Beds for a bad back

August 6, 2022 7:33 PM

I've had chronic back pain for years. Recently we stayed in a rental and the bed was firm, but not hard. It was very comfortable. My chronic back pain went away. Where can I find a bed that is good for my back?

I could reach out to the rental owner, but I'm not necessarily committed to whatever brand they used. If you have chronic back pain and have found a bed that really helped, please share! Any other tips for finding a better bed are welcome. I'm in the US, and not shy about spending money on this.

posted by Toddles to Shopping (16 answers total)

My husband has chronic back pain and our Sleep Number bed has definitely been great for him. You can change the pressure of the mattress on each side to the most comfortable place for each person and we experimented quite a bit before settling on our standard settings. We got the second cheapest mattress they sold a couple of years ago and it was around $1200 plus $400 for the (non-standard) box spring. The bed frame was additional (I think it was around the cost of the mattress), but not necessary if you already have one.
posted by Eyelash at 7:56 PM on August 6, 2022

My recommendation is to avoid pillow-top or gel top. Just a plain firm mattress.
posted by gryphonlover at 7:58 PM on August 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

What I did the fourth time I went mattress shopping, because in my opinion the first three times I did it wrong and determined they were too soft afterwards: I laid on a bunch of different beds in two large stores, found one that felt too firm but still felt pretty comfortable, bought it, and then got an egg crate foam to put on top that can be removed if I ever want even firmer. This has been by far the best mattress I've ever bought myself and lately I've been mulling over removing the foam. I'd look up what I got, but I don't think it matters; it's been nine years so I doubt it's still in production and all the stores rename their products anyway to discourage comparison shopping. I think I paid around $600 at the time. I am sure there are certainly a bunch of new dupes out there - my advice is to just get firmer than you think you want and modify on top.

I've also slept in a bunch of different beds (I travel more than average) and I found I surprisingly like sleeping on a futon/pad on the floor in terms of back comfort, though I do not like hoisting myself up from the floor every time I need to go to the bathroom/get up.

Also though beds definitely help or hurt, staying physically active, stretching, and massage (I use massage rollers and machines more than therapists as I can't afford a therapist more than a couple times a year) are all very large components in my back pain management.
posted by vegartanipla at 7:59 PM on August 6, 2022 [5 favorites]

Seconding vegartanipla in full.

We have an inexpensive (for a mattress) IKEA one that is due for replacement. When we bought, we tested several and bought the one labeled the firmest available by the store. It’s not hard or boardlike, just very firm, and it has eased up a bit over time. I think only one vacation mattress has ever matched the firmness level.
posted by Red Desk at 8:31 PM on August 6, 2022

The place where we bought our last mattress offered to loan us one for a week to see if we liked it. You won't probably get this kind of offer from a chain, but there are places like this.
My father in law had a bad back and slept with a sheet of plywood between the box spring and mattress. It seems as though, for a lot of people, a firm mattress makes all the difference.
I don't know if this is relevant, but they also offered to loan us a memory-foam mattress. I asked if he recommended it and he said nobody had ever borrowed one and kept it. I think they were the waterbeds of the last decade.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 8:56 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have a chronically compromised back from a childhood traumatic injury that has gotten much worse as I age. I’m now on my second Tempurpedic mattress (my first one lasted 15 years and was perfectly fine when I upgraded). I think this one is the Adapt line, along with an adjustable Ease base, but I’m not at home right now so can’t check. I also own one of the IKEA very firm mattresses in another property that I use pretty regularly. I’ve slept on Caspers, Purples, and everything else on the market currently. Nothing helps my back as much as my Tempurpedic. It’s like sleeping on a very supportive and contoured concrete floor, which is exactly what my back needs. I know it’s not for everybody, but my partner, who has no injuries like mine, says it’s very comfortable and most of my houseguests who have used it have marveled at how comfortable it is even for the uninjured. Happy to give you details when I get home if you would like.

Caveat: it’s a pricey setup. But it’s saved me a lot in other ways, such as PT, lost work days, and so on. And the adjustable base is the bomb for all kind of ailments besides back pain, including relieving congestion and aching feet and calves. Pretty sure they have a try-it-and-return-it policy but you’d have to check.
posted by lassie at 9:08 PM on August 6, 2022 [2 favorites]

We went through many, many mattresses before landing on an Aireloom model that is just the right firmness to not cause me lower back pain. It does have a bit of a pillow top but it's a very firm pillow top. You definitely don't feel like you're sinking in. For me, too-soft beds are terrible, but too-firm also causes me problems. Probably the right solution is going to depend on the specifics of what causes your pain, and might be different than mine. Prior to the Aireloom, we had a memory foam mattress and that worked pretty well too but only for a year or so (it's possible that a more expensive brand like Tempurpedic would be better for this).
posted by primethyme at 9:22 PM on August 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

(I don't have chronic back pain, though I do get intermittent back discomfort.) We recently finished a 4-month bike trip, which for us means 4 months of tent camping. After a few nights sleeping in a bed again - on a mattress that many people have apparently said is fantastic - I had horrible back pain. So it was back to an inflatable backpacking pad on hardwood floor. Just the cheap generic honeycomb kind that's like 2" thick when inflated enough to be really stiff. My back has been fine ever since. I guess that's another (cheaper) variation on "firm mattress"?
posted by sibilatorix at 9:24 PM on August 6, 2022

My back is balky at times and I have found great success sleeping on a Japanese futon or sometimes called shikifuton/shikibuton on amazon and other retailers. Feels like a perfectly firm mattress and provides just enough cushion, with the added benefit of simply rolling away when I'm not using it. In your question you probably were not looking to reinvent your entire sleeping practice, but I figured I would throw that out there. Sleeping in "normal" beds too often tends to aggravate my issues.
posted by boredoms at 11:28 PM on August 6, 2022

If I were you, I would reach out to the rental owner right away. One thing I have learned is that there is no such thing as generic "good for a bad back." It completely depends on your particular bad back and muscles. I've slept on mattresses that everyone praises as miraculous and I wake up in pain. So if you've found one that works for you, grab it. Maybe buy two of them.

The best thing for me are those old-fashioned spring mattresses, with good springs that buoy me up but still have a give under my weight, and which are "plush" -- meaning there's a softening layer so I'm not lying my tender muscles on a firm surface. I agree with the comment above that pillow top or foam is no good, though. You lose the support.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 1:36 AM on August 7, 2022 [7 favorites]

I had terrible back pain from an old injury that I finally found relief from with a $400 foam mattress from Amazon. I have a Sleep Innovations 12" at home and recently bought a Zinnus 12" for my cabin and they are both equally comfortable. Firm but not rock hard. I've had the Sleep Innovations one for 6 years and it still feels exactly the same as when I bought it. This is hands down the best mattress I've ever had, and at least 5 of my friends have bought one after trying mine out.
posted by ananci at 8:54 AM on August 7, 2022

The Futon Shop has some mattresses that are sort of hybrids between traditional futons and spring mattresses. For me they are the best of both worlds.
posted by Comet Bug at 10:11 AM on August 7, 2022

Second the idea of something too firm but getting a topper. I don't like eggcrate foam but I do like natural latex, which is springy and resilient, unlike memory foam (and breathes better.) I got a 2" "soft" topper from SleepOnLatex.com but if I had to do it again I'd get a 1" or 1.5" topper--my goal for the topper was just to lightly cushion the places my bones make contact with the surface so I'm not sore in the mornings, not to make the mattress "soft" in the sense that there's substantial structural give that would create any kind of hammock-y effect or not be supportive.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:32 AM on August 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have a touchy back complete with hardware, and the only thing I can tell you for sure is to invest the time and money into trying a bunch of options and finding what works for your specific back. Mine needs the soft pillow top to sink into, very different from others above. None of us matter though - find what works for you. This takes time and effort and money but it's all well spent.
posted by Dashy at 1:28 PM on August 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Partner has spondylolisthesis and benefits from a firmer mattress. I don't have back issues myself, but I do find that a firmer mattress is just somehow (ironically?) more restful. I am usually disappointed in hotel beds because they are usually too soft or have a massive pillow top, and I can't wait to get home to our firm mattress. For our last mattress purchase we went with IKEA's most expensive spring mattress. It is the right level of firmness and as a benefit, is made from natural materials: cotton, latex, linen, wool, coconut fiber. This means the mattress is also cool and breathable. (Though because of the natural fibers, it is heavier than a synthetic mattress.) I think IKEA classifies it as "medium firm", but I know when we were mattress shopping, we didn't encounter anything firmer. It has a soft latex foam layer on top, so we have never had any need for an additional topper.
posted by amusebuche at 5:16 PM on August 7, 2022

I'm on team sleep-on-the-floor, to the point of thinking that the modern mattress industry is a scam.
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 6:17 AM on August 8, 2022