One common question I often get asked is what mattress brand do I recommend for back pain? My response is usually, the one that’s the most comfortable to you. One myth is that if you have back pain, a firmer mattress is better but there have been no well-controlled studies indicating that a firm mattress is better. Now, with that being said, most of my patients who have back pain or neck pain often tell me that once they replaced their mattress with a firmer mattress this back pain or neck pain has been better. So, personally I have a firmer mattress and I think it provides my body with more support but it really depends on what is comfortable to you.
In a recent Consumer Reports study 17,000 people rated their beds and where they purchased them. According to Consumer Reports here is the Top Ten Mattress Brands and how much they cost?
1. Tempur-Pedic 83/100 score, $2,408
2. Original Mattress Factory 81/100 score, $891.00
3. Select Comfort 80/100 score, $2,125
4. Denver Mattress 78/100 score, $861.00
5. Simmons 76/100 score, $1,325
6. Kingsdown 74/100 score, $1,936
7. Serta 74/100 score, $983.00
8. Sealy 73/100 score, $1,034
9. Stearns & Foster 69/100 score, $1,785
10. Spring Air 66/100 socre, $1,095
As you can see some of the most common mattress brands, ranked high and some a bit lower. The Temper-pedic brand seems to be a love it or hate it brand for my patients. The patients that love it, love the support and feel that it provides. While the people who dislike the brand report that it retains a large of amount of body heat and they are tough to move around on. The other specialty mattress is the select comfort mattress. The nice part of this mattress is you can control how firm or soft the mattress is. This is especially nice, if you and your partner enjoy different levels of firmness in your mattress or you want to play around with different levels of support for your back pain. Besides being more expensive, the other potential problem with this type of mattress is the motor pump that controls the firmness may need replacing. Personally I have a Simmons mattress that is firm and I love it but that came after trying several different brands of mattresses and levels of supports. I hope this gives you a little more direction if you are looking to replace a mattress, and I like I said mattresses are a personal choice and find what feels good to you. I do recommend patients try to replace their mattresses every 5-7 years especially if they have back pain. I have found that is the time when mattresses start to breakdown and lose their support. If you are currently suffering from back pain or neck pain take a look at your mattress and it may be time for an new one.
