The Best Mattresses for Back Pain – Selecting the Right One According to Osteopaths and Rest Researchers
Back issues are a growing concern across the UK, with official statistics showing that close to one million individuals are off work due to neck and back conditions. Non-profit groups state that several million experience intense spinal discomfort annually. The causes of spinal issues are complex, and many treatments often fail to provide relief, especially when pain is chronic and incapacitating.
Although changing your bed is unlikely to resolve persistent spinal discomfort, and healthcare providers should be consulted if pain affects quality of living, research indicates that selecting the appropriate bed for your physique and resting posture can help. Personal experience verifies that sleeping on an ill-fitting bed can lead to short-term spinal pain, while switching to a more suitable option often brings comfort and better rest.
This article aims to assist you select the ideal bed for your back, whether you currently have discomfort or want to avoid it. Expert insights from osteopaths and sleep scientists are included, along with a detailed examination at the often-misused “orthopaedic” label.
Is a Firm Orthopaedic Mattresses Best for a Painful Spine?
Not always. Firmer does not always mean better, and the term “orthopaedic mattress” is largely advertising language. Although orthopaedic surgeons have addressed musculoskeletal conditions for centuries, in the context of bed marketing, the word “orthopaedic” holds no medical authority.
“This label was created by bed producers,” states a leading rest researcher. “It was designed to sound medical, since at the period, physicians were advising individuals that a hard bed was best for a bad back. More recent studies has proven this to be incorrect, though.”
The idea that your spine needs a mattress only a bit more cushioned than a kitchen floor has been debunked since at least 2003, when a prominent health publication reported that moderately firm beds had superior results for individuals suffering from back pain. “Beds with medium firmness repeatedly come out on top in research into spinal issues,” explains an bone and muscle expert. “Comfort matters as much as firmness, and moderately firm mattresses strike a better balance than hard or plush options. This assists to improve sleep as well as reduce pain.”
Keep Your Spinal Alignment
The key to keeping your back healthy and pain-free is “spinal alignment”, as per medical researchers. Also known as spinal alignment, this refers to the way your spine rests in a largely straight position when you’re lying on a bed that’s not too hard or too soft. It’s not just about your backbone, either: your head, neck and knees should all align properly, without sinking or rising. If misaligned, you could suffer from discomfort in the spine, neck, and shoulders.
Your spinal muscles are unable to completely rest on a mattress that’s too firm or too soft, and you’ll soon notice the consequences, says a rest specialist. “When your spine is misaligned when you rest, you’re activating muscle groups at a time when they should be relaxing and recovering from the day. The aches you experience from the random evening of poor support are your tissues keeping you in that position when they should be resting.”
In the long term, back pain can also result from your backbone not replenishing fluids at night. “During waking hours your spine gets pressed,” says the specialist. “This is a natural process, and it’s caused by pressure compressing each spinal disc between the spinal bones.” At night, these pads take in moisture and decompress, she explains – but only if you’re lying comfortably. “If the spine is twisted due to lack of support, it’s likely that discs are still being compressed.”
You might not notice the impact of compressed discs for a long time, states the expert. “After a couple of nights of your back being bent into non-neutral positions, you could experience a some discomfort, but over a prolonged period, this can become significant spinal discomfort that impacts you during the day.”
How to Choose the Ideal Bed for Back Pain
The surest route to spinal neutrality while you rest is to select a mattress that’s not excessively hard or soft for you. Bed firmness isn’t a one-size-fits-all matter, so don’t just go for a bed that’s labelled “orthopedic”. Instead, find one with the perfect mix of softness and firmness for your physique and sleeping position.
Generally speaking, the bigger you are, the firmer your mattress will need to be to offer enough support for your spine. Side sleepers need a little more softness to support their pelvis, knees and shoulders, while people who primarily rest on their back or stomach benefit from a slightly harder surface.
“If you’re a petite person, with narrow pelvis and slim upper body, an extra-firm orthopaedic mattress is probably the last thing you need,” notes a rest researcher. “Your body might not have sufficient weight to let the surface adapt to your body, and that’ll alter your spinal alignment. Find the firmness that fits your body rather than because it sounds medically right.”
The only way to be certain is to use a bed for a few months, which is why many mattress manufacturers now offer lengthy trial periods. But you can also get a good idea of what you require in a showroom, or even on your own bed, by lying down (ideally on your side) on a mattress and asking someone take a photo of you from the rear. You ought to draw a relatively straight line down your spine, starting at your head via the cervical vertebrae of your cervical area, all the way to your leg joints and feet. If this imaginary line dips at your pelvis and shoulders, the mattress is too soft for you. If the alignment rises at those points, it’s too firm. Both are likely to cause spinal discomfort.
Individual testing indicates that moderately firm is effective for smaller side sleepers. One model offered adequate softness to let the spine relax. A different mattress marketed as moderately firm had different levels of support: harder sections that provide enhanced firmness for your back, and more cushioned parts to accommodate pressure points such as your hips and shoulders. This was less suitable for a smaller physique, which suffered lower back pain after a few nights on the mattress’s firm surface. The zoning system may, however, be ideal for those with a more standard size. Its hard top could offer the extra support needed if you sleep on your back.
Best for Those Who Sleep on Their Side
A Suggested Bed, standard double
Best for Back Sleepers
A Different Bed, standard double
It’s also worth mentioning that plusher foam beds can be effective for certain individuals with discomfort. The soft, cloud-like feel of an entirely foam bed made a reviewer craving more support, but some people love it for discomfort relief. Its strong cushioning effect – essentially, the manner it supports you as though you’re resting on air – can be transformative if you’ve struggled to get comfortable in bed after an accident.
Ideal for Cushioning Support
Another Recommended Bed, standard double
Don’t forget about the base your bed is on. A sprung-slatted base has much more give than a divan base, and will cause a bed to seem plusher as a result. If you have a flexible base and your bed seems overly plush for your spine, {try it on the floor|test it on a hard
