The backward curve (lordosis) of the lumbar spine can sometimes feel that it needs support when sitting and people have used cushions, rolled towels and other objects to fill the space between the vertical back of the chair and their own back for as long as we have been sitting in chairs.
The lumbar roll is referred to in many settings as the McKenzie roll, a homage to New Zealand physiotherapist Robin McKenzie, who created a specific product to fulfil the purpose of lumbar support. McKenzie developed a protocol for low back treatment that often emphasised the importance of the lumbar lordotic curve and the lumbar roll provided assistance during times of sitting.
McKenzie published patient education books, Treat Your Own Back and Treat Your Own Neck, in the 1980’s, in which he paired the use of a lumbar roll as a component of his method in the management of low back pain. Bundling the book and the lumbar roll together increased sales of the lumbar roll.
Description provided by Cameron MacDonald of the USA
