More than 50% of people prefer sleeping on their sides, making it the most popular position worldwide. However, sleeping on your side puts pressure on the hips, knees, and lower back, which can cause aches and pains in the morning. Hip pain is widespread, but sleeping with a pillow between your knees can help.
Research suggests that sleeping with a pillow between your knees improves spine alignment. Without one, your pelvis and lower back tend to twist. The pillow keeps your knees aligned more comfortably and maintains a supportive sleeping position.
While regular pillows work to a degree, nothing beats the support from an orthopedic leg pillow. Hip pain becomes a thing of the past when you have firm, ergonomic padding to cushion your legs during sleep.
The Best Leg Pillows for Hip Pain
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Most comfortable: Contour Legacy Leg Pillow
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An Amazon number one bestseller with over 36,000 customer reviews, this is the best pillow for hip pain a side sleeper can get. Contour Legacy’s ergonomic design offers maximum comfort for the hips and lower back with a long, contoured shape that completely supports the thighs and knees.
The rounded edges are designed to follow the shape of the legs so the pillow won’t get caught on the sheets as you turn over in your sleep. The inner memory foam core has ventilation holes that allow air to flow through the pillow to make it more breathable. It’s covered with a soft, hypoallergenic fabric cover that’s removable and machine washable.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
The streamlined shape and compact size (10” x 9.5” x 6”) ensures it won’t move around at night and makes it easy to travel with. It’s firmer than a regular pillow and holds its shape well. The crescent-shaped top edge has a greater pelvic clearance than rectangular pillows. | It is quite firm and may take some time getting used to if you usually sleep with very soft pillows between the knees. The small size is not ideal for people with longer legs–you may need to buy two pillows. The foam has a strong smell initially, and it takes a few weeks to wear off. |
Best for restless sleepers: Everlasting Comfort knee pillow
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Another winning design, the Everlasting Comfort knee pillow, has a double-concave shape that conforms to the legs, cushioning the thighs and supporting the knees. Slightly wider than the Contour Legacy, this pillow provides a spacious support surface for the legs, which works well between your calves or ankles.
Everlasting Comfort includes a handy padded strap in its knee pillow design to secure the pillow to your leg while you sleep. This feature is convenient for people who tend to toss and turn, losing standard pillows in the sheets. The strap is fully adjustable so that you can change the fit depending on your preferences. This pillow is made from 100% memory foam that offers medium-soft support.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
Fabric flaps cover the zipper of the removable cover so it doesn’t poke your leg at night. You can use the pillow with or without the elastic strap, making it more versatile. The concave design creates more space for the knees, so the foam doesn’t feel as hard on them. | The strap may come loose during the night with normal wear and tear. The removable cover feels warm on the skin, and the fabric tends to pill. This pillow is made from softer foam and may not be supportive enough for people who prefer firm support. |
Most versatile: Coop Home Goods knee pillow
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Coop Sleep Goods takes pride in its quality standards and eco-certifications. Its orthopedic leg pillow makes hip pain a distant memory, cradling your knees and aligning your spine all night. The pillow contains CertiPUR-US-certified foam, meaning that it has been through rigorous independent testing and contains no formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals, and other carcinogens. It’s completely hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin.
This nifty adjustable pillow comes with removable memory foam inserts in one- and two-inch sizes to customize the pillow’s height and supportiveness. Overall, the foam is on the plusher side for gentle support. It also has a machine-washable cover made from a soft, bamboo-derived fabric.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
It has flat sides that help the pillow stay in place so that it won’t slide around under you. The ergonomic design includes rounded corners that don’t poke into your skin or cause discomfort as the pillow ages. The shape, adjustability, and small size allow this pillow to double as a neck or lower-back support. | The memory foam is soft and tends to compress if you are heavier, which may affect its supportiveness. It has a small zipper that is hard to grip and often has trouble closing over the bulging pillow. Using fewer foam pieces inside creates extra space in the pillow, giving the foam room to slip and shift around at night. |
Best for hot sleepers: Luna CoolLuxe™ cooling pillow
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Known for its innovative sleep range, Luna takes supportive sleep to the next level with its cooling knee pillow. This model is the best pillow for hip pain if you are a side sleeper who tends to overheat at night. The comfortable memory foam core is wrapped in CoolLuxe™ fabric—a soft polymer-based material that feels cool to the touch thanks to its heat-absorbing properties.
This ergonomically designed pillow has rounded edges and concave sides for maximum support, and you can use it between your knees, thighs, ankles, or calves. It’s made from CertiPUR-US-certified foam and has a removable, machine-washable cover. It comes in two sizes (standard and large), so you can choose what works best for your body.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
It stays in place all night, and rolling over with it between the knees is easy. Maintains a constant temperature during the night and is very comfortable to sleep with during summer. The foam is firm and maintains its shape over time. | It’s short and can’t simultaneously support the thighs and knees. It has a metal zipper that can poke you in certain positions during the night. The fabric cover pills quickly. |
How To Choose the Best Pillow for Hip Pain as a Side Sleeper
Buying a pillow online can be challenging because everybody’s sleeping style differs. What works for some people might not work for you, so you must be mindful of what you like and dislike before shopping. Here are four factors to consider when looking for a supportive leg pillow for hip pain:
- Size
If you like the full-leg support of a body pillow, you probably shouldn’t opt for the smallest knee pillow you find. However, bigger pillows may feel bulky if you’re petite or move around often at night. A smaller pillow is also better for people who travel frequently.
- Firmness
Most supportive leg pillows are made from memory foam. That means they hold their shape, and the stuffing doesn’t move around, so they feel quite firm compared to feather pillows. Try sleeping with a regular pillow between your knees before buying a specialty pillow to determine your firmness preferences.
- Shape
As we mentioned, memory foam has limited pliancy, so you can’t rearrange the filling if the shape doesn’t suit you. Always check whether the pillow is concave or convex, what type of corners it has, and the shape of its faces and edges before purchasing.
- Fabric
Apart from feeling soft, a leg pillow should be made from breathable fabric that helps you stay cool and comfortable at night. Look for cotton, linen, or bamboo blends—natural fibers regulate temperature better. The fabric should also be easy to clean and hypoallergenic, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Factors to consider
There are many factors to consider when selecting the best pillow for hip pain. You need something supportive yet soft enough to cushion your knees as a side sleeper. Memory foam is one of the best materials for this purpose. It retains its shape and contours to your body, offering support as unique as your sleeping style. The four ergonomic leg pillows we recommend are all made from high-quality memory foam that helps to align the spine and prevent cramping hips.
