Sitting down should be the easy part of your day. When it starts to hurt, everything you do in a chair gets shorter: meals, visits, the drive to see family.
Maybe it started after a fall onto the bottom of the spine. Maybe it is the weeks after hip surgery, or the armchair that has somehow got harder over the years. You go looking for a cushion and find hundreds of them, most promising to fix everything.
This guide sorts them by the situation each one suits. By the end you will know which shape you need, which size fits your chair, and when a plain cushion will do the job just as well.
For a sore tailbone, most people need a coccyx wedge, which has its cut out at the back so the tailbone never touches the seat. A ring suits soreness further forward. Measure your chair between the arms: 40 to 45cm suits most dining chairs and car seats. If a chair is simply hard, a plain foam cushion will do.
The products in this guide
Today’s prices, with the number that decides the fit.
Sore tailbone and lower back together? This set sorts both in one order.
Tailbone and lower back together: Sitting Comfort Set
The 50cm coccyx wedge with the contoured back support, so you can sort both in one order. See the pack.
Recovering from a hip replacement? The leg cushion also comes in our Hip Replacement Home Pack, with a raised toilet seat and the dressing and washing tools.
First: do you need a shaped cushion at all?
If a chair is simply a bit hard, a plain foam cushion from a department store will do, and it costs far less than anything here. You do not need to spend more than that.
A shaped cushion earns its price when one spot hurts, or when the way you sit needs to change. A flat cushion softens everything evenly. A shaped one takes the weight off a particular spot, or changes the angle you sit at. That is the whole difference, and it is why choosing by softness usually ends in the wrong cushion.
Sore at the very bottom of the spine: a coccyx wedge is the one. Sore further forward, in the middle of the seat: a ring cushion suits it. Slumping, or hips sitting lower than knees: a seat wedge fixes the angle. A lower back that aches: a back support fills the gap. Hips or knees that wake you at night: a leg and knee cushion holds them in line.
The six we recommend, side by side
Every one has a cover that comes off and goes in the wash.
| Cushion | Best for | Sizes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coccyx Wedge Cushion | A sore tailbone | 45, 50 or 55cm wide | $98 to $110 |
| Contoured Coccyx Cushion | Tailbone soreness that comes and goes | 44 or 50cm wide | $133 to $137 |
| Coccyx Ring Cushion | Soreness in the middle of the seat | 45 or 50cm wide | $90 to $97 |
| Seat Wedge Cushion | Sitting upright, with hips above knees | 40, 45 or 50cm wide | $125 |
| Contoured Back Support with Gel Pad | A lower back that aches in a chair or the car | 36cm wide | $130 |
| Leg and Knee Support Cushion | Sleeping on your side | One size | $100 |
A cushion that softens the wrong spot is just a more comfortable way to stay sore.
Our picks, by situation
Best for a sore tailbone: Coccyx Wedge Cushion, $98 to $110
The U shaped cut out sits at the back, so your tailbone does not touch the seat at all and your weight goes onto the sides instead. The wedge shape tips your hips slightly forward, which holds the curve in your lower back rather than letting you slump. It comes in 45, 50 and 55cm widths. The 45cm is high density foam, and the 50 and 55cm have a memory foam top layer over firmer foam. Non slip base, washable velour cover, and a carry strap so it goes from the chair to the car. See it here
Best when it is sore some days and not others: Contoured Coccyx Cushion, $133 to $137
The seat is moulded to shape, so your weight spreads out instead of pressing on two points. The section under the tailbone lifts out when you need the pressure gone, and clips back in when you do not. Recovery is rarely a straight line, and one cushion that covers the sore weeks and the ordinary ones gets used far longer than one that does not. 44cm or 50cm wide, with a washable cover and a non slip base. See it here
Best when the soreness is in the middle: Coccyx Ring Cushion, $90 to $97
This is what most people mean by a donut cushion. The centre is open, so the sore area sits over the gap and your weight rests on the ring around it. The top of the foam is ridged rather than a flat block, and the cotton cover comes off for washing. At 200 to 250 grams it weighs next to nothing. 45cm or 50cm wide. See it here
Best for sitting up straight: Seat Wedge Cushion, $125
Thicker at the back than the front, rising from 3.5cm to between 10 and 11.5cm depending on the size. That small tilt puts your hips slightly higher than your knees and does most of the work of sitting upright for you. Memory foam on top, firmer foam underneath, a washable cover and a non slip base that stays put on a car seat. 40, 45 or 50cm wide, all the same price. See it here
Best for a lower back that aches: Contoured Back Support with Gel Pad, $130
Most chairs and car seats are flat right where your spine curves inward, so your lower back holds itself up with nothing behind it. This fills that gap. A gel pack sits in a pouch on the front of the cover, and you can cool it in the freezer or warm it, so it stays exactly where you want it while you carry on with the afternoon. It works as a plain back support with the pack left out. See it here
Best for sleeping on your side: Leg and Knee Support Cushion, $100
Lying on your side lets the top leg drop across the bottom one, which twists the hip and pulls on the lower back all night. This holds your legs apart and in line, and the memory foam stops your knees and ankles pressing together. Most people have tried a pillow between the knees and found it on the floor within the hour. This one has a Velcro strap that holds it to one leg, so it is still there at three in the morning. See it here
If your tailbone and your lower back both ache, the Sitting Comfort Set pairs the 50cm coccyx wedge with the contoured back support, so you can sort both in one order.
Ring or coccyx wedge?
They get mixed up because both have a hole in them. Where the hole sits decides it.
A coccyx wedge has its cut out at the back, right under the tailbone. A ring has its gap in the middle. If the sore spot is the very bottom of the spine, a ring can leave the tailbone resting on the back of the ring, so the coccyx wedge is usually the better choice. If the soreness is further forward, after childbirth or with haemorrhoids for example, the ring suits it better.
After a hip replacement
Hospitals give most people the same few rules for the first six weeks or more. The handout Concord Hospital's occupational therapists give people going home asks for two things a cushion can help with: sit with your hips higher than your knees, and if you sleep on your side, keep a pillow between your legs.
The Seat Wedge Cushion lifts the back of the seat so your hips sit higher than your knees on an ordinary chair. The Leg and Knee Support Cushion does the pillow job overnight, with a strap so it stays put. Your own surgeon or OT sets your rules, and if theirs differ from anything here, follow theirs.
The leg cushion also comes in our Hip Replacement Home Pack, together with a 15cm raised toilet seat and the dressing and washing tools for the first weeks.
The rest of what makes the first weeks at home easier, from toilet height to reaching aids, is in our guide to recovering from a hip replacement at home
Getting the size right
Measure across the seat of the chair you will use it on, and between the arms if it has them. The arms are the real limit.
40 to 45cm suits most dining chairs and car seats. Choose 50 or 55cm for a wider armchair, or if you want the cushion to reach past your hips on both sides.
Remember that a cushion lifts you as well. The thick end of a wedge adds between 7.5 and 12cm depending on the size, so check your feet still rest flat on the floor, and in the car check your head still clears the roof.
When a cushion is not the answer
The cushions in this guide are for comfort and for the way you sit. If you sit for most of the day, or skin has started to mark or break, that is pressure care, which is a different job. An OT or community nurse assesses for it, and the cushions used for it are a different kind. Ask them before buying anything.
And if it is the toilet seat that hurts rather than the chair, the Padded Toilet Seat Cushion straps over the seat you already have. Our guide to toilet aids for older people covers it alongside raised seats and frames.
NDIS and Support at Home funding
Every cushion here sits well under $1,500, which is the NDIS line for low cost assistive technology, so there is no quote to chase. Whether a cushion fits your plan depends on your plan's goals, and your plan manager can confirm. If you are self managed, order and pay as normal and we will send an invoice. If you are plan managed, choose that at checkout and put your plan manager's email in the order notes, and the invoice goes straight to them. Here is how that works
Under Support at Home, aids like these come from the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, which is a separate budget from the one paying for care hours. Most items need a contribution from you, and your care manager arranges the order. Our guide to using Support at Home for mobility aids explains who does what.
Everything in this guide also sits in our recovery at home range
Common questions
What is the best cushion for tailbone pain?
For most people, a coccyx wedge. It has a U shaped cut out at the back, so the tailbone does not touch the seat. Our Coccyx Wedge Cushion comes in 45, 50 and 55cm widths. If the soreness comes and goes, the Contoured Coccyx Cushion has a pad that lifts out and clips back in.
Is a donut cushion good for tailbone pain?
Usually it is not the best choice. A donut or ring cushion has its gap in the middle, so the tailbone at the back can still rest on the ring. A coccyx wedge puts its cut out at the back, right where the tailbone is. A ring suits soreness further forward, such as after childbirth or with haemorrhoids.
What cushion should I sit on after a hip replacement?
Hospitals ask most people to sit with their hips higher than their knees for the first six weeks or more. A seat wedge, thicker at the back, does that on an ordinary chair. At night, a pillow between the legs is usually asked for if you sleep on your side, and the Leg and Knee Support Cushion has a strap so it stays there. Follow your own surgeon's or OT's instructions first.
What size seat cushion do I need?
Measure across the seat of the chair you will use it on, and between the arms if it has them. 40 to 45cm suits most dining chairs and car seats. Choose 50 or 55cm for a wider armchair, or if you want the cushion to reach past your hips.
Can I use a seat cushion in the car?
Yes. The coccyx wedge and the seat wedge both have non slip bases, and the car is one of the most common places they get used. Check your head still clears the roof, because a wedge lifts you by up to 12cm at the back.
Are cushions covered by NDIS or Support at Home?
Every cushion here is under $1,500, the NDIS line for low cost assistive technology, so there is no quote to chase. Whether it fits your plan depends on your goals, and your plan manager can confirm. Under Support at Home, aids come from the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, separate from your care hours. Most items need a contribution from you, and your care manager arranges it.
Is a Kmart or Chemist Warehouse donut cushion good enough?
It can be, for short sits. Wherever you buy, including from us, check three things: that the foam is firm enough that you do not sink through to the chair, that it grips the seat rather than sliding, and that the size suits your chair. Our coccyx and wedge cushions have non slip bases and come in more than one width.
What is a tailbone cushion?
It is another name for a coccyx cushion: a seat cushion with a cut out at the back, so nothing presses on your tailbone while you sit. The Coccyx Wedge Cushion starts at $98.
Three questions and you'll have a specific recommendation, no guesswork.
Bianca worked in disability services before becoming a mother. She now runs SteadWell, an Australian store for mobility and daily living aids, and personally selects every product in the range against SteadWell's checklist, so families can choose with confidence rather than guesswork.
