Bad back & mattresses

[hillybilly]

My lower back is giving me gip and is at its most painful first thing in the morning so I think that my mattress might be partly to blame (although most of the blame lies with shifting solar batteries a few weeks ago...). I think the mattress I have is probably too firm. I hate shopping for mattresses...I mean, you can't try it out for a night and then take it back if it's not comfy, can you?! So, I've seen these "memory foam" mattresses advertised, also memory foam mattress toppers which saves the expense of buying a new mattress (that may not be any better than the old one!). Are they any good?

[princess peach]

Hilly arent you supposed to have a firm mattress when you have a bad back(for support)

have you tried turning your mattress right over and then putting the bottom at the top,so its completely flipped over and around??
I would say the batteries and the colder weather have something to do with it..

[frank]

As a long, long time sufferer of a bad back, you have my sympathy. I have spent a fortune on chiropractors, osteopaths etc, had three lots of cortisone injections in the spine(no help whatsoever really) and after more recent x-rays, MRI scan, I am waiting to back into hospital for treatment. I always used to have a rock hard bed, and that was based on current thinking then, but it now seems that a bed a bit softer, somewhere in between really, is now recommended. Hotel beds nowadays, in decent hotels at least, tend to be fine, but my wife used to go into any potential hotel and check the bed out before we would even consider staying there! I have found that a bad back is a bit like having a dog, it's for life!
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 35676.html

[Enrique]

Hi Hillybilly,
"memory foam mattress toppers" could be a starter if not too expensive.
My daughter has been using one for ages and thinks they are great , but then any 19 year old could sleep on anything, including a row of jerry cans and have a good night , so not much of answer for "do they work"

[El Cid]

We have one of the special mattress tops.

We have a pretty hard mattress as that suits my back but my wife started complaining that in the morning she woke up feeling like she had been sleeping on the floor.

We tried the "soft top" and it has solved her problem and I still get the benefit of the firm mattress and also prefer the initial softness of the extra piece.

Whether it will solve your problem, Hilly, I don't know. My feeling is that it is more a comfort thing than a spine changing experience.

Sid

[hillybilly]

Thanks all.
I've suffered from back pain/injuries before and they've always cleared up in the end (sometimes with chiropractor/osteopath help...and strong drugs!) so I'm hoping that this latest pain in the back isn't "for life" lol.
I always believed that a firm mattress was best too, until now. As for flipping the mattress. how do you think I got a bad back in the first place? Joking. I do usually flip the mattress once a year so it's probably due for a flip.
Sid, does your wife find that the memory foam is uncomfortably warm to sleep on in the summer? I've read that this can be a problem, though I think I'd be prepared to suffer that for waking up without back pain and having to roll out of bed!
Next question. Anyone seen them for sale in Spain?!
Edit: just found that you can't write toppers in the singular on this site

[El Cid]

Hilly, the mattress top is fine in the summer.

The original make is "Tempur or Tempura" but there are cheaper alternatives which are just as good.
We bought ours in BEDS - they have shops in various locations. www.beds.es

Sid

[frank]

"My feeling is that it is more a comfort thing than a spine changing experience."
My sentiments exactly. I have one, and as you say, it's comfortable, nice to get into, but I doubt it will provide any really help for a bad back. But if you've got back pain, you'll try anything in the hope that it may help in some small way. Of course, bad back in an all encompassing term that can cover a multitude of conditions, so what's works for one might well not work for someone else.

[crazyred]

I've got a cheaper version memory foam mattress from Confort which gives my back good support. Until you get a new one Hilly, try rolling up a towel into a sausage shape, and slip that in the arch of your lower back. This helped me temporarily with some support until I got a decent mattress. Also, make sure your pillows aren't too high as this can pull on the muscles in the lower back too.

You could also try the Homeopathic remedies Rhus Tox, Ruta & Arnica

[murbisa]

Have a look at this
http://www.backchamp.com/
For certain types of back pain it is very good. I have used one for years.

[Julie]

Hi Hilly

We have the foam memory topper in the motorhome it is a king size150 pounds from Dunelm (in uk ) ts great so comfy, After we tried that we bought the proper mattress for the home, we love it, I have a bad back as I broke 4 bones some years ago, I would reccomend the mattress or topper and some celebrex from the chemist Lol !

[JAWG]

try rolling up a towel into a sausage shape, and slip that in the arch of your lower back.

A better way is to sleep with a pillow (or two) under your knees. This forces the small of the back down to the mattress eliminating the arch in the back. I hurt my back about 60 years ago. It never fully recovered. I have used the pillow-under-the-knees for about the last 20 years. It works. When I am forced to do without the support under my knees, I have a very uncomfortable night and also, usually, a very uncomfortable next day.

[karandjon]

We have a pretty hard mattress as that suits my back but my wife started complaining that in the morning she woke up feeling like she had been sleeping on the floor.

We tried the "soft top" and it has solved her problem and I still get the benefit of the firm mattress and also prefer the initial softness of the extra piece.

Sid

We are the same as Sid and his wife. We bought the bed and the mattress top both from ikea. we bought an expensive bed after trying it in the shop....only to find it really aggravated hubbys back. so we went back and bought another one, moving that one to a spare room! Hubby liked the hard matress for his back but it was too hard for me, so we bought a top there (200+ euros), and it was the best thing we ever did! hubby still has the hard mattress but the softer top is much better for me!...plus the beds are bigger in ikea than the local spanish shops around me..a plus when hubby is 6'4"!!!

[kexon]

My husband has many spinal problems,none of which can be rectified with an operation,however,we have the spanish alternative to the more expensive memory foam type,it is very similar but a little firmer,they generally sell them in the local furniture stores in most towns in spain.They are extremely comfortable,if you give yourself a few weeks to adjust to them,very light,in terms of bed making etc,are also anti-dust mite etc etc.I can have a look and find the name for you.I would definitely reccommend.

[John Wolfendale]

Maybe its your mattress, and maybe its your mattress and something else combined. Have you asked yourself whether your back pain could be a result of stress?

It certainly was in my case several years ago but to begin with I refused to accept it. In fact, after recieving no practical support from the medical community (this was in the UK early 1990s) my osteopath cured me in a couple of amazing sessions and gave me a couple of lessons on lifestyle and stress which made a massive difference to me.

I have never had back pain again but I remember that at the time it was the most debilitating illness I had suffered.

Good luck

[Chrissie]

The memory foam mattress or top is a great help, but best of all is to strengthen your back muscles with yoga or pilates and this will avoid the recurrent back pain.

[kexon]

I agree yoga and pilates are good for strengthening the muscles,but it is always best to check with you doctor first as to what the nature of the back pain is before doing yoga or pilates,as you could make it worse.

[Sandramay]

Hillybilly, I can recommend the paperback book "Treat Your Own Back" by Robin McKenzie. Some very good info and advice. It helped get me walking again. Just google for suppliers.