there will be times that you get things on the cushion because life happens and there will be times that those things seep past the cover. In those cases I have surface washed the core and let it air dry. So far, that has not caused the core any harm. However, the product indicates that the core is not considered washable and washing the core in any way would be considered mishandling of the product and thus cancel any warranty on the product.
The second thing that I dislike is that the cover doesn’t come off and go back on very easily. But I give them a pass on this as it isn’t something that you are going to be doing very often. It isn’t part of the regular use of the item, so it bothers me less. It is annoying though.
The last thing that I dislike is probably the biggest issue. This cushion is expensive. It will cost you $100 and health insurances aren’t going to help you with the cost. I understand that coming up with this kind of money is a real challenge. And because of that, I think it is important to be sure if what you are buying is worth the money that you are spending. I personally feel that it was worth every penny because it helps with the pain and because a year later, the cushion is still in excellent condition. That being said, this cushion isn’t going to be helpful for everyone.
There is an option available to make payments on the cushion rather then making a one time payment, but this requires that you pay through Shop Pay. I am not familiar with them and cannot make any comments as to that experience as I have never used their services. I chose to pay for this cushion in a one time payment. But I thought it was worth mentioning that a payment plan was available.
Looking at the diagram above, if your pain is generated from any of the purple or red areas (from the coccyx or sacrum), then this cushion might be helpful. Consider if your pain is worsened by weight bearing with sitting. Does the pain increase when you sit down or get worse the longer you are sitting? Yes? Then this cushion might help. But if you said no to either of those questions, then this isn’t likely the cushion for you. Because this cushion is designed to relieve pressure from the coccyx and sacrum while you are sitting and I feel that it does this very well. But relieving pressure from these areas is not going to result in pain relief unless pressure in these areas has been causing your pain.
If you are not sure if this style of cushion would be right for you, consider having a physical therapy consult. They are experts in mobility and pressure relief. They can offer recommendations and advice for positioning devices. Most medical insurances cover these consults which can be done in a single appointment. Just be aware that often times, the devices that they recommend are not covered by medical insurances.
Well, that’s about it for my rambling today. Thanks for coming and spending some time with me. If you like what you read, click on that like button. It really does help! Until we talk again, you take care of yourselves!
Zebra Pig 