8 Best Leg Elevation Pillows in 2023 (to Relieve Leg Swelling) - Terry Cralle (2023)

Elevating your legs has some great health benefits, whether you need to elevate for medical reasons or not. But creating a DIY leg elevation pillow with a mountain of cushions just won’t cut it.

Finding a leg elevation pillow is something you should look into. Luckily, you’ve stumbled upon a to-the-point article that’s going to show you the best pillows without any extra fuss.

Our 8 carefully selected pillows are ideal for resting your legs and won’t just be thrown in the trash once your recovery period is over. That’s a guarantee.

Get ready to sit back and put your feet up.

Why Leg Pillow is Important?

You can quickly reduce swelling and pain by simply raising your legs at night.

With that simple fact, you can quickly see why sleeping with elevated legsis a popular position. Lifting your leg above your heart will reduce swelling and pain in leg injuries.

It will also improve blood circulation, which is good for combatting varicose veins. And it can even improve your bodily health in general, by aligning your spine, reducing pressure on the sciatic nerve, and correcting your posture.

So, what do you need to look for in a leg elevating pillow to get all those benefits?

• Stability – is it going to slide away during the night? Look for pillows that will keep your leg in the right position and won’t slowly slide away or compress during the night. A high-density memory foam and textured pillow cover are best for stability.
• Comfort – take a look at the dimensions of each pillow and how it will support you. Will it create a big gap under your thighs, or leave your feet hanging awkwardly off the end? This also applies to cover materials (we have a great pillow with a cooling cover on our list).
• Versatility – this is especially important if you’re only buying a leg pillow for post-surgery recovery. There are several pillows on our list that are purely for recovery, and others that can be used as other kinds of pillows for many years to come.

The budget you should set aside for your pillow will depend on what you need. Be prepared to pay more for ultimate comfort and stability… which may result in compromising the versatility of the pillow.

And while a very versatile pillow that can be used under your legs, for side sleepers, behind your back, etc. sounds like a great choice, remember that compromises to the support and comfort of the design will have been made to achieve that.

You’ll find a mountain of wedge-shaped pillows on the market, but the 8 we’ve selected are all unique and offer different benefits to the standard leg elevation pillow design.

Do you know: Wedge pillow also works great for your bad back.

8 Best Leg Elevation Pillows in 2023: Detailed Reviews

1. Milliard Double Leg Elevator Pillow

This is our top leg elevation pillow for swelling and pain. If you just need a leg elevating pillow for comfort rather than health issues, keep scrolling down until you find more comfortable (on you and your wallet) options.

Milliard’s double leg elevator pillow is a wedge style shape with two long trenches for your legs to sit snuggly in. It lifts them up at a 45-degree angle which is excellent for improving your blood circulation and relieving pressure. It will also better align your spine, so if you suffer from sciatic nerve pain this could relieve some of your suffering.

It’s made with a polyurethane foam filling, which you’ll notice is completely standard if you look at all 8 best leg elevation pillows on our list. It also has a machine washable velour cover which is both soft and grippy, to stop your leg sliding with movement in the night.

Technically, you could use this pillow for just one leg, but then you are leaving half a pillow in your bed between you and your partner. Take a look at how large and bulky this pillow is, and you’ll realize why that’s such a bad idea. For a single leg pillow, look at the next option on our list.

Best Feature: keeps your legs firmly (but comfortably) in place

Biggest Drawback: limits movement as you sleep

2. Milliard Single Leg Elevator Pillow

This pillow is exactly the same as the pillow above, but it’s for one leg instead of two. And trust us, that makes all the difference.

After researching and reviewing, we found that this pillow was far better for specific post-surgery care. As a post-surgery leg elevation pillow, it has just the right angle and shape to keep your leg stable and lifted. This reduces swelling and improves blood circulation, like the pillow above, and stops you accidentally moving your leg in the night and making your injury worse.

Unless you’ve broken both legs (what awful luck!) then the chances are you will find it much more comfortable to have your healthy leg not on a pillow, where you’re free to move and bend it to find a comfortable spot.

Pick the double leg cushion for elevating your legs to relieve pressure and pain in general, and pick the single leg cushion for post-surgery care, when just one leg needs attention.

One thing that may annoy you (it certainly annoyed us) is that this single leg pillow is very similar in price to the double leg version. If you thought that halving a pillow would halve the cost, you’re wrong! Nonetheless, we thought this pillow will be well worth the price. Check the reviews on Amazon if you don’t believe us.

Best Feature: the right size to elevate just one leg

Biggest Drawback: almost as expensive as the double leg version

3. Xtra-Comfort Leg Elevation Pillow

The Xtra-Comfort leg elevation pillow is a super long, single leg pillow. It has a wide, contoured trench for your leg to sit in (wide enough for a cast) and is covered in a soft quilted polyester knit fabric that has just enough texture to stop your leg sliding about. With an incline of 35 degrees to lift your knee and calf by 6.5 inches, this is a great pillow for post-surgery recovery. It prevents swelling and improves circulation like the best of pillows.

But what really stands out about this one is the full-leg design. Unlike the Milliard pillows and many others on our list, this one supports you from thigh to foot, without leaving a big gap where the pillow ends. If you have broken your leg in multiple places or have a full-leg cast, then this is the best pillow for you. The support is unparalleled.

The drawback is that it won’t be the right length for everyone. Those with extra-long legs will find a gap around the thigh area, and those with very short legs won’t quite achieve the right elevation without reaching the end of the pillow. You might also find it a bit sweaty, with foam and polyester knit surrounding your leg from top to bottom.

Best Feature: excellent for ankle injuries and multiple leg fractures

Biggest Drawback: can be too long for short legs and vice versa

4. Bluestone Wedge Pillow for Elevated Support

Bluestone’s Wedge Pillow for elevated support is available at Walmart and is one of the cheapest wedge style cushions available… that isn’t a complete waste of money. Despite being cheaper than most, this leg wedge pillow has all the features you would expect: a machine-washable removable polyester cover, supportive memory foam filling, and enough space to lift both your legs comfortably.

Reviewers have confirmed that this pillow is particularly good for elevating your legs high enough to relieve pressure. If you need to reduce swelling in your legs, improve blood circulation, or relieve the sciatic nerve in your back, then this pillow will do the trick.

Bluestone point out that you can also use their basic pillow to support your head and neck (great for watching TV from bed) or lift your back up, which is essential for sleeping with acid reflux.

There’s honestly not much more to say about this pillow, which is its biggest downfall. Besides the low price and reliability (it has no bad reviews that we know of), there’s nothing to make it stand out of the crowd. It’s a simple and stress-free pillow design to provide basic comfort and support.

Best Feature: correctly aligns your spine and provides support for your legs

Biggest Drawback: overly simple design could be improved

5. Half Moon Memory Foam Pillow

This half-moon style memory pillow, available at Walmart, is designed for hip and spine alignment, plus relief for lower back, scoliosis, and sciatica nerve pain. We aren’t entirely convinced that this pillow does a better job at relieving these ailments than other wedge style pillows on our list, but we are confident that it’s great for comfort in general.

If you have knee and ankle aches, or need to relieve pressure for varicose veins, this pillow could do the trick. It can lift your knee or ankle, or even slide up under your thighs to help your spine sit snugly against the mattress.

And don’t forget that thanks to the shape, you can use this as a simple cushion in many other ways. Prop up your back while you’re sitting on the sofa, lift your hips up when meditating or in a seated yoga pose, keep your legs separated for post-operation recovery, etc.

The only thing we thought this leg elevation pillow wasn’t good for is post-surgery relief where you’re directed to keep your leg supported. For that, you’re much better off with the Milliard and wedge style support pillows listed above, as they offer a better angle and full leg support.

Regardless, at the low price it’s sold at, you don’t have much to lose by giving it a go.

Best Feature: versatile shape – not just for your legs

Biggest Drawback: doesn’t provide much elevation

6. TOPARCHERY Orthopedic Leg Pillow

The TOPARCHERY Orthopedic leg pillow offers extra comfort and support by gently molding to your leg shape. It dips and curves to offer support at the knee and ankle, leaving a generous gap for your calf muscle to relax in. At 16.5 inches wide, you can fit both your legs on it simultaneously.

With memory foam and a polyester cover, the materials that create this elevated leg pillow aren’t revolutionary, but they’re high quality nonetheless. The soft, velour type material cover is very comfortable and breathable. The foam stuffing is made from a mix of high-density memory foam and slow rebound foam – together, this offers very stable support.

However, this leg pillow cannot be used if you have a cast (it just won’t fit in the contours) and it isn’t suitable for anyone over 180cm/5 feet 11 inches in height as your legs won’t line up correctly.

Furthermore, it’s also kind of useless! If you only need a leg pillow to recover some aches and pains after a procedure, then once your ailments are gone, you can’t really use the cushion for anything else. Make sure you take this into account when you look at the price tag.

If you need a long-term leg pillow to reduce leg stress, aches and pains on a nightly basis, this is well-worth considering.

Best Feature: contours to your leg for extra comfort

Biggest Drawback: unsuitable for casts and extra tall people

7. Hydraluxe+ Cooling Memory Foam Wedge Pillow

The Hydraluxe+ cooling memory foam wedge pillow is a luxury option sold at Target. It’s designed to be cooling and breathable – although the materials it is made of are synthetic, it still achieves that cool feeling. It’s the best option for hot sleepers that don’t mind spending a bit more to get a cool night’s sleep.

Use the simple wedge design to elevate your knees and let your calves and ankles rest on the descending side. While this doesn’t elevate your legs parallel to the mattress (best for post-surgery recovery and relieving swelling) it is still great for relieving aches and pains in your knees. It will also be a good option for sciatica and improving your posture in general, as it keeps your spine aligned better.

Then we get to the price tag. Wow! It’s a lot of money for a pillow. But honestly, we feel that it’s worth it. Besides the 1-year limited warranty included, you also get a completely removable and machine-washable cover that has a breathable, open mesh design. And within the foam stuffing, there’s natural silver-infused antimicrobial fabric to help keep the pillow fresh and clean. If you get a bit sweaty overnight, that’s an excellent feature to look out for!

Overall, it’s expensive but versatile and of high quality that reflects the price tag.

Best Feature: cooling and breathable materials

Biggest Drawback: doesn’t keep your legs parallel with the mattress

8. ComfiLife Orthopedic Knee Pillow

This is our top choice for a leg elevation pillow for side sleepers. First, it’s quite good as a traditional leg elevator, like the previous 7 cushions. Just place it under your leg and it will elevate it while cuddling your leg in the ergonomic groove. Of course, it won’t elevate your leg as high as other pillows will do, and it doesn’t provide support for your entire leg, so you’ll need to choose between ankle and knee.

But what you’re really buying here is a cushion that has versatility and long-term value for side sleepers. Once you no longer need to elevate your leg due to injury, strain or stress, you can use it between your legs instead. Healthline actually recommend sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees as one of the best ways to alleviate back pain!

We liked that this elevating pillow for side sleepers has the same quality memory foam and soft-touch cover as many of the traditional leg elevation pillows. You can expect a removable and washable cover, plus a high-density foam core that can handle the pressure of being under a heavy cast or squeezed between your legs.

Finally, you’ll love the price tag! This is one of the cheapest pillows on our list, so you can easily buy multiple for support along your whole leg.

Best Feature: can be used in various ways to raise your legs

Biggest Drawback: doesn’t elevate as high as other pillows

More Resources We Recommend:

• Is It Good To Sleep With Head Elevated?
• Sleep Solutions for Pregnancy Heartburn Relief: 8 Useful Tips
• Does a Wedge Pillow Help with Snoring?
• 5 Best Sleep Apnea Pillows in 2023: Memory Foam, Wedge, or Adjustable?