Orthopedic Mattress For Back Pain

Choosing the best mattress for lower back pain?

Choosing a new mattress that is comfortable, supportive, and high quality is important to help people with low back pain get a sound night’s sleep. And marketing messages, promotions and special features can make shopping for the right mattress a challenge.

Sleeping on the wrong mattress can cause or worsen lower back pain. Lack of support from a mattress reinforces poor sleeping posture, strains muscles and does not help keep the spine in alignment, all of which contribute to low back pain.

A mattress that provides both comfort and back support helps reduce low back pain, allowing the structures in the spine to really rest and rejuvenate during the night.

Sleeping is the only time the muscles,ligaments, and other structures in the spine can completely relax. With a back injury or disorder, optimal sleep isespecially important to the healing process.

Research points to both a significant reduction in chronic lower back pain and improvement in sleep quality from using a medium-firm mattress

If a mattress is more than 5-7 years old, or if a different mattress is found to yield a better sleep experience, it is likely time to consider a replacement. Medical research studies show that participants switching from an old mattress to a new one reported a reduction in back pain and improvement in sleep.

How to choose best mattress?

With the vast variety of mattresses on the market, choosing the right mattress can be difficult. The following practical guidelines are designed to help patients with low back pain choose the best mattress for both back support and sleep comfort:

Understand and inquire about the physical components of the mattress. The coils or inner springs of a mattress provide the support. Different mattresses vary in their number and arrangement of coils. Padding on top of the mattress comes in many different thicknesses. Mattress depths typically range anywhere from 7 to 18 inches deep. Choosing the number of coils, type of padding and mattress depth matters.

Find a mattress with back support. A good mattress should provide support for the natural curves and alignment of the spine. The right amount of back support also helps the patient avoid muscle soreness in the morning. While there is not much clinical data about mattresses, one study found that medium-firm mattresses usually provide more back pain relief than firm mattresses.

Achieve a balance between back support and comfort. Overall comfort while sleeping on the mattress is equally important as sufficient back support. 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 the shoulder and hips to sink in slightly. Patients who want a firmer mattress for back support can get one with thicker padding for greater comfort.

Know when it’s time to get a new mattress. If an old mattress sags visibly in the middle or is no longer comfortable, it is probably time to purchase a new one. Putting boards under a sagging mattress to keep it from sagging in the middle is only a short-term fix for the sagging; a new mattress is still needed.

Be aware of mattress advertising gimmicks. Claims that a mattress is “orthopedic” or “medically-approved” should be viewed skeptically.

Key Components of a Good Mattress?

Mattress springs and coils provide back support

The wire in the coils comes in different thicknesses, where a lower gauge number denotes thicker, stiffer wire and a firmer mattress. A higher concentration of steel coils may indicate a higher quality mattress.

Mattress padding provides comfort

In addition to the spring coils in a mattress, the padding on top of the mattress can indicate quality. Mattress padding is usually made of materials such as polyurethane foam, puffed-up polyester or cotton batting. Extensive mattress padding is often more expensive, but many people find it more comfortable and worth the extra cost.

Insulation mattress padding

This padding lies on top of the coil springs so that they cannot be felt from the top of the mattress, and it also protects the coils from damaging the top layers of the mattress.

Mattress ticking and quilting

The outer layer of a mattress consists of ticking, which is usually a polyester or cotton-polyester blend in a good quality mattress. The mattress quilting attaches the ticking to the top layers of padding. It is a good idea to examine the quality of stitching on the mattress quilting, looking for consistent, unbroken stitches.

Mattress foundations

The mattress foundation or box spring adds another level of support to the mattress. Foundations usually consist of a wooden or metal frame with springs. A plain wooden frame may make mattresses feel harder than a frame with springs. A wood mattress foundation should only be purchased if the wood has no cracks and is straight. The Better Sleep Council recommends that purchasing a foundation and mattress as a set helps preserve the mattress.

Last tip!

To help preserve the quality of a new mattress, it should be repositioned every six months to ensure that the mattress is evenly worn. This includes rotating 180 degrees and flipping the mattress lengthwise on a regular basis. The Better Sleep Council advises against putting a mattress on a box spring/foundation that is not made to go with the mattress, as this may decrease the life of the new mattress

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