Mattress for back pain?

Hi all, Im new to this forum and not sure how if it the right place to post this thread. I have been having a lower back pain since february after I fell on black ice. I was having treatment for my back pain for the next 2 months. It was a really bad fall. Then I had regular check ups and the pain was gone. Recently we bought a new mattress @ $260 and the pain started to show action and now I have sleepless nights. I consulted my doctor, who said that the newly bought mattress is the villain for my back pain. I inquired at a local mattress store and they have promised me about giving the best mattress for my back pain. But the question is how do I know if its going to benefit me. I also want to get rid of my old mattress. Any ideas and suggestions? Looking forward to your help!

we bought a new mattress @ $260

That may be the issue....

Complex topic. If I understand your situation you were pain free before the new mattress but aren't now. There's a pretty good forum at The Mattress Underground, with some pinned threads that discuss the best way to audition and select a new mattress. This requires some basic understanding of the different layers in a mattress. I think it's certainly the case that a mattress won't cure back pain, unless it's a poor mattress that caused the pain in the first place. And in those instances, it should be pretty evident either that the mattress is creating hard pressure points, making it uncomfortable to use for a length of time, or provides insufficient support, leading to poor alignment of your back during sleep.

I don't know the particulars of your new mattress, but at that price point you're probably sleeping on a low-density synthetic foam. That may work well for some people, but there may be longevity issues with the more inexpensive foams.

I keep my mattresses longer than I probably should. The bedding industry likes to cite 8-10 years as a maximum lifetime for mattresses, but I use mine until there's something obviously wrong with them :-) When I purchased a new mattress a few months ago, I was disappointed to find that few manufacturers are making product the way my old mattress was constructed. I auditioned dozens of mattresses all around town and ended up picking up something that is way more expensive than I expected. So far, I'm liking the new mattress. But I liked my old mattress even more, especially considering the life I received from it and the relatively cheap cost compared to what I have now.

Just know that buying a mattress can be harder than buying a car or a house.

Well, there is no single mattress type that works for all people with low back pain. I'm not sure whether your pain results from the mattress. Just a wild guess. Sleeping on a mattress that is too firm can cause aches and pains on pressure points. A medium-firm mattress may be more comfortable because it allows your shoulder and hip to sink in slightly. If you want a firmer mattress for back support can get one with thicker padding for greater comfort.

Same here . I would like to test mattress in the store and laying down on each mattress (soft or firm) in the position in which I normally sleep to find out what kind of mattress is the most suitable for my health.

Me too, I prefer to lay down and "test drive" the mattress first before I would decide to buy. It is important for me to try it out before making decision to buy.

Three things when you shop new bedding:

1) Remember that your current bed is most likely broke down and shot. That means ANY new bed is going to feel much firmer. No matter what you buy you will have to take some time to adjust to it, usually 3 weeks or so.

2) Always try out a bed with your partner, and notice how much the bed may move (or not) when they turn over.

3) Test the edges of the bed. High quality bedding will have a good sitting edge that doesn't collapse when you sit on it.

I find that a firm mattress helps with back pain more than a soft mattress. If the firmness bothers you, try pairing a firm mattress with a softer pillow top, or even egg crate foam on a budget. The most useful source I've ever found for mattress shopping is this guide: http://mattressscam.com/

The first page sounds like a ridiculous late-night ad pitch, but the website contains some fantastic information about the mattress industry and how they make it as confusing as possible so that customers can't comparison shop and sellers can keep prices high. It also gives you a good idea of what to look for, and discusses things like the "value" of increasing the number of coils, etc.

With that said, it is hard to shop for a good mattress at your price point. It's not anything to do with you, it's just that mattresses tend to be one of the most expensive items in the house. When I was in college, I had a decent experience with a $200 IKEA Sultan Harestua Mattress (Queen) + a $100 IKEA pillow top. It's not anywhere close to the ideal mattress, but it gave me a decent night's rest. IKEA also has a 90 day return-for-store-credit-towards-another-mattress policy.

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Originally Posted by Jenny

I find that a firm mattress helps with back pain more than a soft mattress. If the firmness bothers you, try pairing a firm mattress with a softer pillow top, or even egg crate foam on a budget. The most useful source I've ever found for mattress shopping is this guide: http://mattressscam.com/

The first page sounds like a ridiculous late-night ad pitch, but the website contains some fantastic information about the mattress industry and how they make it as confusing as possible so that customers can't comparison shop and sellers can keep prices high. It also gives you a good idea of what to look for, and discusses things like the "value" of increasing the number of coils, etc.

With that said, it is hard to shop for a good mattress at your price point. It's not anything to do with you, it's just that mattresses tend to be one of the most expensive items in the house. When I was in college, I had a decent experience with a $200 IKEA Sultan Harestua Mattress (Queen) + a $100 IKEA pillow top. It's not anywhere close to the ideal mattress, but it gave me a decent night's rest. IKEA also has a 90 day return-for-store-credit-towards-another-mattress policy.

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I don't wanna go searching for the link right now since it's pretty late & about to go to bed(maybe I'll post a link to it in the morning,) but Apartment Therapy did a blog post called "A Year In Bed." They literally had a cpl try out a different mattress every month, for 12 months: everything from IKEA's best/top of the line mattress, all the way to a $10,000+ queen sized Hastens. Each post is dedicated to that month's tested mattress. They remarked on the feel, quality of build, etc even certain brand's delivery methods(I think Hastens had this over the top, well choreographed delivery of their mattress, inc making of the bed in designer linens all while literally wearing white gloves, etc.)

I found it really insightful & interesting. I especially liked that they tested affordable makers, standard, big brand name mattresses that are mid-level priced AND included luxury, hand sewn mattresses.

The truth is, I NEED a new mattress. But, I specifically want literally THE softest possible mattress, paired with a feather bed/down mattress topper, 4 down pillows & a down comforter...all to create the closest possible feeling to sleeping on a cloud. I don't have back pain issues, but do have worsening tennis elbow in my right arm & a metal plate with 11 screws in my upper left arm from shoulder surgery due to a horseback riding accident 6 years ago... I'm STILL sleeping on a 15+ year old IKEA mattress!! Lol

I'm single right now(LOL, but, obviously haven't always been throughout my time with this mattress,) so there's no ridge in the middle of the mattress indicating it's shot. It does however, have a slight curl up at the foot of the mattress, kinda like a taco shell folds together. It's literally not THAT bad, but it's noticeable. And yet, I LOVE the particular feel of this well broken in mattress & it's prefect for me. I've just been flipping it completely over: top to bottom, & bottom to top whenever I've moved to minimize the curling issue...& so far, it's working. Friends that have chilled, watching movies in it, & ALL my ex-boyfriends have remarked at how incredibly soft it feels to lay on(mattress plus feather bed/down topper, down pillows & comforter.) Lol, the thing's way past its prime & has been thru too many moves to count! Even those hurried, last minute kinda moves where it rode in the back of friends' pickup trucks LOL. It once spent an entire year in a storage unit, just leaning up against the wall...that I'm 100% positive it needs a serious cleaning!!

Mattress shopping is a PIA; & these new, online, direct to consumer, vacuumed packed mattresses weren't around when I originally bought it, that I didnt have the slightest clue where to begin my search for a new mattress. And anyways, it's REALLY broken in now & super, super soft I'm afraid I'll never find this soft of a mattress again.

Lol, that's just my personal, mattress situation lamentation. But, Apartment Therapy's blog post was very useful for me to learn more about the different mattresses now out there, that I'm sure it'd help someone else in whatever their mattress issues may be :)

Procure a copy of the February 2017 Consumer Reports. They tested 74 mattresses using six types of sleepers. They have an 850 dollar foam mattress (that I had never heard of) that topped the foam mattress category and a 1500 dollar mattress that topped the innerspring category. There is also a 7500 dollar mattress that finished 12th among the innersprings. Air mattesses score very high. The article is not the last word in mattress ratings, but at least they have a bit of a scientific basis rather than personal opinions that may not be relevant to your situation.

Hope that helps.

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Originally Posted by Dgw9

Procure a copy of the February 2017 Consumer Reports. They tested 74 mattresses using six types of sleepers. They have an 850 dollar foam mattress (that I had never heard of) that topped the foam mattress category and a 1500 dollar mattress that topped the innerspring category. There is also a 7500 dollar mattress that finished 12th among the innersprings. Air mattesses score very high. The article is not the last word in mattress ratings, but at least they have a bit of a scientific basis rather than personal opinions that may not be relevant to your situation.

Hope that helps.

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CR is good for basic testing and comparison but I have found tests of mattress and such can still be subjective and their long term use simulation sometimes misses the mark. I looked and didn't see Royal Pedic or Shiffman in their ratings, seems the luxury 7500 bed is more a hybrid/customizable mattress from a company called Duxiana. Saying all that I still do check CR when researching products because it's nice to see what they say compared to other review sources.

We love our Aireloom mattress. We have had it for 5 years and it still feels great and no sagging or break down. The foundation box springs are a 8-way tie coil and we were told by salesman that the foundation is just as important as mattress. It wasn't cheap, but we feel it was a great investment. As everyone will tell you, try them out at the dealer, mattress shopping takes time, but it is very relaxing :)

On the vacation we just took, we stayed two nights at The Venetian in Las Vegas, and they have memory foam beds. My wife and I couldn't stand it. Way too spongy and way - way - WAY too hot. I had always heard how hot they sleep, but never experienced one until last week. I don't know how they sell them to anyone. I almost moved to the floor of the room....

BTW, one of my long-term customers is a well-respected orthopedic surgeon. He was in the store 2 weeks ago (he's been shopping with me for 26 years) and I said "Mike, what should people buy for bedding if they have back issues? They ask me that all the time" His answer was "Whatever they like. If they want their back pain to go away they need to lose weight and exercise, the bed won't matter". True story.

Sadly I have long been plagued by back problems but recently purchased a new mattress which has made it slightly better https://www.hamseys.co.uk/product/me...5000-sleeptek/

We bought a latex mattress and have never looked back: back pain gone. Many different brands/quality to choose from, but we've been very happy with the mid-range Saatva (we chose the "Luxury Firm" density). We also have been using medium-density latex pillows for years, which immediately eliminated neck pain. I agree with Duane about the memory foam, though: I couldn't stand it.

As any Orthopedic physician will tell you , the key to eliminating back pain for most people is probably what you don't want to hear:

1) Lose weight
2) Exercise

The Mattress is not going to fix it.

For back support, the firm and medium firm mattresses are good because they can hold your spine perfectly as like as natural shape and relieves pain gradually. Modern memory foam mattresses have beedn design to provide highest perfect back support. I am using a firm memory foam mattress for last few years. It's great for sound back support.

I used to have terrible lower back agony, because of a cruiser mishap. want a mattress for my self. any suggestion?

I agree with Duane, that no mattress is gonna totally rid you of your backpain and comfort level is going to be subjective. I would highly recommend one educates oneself on what goes into a mattress from a site such as
https://www.themattressunderground.com
I was in the market for a new mattress a year ago and I was looking to get away from foam mattresses. The foam mattress being made by petroluem derived ingredients has some disadvantages - sleeps hot, may have outgassing etc. So I gravitated towards more natural mattress and chose to go with latex hybrid mattress (latex + spring). Choose good spring systems which give you good edge support etc. Some mattress even have microcoils for a more plush feel. I eventually shortlisted 2 that I liked
https://www.brentwoodhome.com/produc...nt=42802444492
https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/
I would never buy a mattress where they do not tell you clearly what is in each layer (thickness, density, # of coils etc) of their mattress. Having learnt enough from https://www.themattressunderground.com, I felt comfortable ordering my Cedar mattress online and it has worked out pretty well for me. This may not be the best mattress for everybody and there a re lots of other good choices out there. Important thing is to educate oneself understand your needs.

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Originally Posted by Mindrasect

I used to have terrible lower back agony, because of a cruiser mishap. want a mattress for my self. any suggestion?

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Was the rest of the thread helpful?

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Originally Posted by Danw99

Was the rest of the thread helpful?

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yes thread contains many suggestions but I confused which one is better, like I also read https://sortedforyou.com/best-recliners-for-back-pain but I still confused which factors are most important while purchasing one of them. I don't want to spare my money, thanks in advance

No one can tell you what is going to feel good to YOU - if they say they can. well....I have an oceanfront condo in Arizona to sell you.

In my experience, the only thing that alleviates back pain is 1) losing weight, try to get to your BMI level 2) Exercise to strengthen and tone back muscles. That DOES work, but it requires effort.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

No one can tell you what is going to feel good to YOU - if they say they can. well....I have an oceanfront condo in Arizona to sell you.

In my experience, the only thing that alleviates back pain is 1) losing weight, try to get to your BMI level 2) Exercise to strengthen and tone back muscles. That DOES work, but it requires effort.

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Thanks drcollie, I join a yoga class. :)

Hi, I also suffer from lower back pain i guess its all the years ive spent in construction and the ****ty mattresses that my wife has been choosing. However i did get a medium firm mattress not so long ago and my back does feel like it's getting better. i guess mattresses are all personal preference and you never really know whats best for you until you try them but the medium firm is definitely working for me. Not sure where you are from but i live in Toronto and i bought my mattress from this store called sleep masters canada and actually got a really good deal.

Both my father and my wife have disc herniations in their lower back, and have had plenty of pain to go with them. The mattress that they sleep on is probably the number one thing that makes their pain better or worse (apart from physical activities that aggravates it). They both much prefer firm mattresses to avoid having pain. Even one night on a soft bed will mess them up for days. My dad actually uses a wooden board under a thin futon mattress to sleep on. Yes, it give him some discomfort on pressure points at first, but he got used to that, and it's a lot better than back pain.

Wooden boards may be a little extreme for most people though. My wife and I got a memory foam bed a few years ago, and after the initial adjustment to feeling like you're sleeping in a body mold, her back does very well with it. We had to shell out almost $1k for it, but it was worth every penny. I hope that might help some.

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Originally Posted by buckheaddon

Complex topic. If I understand your situation you were pain free before the new mattress but aren't now. There's a pretty good forum at The Mattress Underground, and Mattress Insight with some pinned threads that discuss the best way to audition and select a new mattress. This requires some basic understanding of the different layers in a mattress. I think it's certainly the case that a mattress won't cure back pain, unless it's a poor mattress that caused the pain in the first place. And in those instances, it should be pretty evident either that the mattress is creating hard pressure points, making it uncomfortable to use for a length of time, or provides insufficient support, leading to poor alignment of your back during sleep. According to Postureg, you may suffer lower back pain due to bad sleeping posture on your mattress.

I don't know the particulars of your new mattress, but at that price point you're probably sleeping on a low-density synthetic foam. That may work well for some people, but there may be longevity issues with the more inexpensive foams.

I keep my mattresses longer than I probably should. The bedding industry likes to cite 8-10 years as a maximum lifetime for mattresses, but I use mine until there's something obviously wrong with them :-) When I purchased a new mattress a few months ago, I was disappointed to find that few manufacturers are making product the way my old mattress was constructed. I auditioned dozens of mattresses all around town and ended up picking up something that is way more expensive than I expected. So far, I'm liking the new mattress. But I liked my old mattress even more, especially considering the life I received from it and the relatively cheap cost compared to what I have now.

Just know that buying a mattress can be harder than buying a car or a house.

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Many mattress brands are available online but for back pain suffers, you have to choose a firm, supportive, and thick mattress which can give you maximum support to your back, hip, and spine. Do not use soft or sinkable mattress if you have any back issues.

The issue, back pain is so common that the National Institute of Health estimates 80% of adults in the USA suffer from either acute or chronic back pain. This pain can be caused by a number of variables and your mattress can be a fundamental one. The important matter is that it can cause back pain or make it worse if you’re not sleeping on the right mattress.
Though I have not experienced such problem yet, I think it's now easy to take some good researches online to get the adjustable, and best suited mattresses ideas considering the practical condition. Also your doctor can suggest the best solution regarding the problem.