What is the Best Mattress For Lumbar pain?
What is the best mattress for lower back pain? Unfortunately there is no universal solution which everybody can be happy with. Even though some people will lean toward an extra firm mattress, others will shudder in the very thought. And also the reason is quite simple --back pain sufferers form a wildly diverse couple of people.
Best Mattress For Back Pain
Orthopedic specialists mostly agree the best mattress for lumbar pain would be something resembling "medium firm" or "not too soft, but not too firm either."
How this undeniably vague advice would enjoy for each individual in pain... is almost anyone's guess. Each persons perception of soft or firm will be different.
Picture a tall, overweight 45-year-old male, let's imagine about 6' 7" and over 300 pounds... maybe an ex-football player... and then imagine a dainty and petite 68-year-old female just clearing 5 feet and barely tipping the dimensions to 100. They are as different physically as two humans may be, but both suffer from chronic lower back pain, and both experience discomfort while sleeping. So wouldn't it make sense that they would require different mattresses?
Mattress For Back Pain
But there are several commonalities worth mentioning when discussing the very best mattress for lower back pain -- even with these completely different examples.
To begin with, they both need extra support. Obviously, everyone knows back pain sufferers need proper support, but what does it mean, exactly? Well, a person's spine is curved inside the "S" shape, and it loves to stay in that shape whenever you can. So the best mattress for back pain would keep that curve intact by filling out the gaps caused by body curves. Like that, the back muscles can unwind fully without the spine flattening out.
A mattress that's too firm would stay rigid and result in the muscles of the to do all the work of holding the S-curve in place. Bottom line -- more pain. Not only more back pain, but painful pressure points could develop inside the body's gravity centers -- the hips, bottom and shoulders.
Alternatively, a too-soft mattress squishes down an excessive amount of under the body's weight without requiring enough support to the heavy parts, that sink in. What goes on then? The spine goes convex, in the S shape to an uncomfortable C shape. Again, the muscles can't relax while wanting to maintain the natural curve of the lower back. More pain -- plus possible nerve compression: numbness, tingling, etc.
But here's why the very best mattress for back pain can't be the same for everybody. For optimal support, our petite and thin female retiree will require a softer mattress than our hefty ex-football player mainly because of the laws of physics. His weight will displace many mattress. He sinks further into it, which requires a firmer construction -- to be able to provide the lifting support he still needs for his spinal curve.
But her weight will barely create a dent. The man's mattress of choice is too rigid and unresponsive for her. She will need a softer, bouncier surface to provide the support she needs.
The very best Mattress for Back Pain--Solution?
When you need to thoroughly test each mattress before buying, there is some evidence that latex foam could be therapeutic to back sufferers of all sizes and shapes. Individuals who need firmer support are able to use latex as a topper or even in the padding layers of an innerspring mattress. Those who need softer support may do best with a 100 percent latex mattress.
The reason why latex works well for back pain is based on its naturally resilient yet strong inner structure. It's a very responsive material, molding into the shape of your body, yet adjusting quickly when you change positions. Additionally it is long-lasting and available in several degrees of firmness and thickness.
While each individual will respond differently towards the same mattress, something is clear: quality matters. No matter what type of mattress you get for your own back pain, guarantee the components are first rate, including the steel coils, padding, latex foam, or polyurethane foam, if you choose these materials.