Mattresses for sore backs

[mtbc]

Some of my father's family have lower back problems. I have to be careful with mine, being careful about how I lift, and sitting with good lumbar support. I've done fairly well over recent months but sometimes I awaken with a moderately sore back and it improves over the morning. My current mattress is basically a large block of firm foam with a memory foam topper.

I wonder if I should get a different mattress. But, they are expensive things, and it is not obvious which ones might be a worthwhile improvement. I probably won't make any immediate changes while I ponder the matter.

Comments

[gerald_duck]

Speaking personally, I have three main observations concerning mattresses:

1. If there are two of you in the bed, get a frame that takes two single mattresses instead of trying to find a double that suits both of you. (The Scandinavians are good at this.)
   
2. Get a bed that's large enough. I'm not tall, but I find myself having to sleep with legs bent unless the mattress is king-size. OK, sometimes I choose to sleep with legs bent, but it's good to be able to stretch out when I need to without getting cold feet.
   
3. I prefer pocket-sprung to memory foam. Memory foam seems to inhibit turning over in one's sleep, and doesn't adapt quickly enough if one does. That and it's a bit hot and clammy.

[aldabra]

My mattress got rattily old and uncomfortable, so I swiped Kathy's spare (she has a triple sleeper), which was new and shiny.

Over the next three months my pelvis seized up such that I couldn't walk normally.

I reverted to the old ratty one (on top of hers, which makes it less uncomfortable), and now I can walk again.

My conclusion is that the dominant theory that firm mattresses are good for your back assumes that a) you're male and/or b) your edges are straight. Possibly c) you sleep on your back. I'm very glad indeed that I didn't just go out and buy one.

But I've subsequently gone and lain on them in a bed shop, with someone to assess how straight my spine is, and it turns out I can feel which ones are too firm because they put pressure on my thigh. I haven't quite got around to buying one yet, but I'm going to go for the middling memory foam. (And if that doesn't take, a significantly more expensive one the details of which I forget, but I'm not going to start with significantly expensive.)