Hello, about 1 year ago I purchased a new latex mattress. Both my wife and I are happy with it. However, I continue to have lower back pain when I wake up (lower back near the side above my hip if that make sense). The mattress consists of (3) 2" layers consisting of firm(bottom)/medium(middle)/soft(top) Dunlap latex and a 1" cotton cover. I am 6’3" 215lbs. I am thinking I need a firmer mattress to rid the back pain and keep my hips from sinking into the mattress- or am I wrong and should I be looking for a softer mattress?
To complicate things a little more I have a current shoulder injury where I require surgery but have put that off for now, so if I do get a firmer mattress I fear that will be even more uncomfortable for my shoulder. I am mainly a side/stomach sleeper. Do you suggest I go softer, firmer, or anything else I am not thinking about? Thank you!
Finally just for clarity the mattress is split sides so my wife’s side of the bed firm/medium/medium is perfect for her and any change for me will no affect her side.
Hello JMcKim, thank you so much for reaching out! I’m sorry to hear about the issues you’re having but I’ll be happy to help.
Lower back pain is normally attributed to a mattress not being supportive enough (or “firm enough”). The first change to reduce / eliminate lower back pain would he to make the core of the mattress firmer, while keeping your comfort layer on top. This helps retain all the contour, pressure relief, and “secondary support” that the top layer provides but offers more support for your lower back because the firm layer is closer to the surface. On your side of the mattress you would move the firm layer to the middle for soft over firm over medium. Just a quick note, for someone at 215 pounds we would normally recommend three 3" layers of medium over medium over firm.
Lower back pain is also sometimes attributed to a lack of secondary support, which describes the way a mattress fills in the gaps between your body and the mattress. For example, side sleepers normally benefit from secondary support when the top portion of the mattress fills in the gaps between the mattress and the area just under a person’s ribs. If that section isn’t held up by the mattress properly, your lower back muscles will strain through the night to help keep your spine straight, leading to lower back pain.
Since it is more likely that the core of the mattress isn’t firm enough, my best advice would be to move the firm layer to the middle of your mattress and sleep on that for at least a week. If things get better then you know you’re moving in the right direction, and if things get worse then we know we must look at something else, like adding more secondary support.
Please feel free to call our office if you would like to discuss further. Thank you!
Thank you for the reply - I made the change last night and noticed the difference. i still woke up with some back pain but it was noticeably less than normal. I will continue to sleep on the current configuration for the next week and then reassess at that point. Thanks again!