OPTP Thoracic Lumbar Back Support - Full Back and Lumbar Support for Improved Sitting Posture, Upper/Lower Back Support for Chair, and Car Back Cushion for Travel

This is one of the few products we found that supports the “thoracic area of the back”. Our cars with sunk in seats, supposedly for comfort, are promoting a nation of hunched backs and rounded shoulders. This product remins us to sit with healthy posture in the car or in chairs. We took off the straps, and it works well like that too. I would say the thoracic support could be longer and reach up closer to the neck, but this product promotes healthy posture better than anything we have tried. It is not cheap but is well made and it works!

UPDATE AUGUST 2023: THE DESIGN HAS CHANGED! I bought another now and the long part of the T up my back is at least 2 inches shorter that the OPTP design bought in 2019. And the lumbar support cushion is now rounded and much thicker than the original which were less thick. SAdly I called OPTP and the customer service woman was not familiar with anything changing, but when she measured she also saw that the height was now about 15 inches and the thickness of lumbar about 3 inches. DOESN"T WORK FOR ME ANYMORE. ORIGINAL 2019 I discovered this pillow when trying to get comfortable in a new car drivers seat (before I purchased a car). I was at my wits end with the darn forward head restraints pushing my head forward. I was about to settle for an okay comfort seat that was a 'luxury car' that I did not want to have to pay that much for. Found this and it changed the seating choice down to a more affordable vehicle. I am also now using it on two different typing chairs and just took it on the Amtrak train or a 7 hour trip each way. (Guess what... the Amtrak NEW seats mimic the car seat 'slouch/slump back/neck positioning" this pillow made the trip comfortable and much easier to carry this T shaped pillow than other types of heavier support pillows. I was also able to fold it into a small backpack and then also into a cloth grocery bag that made carrying it much easier. I only wish they came with a 'pillow case' over the dark one. I have put mine in a pillow case on several occasions b/c it picks up pet hair easily and is harder to remove than just pulling the regular pillow case off. And having a light colored case in some instances is also visually easier to see and remember to take it with me leaving a public event, i.e. movie, etc. I have purchased two now, but am leaving one in the car permanently and so I am hoping to find another one perhaps slightly reduced in cost as getting three of them is getting a little pricey. I only put down a 4 on the comfort as the straps themselves really don't work that well on my car seat or other chairs but they seem to just stay in place pretty well without the straps. People keep asking me 'how it works' and I've given up trying to explain other than it just works! (to keep back straighter and supported so shoulders can relax and head not pushed forward!

Pros: Good design for thoracic support, the foam padding is soft yet supportive, and the straps work well. Cons: Very hot, my back gets sweaty rather easily from the cotton cover. Not quite enough lumbar support, a little more padding for the lumbar section would be better. The thoracic section is a good idea, but its a bit too tall and too wide and the top. It's the best product I've found for thoracic support, but still my shoulders blades rest against the top section, rather than my spine. I wish it became more narrow at the very top to let my shoulder blades sit back nicely without fighting the foam. It also does not have side to side support, so making turns is a bit harder, I find myself leaning in a bit into the turns kinda like driving a go-cart. It would be nice if the lumbar section had wings to cradle you in a bit, make it feel like a bucket seat for your lumbar section. I'm 6'2, weigh 170, with a tad bit more curved spine than normal, and recently became a Uber/Lyft driver, driving city and highway for 10+ hours a day sometimes. I tried this product for 4 straight days. So far the best, but still needs improvement. I actually purchased the Kulik SystemDriver Help Solo system, I took the foam out of this product (ODTP) and cut it with a bread knife to make it thinner (less padding), and combined the two products to make my perfect back support. Seems to be the perfect fit for me.

Support was firm but kept slipping around in my chair. It’s a sturdy product but was only used for a few days. If I can find a way to secure it will try using it again.

Love the support it have in lumbar spine as well as the soft and comfortable support along the spine running up between shoulder blades of positioned right, helping to open up shoulders and prevent the bed posture that driving for 8+ hours a day can do. Loved this so much, have bought 2 over the years and bought them for other people who have dream jobs or drive often and have pain due to car seats that are horrible for posture or simply sitting too long all to day. Love it. Only complaint is that it can slide down the seat many times, I just have to readjust before I sit every time, but it provides so much comfort. I can drive/sit for longer hours with this.

The only complaint I have about this item is the price. It would be nice to know what the mark up price is because 70.00 seems like a customer gouge.

LOW Quality. Very Flimsy, squishy, unstructured with a thin, cheap feeling, loose flannel cover that slides around. It is more like a soft pillow in a flannel pillowcase then a proper back support at I would have expected for $50. The straps don't connect to anything but flannel cover which is all stretched out where the straps are sewn on and I have owned it for about an hour! The thin soft fleece covering doesn't seem very durable. It looks much more structured and substantial in the Vendors photo then it is in real life. You could probably quite easily scrunch up the whole thing and stuff it into your purse.

It's Ok but my issue is more at the sacrum level to which gave me no support at this level. Great for lumbar and thoracic support