Latex Mattress For Bad Back?

[Scoop-20]

Hi there fellow DIYers. I’m looking for some advice on the best type of mattress to get for a sore back. I slipped a disk in my lower back about 6 months ago. Pure agony! And have been attending physio for months now. Things have been slowly improving, thank god.

Anyway, about mattresses. I have been using memory foam for years now. But the physio has been advising me to change it to a latex mattress. He says they provide better support and have a bounce that will help me move in bed without having to twist or turn so hard. Latex mattresses are new to me.

Didn’t even know there was such a thing. If you have tried one, let me know how they feel. I’d like to weigh up the pros and cons before splashing the cash.

many thanks,
S

 

[motorbiking]

As a fellow back injury sufferer, I can honestly say nothing other than regular stretching and physical exercise works. The best thing you need to support your back is strong and flexible spinal erectors, glutes, quads etc.

Slowly try building up to this kind of thing a couple of times a week.

 

[Justin Passing]

IT's easier to turn over etc on a harder mattress. I stuck a couple of loft boards under mine, like my father did, and his father....

 

[blup]

A medium mattress is supposed to be better than a hard one. A latex mattress topper is useful if the mattress is too hard.

The nhs physios transformed my shoulder injury with suitable treatment and exercises even after I had put off going for years. I would take their advice without question.

Blup

 

[jeds]

Suffered with back pain for years. Not enough to stop me doing things but almost constant aching and very, very irritating. We used to have an expensive orthopaedic mattress, but I used to wake up with pain every single morning. On holiday in Cuba I had no pain after about 5 or 6 days, so we had a good look at the mattress. All I could establish was that it was a memory type. When home, I researched and came up with two recommended options. A Which Report said that one of them suffered from the 'jelly mould' effect. I didn't like the sound of that so I went with the other - an Emma mattress. 100 day no quibble return so I couldn't really go wrong. That was about 4 years ago and my back has never been better. No pain in the mornings and comfortable. And not that expensive - but don't pay full price, they have a massive sale about every other week.

 

[securespark]

I suffer terribly with back pain.

I know it does not help that I am overweight - which I am working on, slowly losing weight - and I'm sure exercises and stretches (of which I do some) will help too.

But I am convinced sleeping on an old £50 foam mattress is not helping me at all. Add to that my bedframe is falling to bits and the slats are not supporting the mattress evenly. I often wake up with back pain and moving can be excruciating. Sometimes it is a real struggle standing up and often once on my feet, I cannot walk upright.

I too have read stuff on Which? about mattresses. They also rate Eve Original Hybrid, which is available on trial for a year, which seems great. We could both try it out to see if we get on with it.

A year's trial plus a 10 year warranty, can't complain!

 

[Munroast]

Backs are incredibly complex structures with a vast amount of things that can go wrong, that multiplied by our own physiology probably means that no two 'bad backs' have ever been the same. Hence millions of different remedies, all of which will all work for someone somewhere - finding what helps you is just trial and error. what cures one will make someone else worse.

Very gentle 'beginners' pilates is what helped me the most. And I find cycling to be excellent too. As for mattresses, I like mine hard. But there are plenty who find cycling to be a bad thing and plenty others who swear by a soft mattress.

Probably keeping yourself lean and fit are very important, but even then i'm sure that won't be ideal for all.

 

[just pumps]

Just thinking out loud really but is there such a thing as a hard/ firm mattress topper.

Another here who suffers from back pain

 

[motorbiking]

Cycling, other than helping with weight loss is actually one of the sport/exercises that can cause muscular back problems. The biomechanics of cycling encourages our leg & bum muscles to shorten as we work them. Over time they tug on the muscles that support the back. I cycled for years and just used to collapse at the end of race or enduro and never bothered to stretch properly. Its absolutely essential to stretch the muscles out.

Another + for pilates or LesMills Body Balance etc.

 

[^woody^]

Have you tried an ironing board?

 

[opps]

The following may help

What is a Latex Mattress? | Mattress Online

Latex is a natural comfort material used in some mattresses. Read on to find out how a latex mattress offers optimal support and pressure relief!

www.mattressonline.co.uk

It provides a side by side comparison with memory foam mattresses.

My experience of memory foam mattresses is that if you spend two to three weeks in bed with a high fever/etc, the mattress never springs back properly. I have encountered that with cheap, medium and high end memory foam mattresses. Up until that point they are great, albeit a bit hot in the summer.

 

[Trazor]

IT's easier to turn over etc on a harder mattress. I stuck a couple of loft boards under mine, like my father did, and his father....

How high is the mattress now ?

 

[Alec_t]

If you have tried one, let me know how they feel.

Horrible. Had to put up with one once when on holiday. Very sweat-making. Had to strip the bed and lay blankets over the latex to get a comfortable night's sleep.

 

[Dork Lard]

There are no two 'bad backs' that are the same, & what mattress is best for a bad back is therefore very much subjective/objective.

I know what works for me & that is a low dose of Valium &/or a few fine malt whisky's before bedtime.

I'm particularly drawn to how the OP states they slipped their disc about 6mths ago yet their physio is already talking about changing their bed . . . . Hmmm !

 

[Tigercubrider]

ABOUT LATEX | Dunlopillo

We take sleep seriously, developing contemporary designs that blend style with performance. Enjoy the ultimate sleep experience with our durable mattresses developed from sustainably-sourced latex and perfectly engineered by nature.

www.dunlopillo.co.uk

I have used a Dunlopillo mattress since my 20’s
I find them far more comfy than traditional
a double about 4 years ago was £1k.

if you keep a mattress for a decade, it’s £100 a year/ £2 a week/ 30p a night.