why putting a pillow under your knees when you sleep helps with back pain
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Your spine has holes on the sides of it where the nerves come out, called intervertebral foramen. They are between each back bone. If you bend forward they open up a bit, if you lean back they close a bit.
If they close too much, they pinch those nerves. Putting a pillow under your knees as you sleep on your back makes your back feel like you’re leaning forward, with more open space. This stops nerves from being pinched and causing pain (known as radiculopathy).
Some people have smaller holes for the nerve roots to come out of, bend their backs too much, or have bony growths that result in them having more pain, so bending forward or doing exercises that strengthen their front, helps resolve the pain.
This explains radiculopathy. If it’s a muscular issue, that’s depends on the muscle. Likely, a pillow is stretching the lower back muscles which might be shortened from leaning back in the lower back too much (lordosis)
– physical therapy student.
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