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People With Bad Backs, What Mattress?

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I don't know that I have a bad back per se, but I have to sleep on the sofa.

If a mattress is firm after about 3 hrs I DO have a bad back.

Best mattress I've ever slept on was an old (feather) down mattress that was probably about 60 yrs old. It's super soft you sink right in.

Fern
 
I used to wake up almost every morning with sore back.

For me the solution was firm mattress with memory foam topper..
Get a firm mattress and get a 3 inch memory foam topper..
I haven't had a sore back since..
 
Bad back here.

9" Memory foam base with a 3" thick latex upper with a 2" pillowtop.

The memory foam conforms, the latex upper springs back, and the pillowtop gives you breathability so you don't overheat.

I love it, and it's the only bed I can sleep on my back on without waking up in pain.

Benefits to memory foam:
1. It's heavy as hell, so when your partner rolls over you can't even feel her move.
2. It conforms so the pressure is distributed evenly over your body, which is totally different that normal foam and latex. It's personal preference though: I love it.
3. It doesn't really 'wear out' like springs do.

Drawbacks:
1. It's hot
2. Sex can be a challenge when you sink into the mattress 4 inches =), and doggy style can be a real bitch to line up (surprise buttsecks is a real mood killer)
3. You lose the last 2 inches of useable matress because the edges have no support and will dump you.
 
My wife has a bad back to the point of having injections, and considering spinal fusion. We got a latex bed and her back has improved to the point where it is rarely a problem anymore. No injections, no surgery. Even long car rides aren't an issue anymore. Can't recommend latex enough.
 
MadScientist said:
There has been very little research done on what's the best mattress for someone with a bad back. There was a study done in 2003 and published in The Lancet, "Effect of firmness of mattress on chronic non-specific low-back pain". The researchers found that a medium firm mattress was best.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(03)14792-7/abstract

I also have arthritis, 2 bad disks, and spinal stenosis. I have tried all the types of mattresses and have found that a medium firm all latex mattress is the best for me.

By far the best website for mattress info is the Mattress Underground. I suggest that anyone looking for a new mattress should first read their basic and detailed articles which can be accessed from their home page. http://www.themattressunderground.com/mattresses.html

Another good informative website, especially for mattress reviews, is Sleep like the Dead. http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattress-bad-back.html
Click to expand...
Thanks, lots of info.
 
No offense Olds, but the key for you will be to lose some weight. It ain't your back, it's your gut.

Don't ask me how I know this, because I've always been thin. :biggrin:

Oh, and Beautyrest Black - you can get good deals at Sleep Train, at least in San Jose.
 
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I've had a bad lower back for close to 10 years now. My back killed me getting out of bed every morning, and tried a variety of mattresses. Have a latex mattress now, but that alone was still causing me morning pain.
Check out your pillow though - I got a new pillow about 6 months ago and I have no pain in the morning waking up anymore! I got a contoured pillow, put the fat contoured side under my neck and voila - somehow fixed my back pain. Well, not fixed, but going to bed/waking up in the morning is no longer an instant cause of it. If I catch myself sleeping on my stomach, that still causes back pain - best when I'm on my back, but side is generally ok too now.
 
Our backs get messed up because we worked for a living. I know I wasn't a chairborne ranger.

I do have a contoured pillow. RossMAN turned me onto it a few years ago. It helps me sleep but I still wake up a million times a night to turn and get comfortable.
 
stargazr said:
I had surgery for a disc herniation, then later had a fusion. Still have problems. I have a good innerspring mattress from Denver Mattress Co. It's firm with a soft top but not quite a pillowtop. I like it, but honestly haven't tried other mattress types (too expensive).

http://denvermattress.furniturerow....ss-Group/Doctors-Choice-Euro-Top/prod1040083/

My last mattress was a Stearns & Foster, was real happy with that one too.
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I've got one herniated disc. Have a Stearns & Foster pillow top firm mattress. Cannot tell you how great it feels to lay down on it when the back's hurting like hell. Love the thing!
 
I have a latex foam medium hardness bed. Minor herniation about 2 years ago, and it's fine on my latex bed. However, I will say that springs are more comfy overall. A lot of people do a combination of springs/latex or memory but I haven't had time to get around to it.

I built my bed from 3 layers - 6 inch super hard foam base, a 1 inch soft latex middle, and a 3 inch medium latex topper. This was pretty dam cheap if I recall, like $550 or less (king size). If you want links, PM me. Although I built my wood platform.
 
We have a queen-sized sleep number, each side has its own air bladder. Haven't had any problems with it, have to add air about 1x every six months. Got it because I needed a softer mattress than my wife, so a thick memory foam topper on a conventional mattress was just too soft for my wife.

We sleep much better, although then you get a few years older and then you start creeping back to the same pain profile.

Its worth experimenting with memory foam toppers, start with a 1.5".
 
oldsmoboat said:
Our backs get messed up because we worked for a living. I know I wasn't a chairborne ranger.

I do have a contoured pillow. RossMAN turned me onto it a few years ago. It helps me sleep but I still wake up a million times a night to turn and get comfortable.
Click to expand...

I did? Sorry I don't remember but my wife and I LOOOVE our memory foam pillows.

In fact, we recently upgraded to the gel version which is similar to this and they were on sale for around $25 at CostCo B&M.
 
RossMAN said:
I did? Sorry I don't remember but my wife and I LOOOVE our memory foam pillows.

In fact, we recently upgraded to the gel version which is similar to this and they were on sale for around $25 at CostCo B&M.
Click to expand...

It was quite a few years ago
 
i have arthritis in my lower back. spending the week in a hotel and my back is killing me in the mornings. can't wait to get back home. my bed sucks but at least it's better than this one at the hotel.
 
Depends on your preferred sleep position. I'm a side sleeper so we have a memory foam mattress. It at least doesn't make back problems worse, which is about all you can ask.
 
This thread made my head hurt, OP you need to talk to your health provider.

A bad back is not a diagnosis to everyone else.

Those staying in hotels and having all those issues need to up their room rate.
 
go to a bed store and spend a good amount of time laying on the beds....don't let $$ or brand names guide you. Sometimes the best bed might be off-brand or something totally different.
 
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