What is the Best Mattress For Lumbar pain?
What is the best mattress for lumbar pain? Unfortunately there is no universal solution that everybody can be happy with. Even though some people will lean toward another firm mattress, others will shudder on the very thought. As well as the reason is quite simple --back pain sufferers form a wildly diverse bunch of people.
Orthopedic specialists mostly agree that the best mattress for back pain would be something resembling "medium firm" or "not too soft, however, not too firm either."
Best Mattress For Back Pain
How this undeniably vague advice would enjoy for each individual in pain... is practically anyone's guess. Everyone's perception of soft or firm could be different.
Picture a tall, overweight 45-year-old male, let's say about 6' 7" and over 300 pounds... maybe an ex-football player... then imagine a dainty and petite 68-year-old female just clearing 5 feet and barely tipping the dimensions to 100. They're as different physically as two humans can be, but both are afflicted by chronic lower back pain, and both experience discomfort throughout sleep. So wouldn't it make sense that they would require totally different mattresses? Back Pain Mattress
But there are a few commonalities worth mentioning when discussing the best mattress for lower back pain -- even with these different examples.
To begin with, both of them need extra support. Of course, everyone knows back pain sufferers need proper support, but exactly what does it mean, exactly? Well, a persons spine is curved inside the "S" shape, and it wants to stay in that shape as much as possible. So the best mattress for back pain would keep that curve intact by filling in the gaps caused by body curves. This way, the back muscles can unwind fully without the spine flattening out.
A mattress that's too firm would stay rigid and make the muscles of the returning to do all the work of holding the S-curve set up. Bottom line -- more pain. Not only more back pain, but painful pressure points could develop within the body's gravity centers -- the hips, bottom and shoulders.
On the other hand, a too-soft mattress squishes down a lot of under the body's weight without requiring enough support for the heavy parts, which simply sink in. What happens then? The spine goes convex, from your S shape to a distressing C shape. Again, the muscles can't relax while trying to maintain the natural curve of the lower back. More pain -- plus possible nerve compression: numbness, tingling, etc.
But here's why the most effective mattress for lower back pain can't be the same for everyone. For optimal support, our petite and thin female retiree will require a softer mattress than our hefty ex-football player due to the laws of physics. His weight will displace many mattress. He sinks further on to it, which takes 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 associated with preference is too rigid and unresponsive on her behalf. She will need a softer, bouncier surface to supply the support she needs.
The very best Mattress for Back Pain--Solution?
As you need to thoroughly test each mattress before choosing, there is some evidence that latex foam can be therapeutic to back individuals with all sizes and shapes. People who need firmer support are able to use latex as a topper or even in the padding layers of your innerspring mattress. Those who need softer support may do best with a 100 percent latex mattress.
The reason latex works well for back pain is based on its naturally resilient yet strong inner structure. It's a very responsive material, molding to the shape of your body, yet adjusting quickly as you change positions. It's also long-lasting and available in several amounts of firmness and thickness.
While each individual will respond differently towards the same mattress, a very important factor is clear: quality matters. No matter what type of mattress you purchase for your own back pain, guarantee the components are first rate, including the steel coils, padding, latex foam, or memory foam, if you choose these materials.