Mattress for Pain from an Injured Back

​Hi Peter,
I injured my back and thought that purchasing a new bed might help improve my back.  I purchased a Plush Memory Foam Mattress and slept on it for about 2 weeks.  I started getting muscle spasms in my legs shortly after purchasing it but was unsure if it was the bed or the fact that I had been moving some furniture around at about the same time I started sleeping on the new bed.  Luckily I went to a store that has the comfort guarantee so I went back to the store and told them that I thought the new mattress might be causing my, what I considered, new pain and that I had borrowed my mother's egg crate for added softness and thought it was making a difference.  They looked at me like I had two heads and said it was one of their best beds in the store.  After talking to them for about a half hour they thought maybe the same bed with just more, softer memory foam would be better for me.  So I made the switch, and the new mattress was delivered to me yesterday.  I was looking forward to sleeping on it thinking it would indeed be way more comfortable than the one I first purchased.  My muscle spams had decreased quite a bit 3 days before getting this bed but after sleeping on it last night I woke up with tight muscles in my legs once again and burning feet with pins and needles.  I find that this bed is not as soft as it was in the store.  Can this be true or am I grasping at straws.  I just feel like its too dense for me and I think I need something that I sink into a little better.  I'm scared to exchange it for a pillow top as I think that will probably be too soft.  I did try the latex beds that they had but I found them to be too springy.  I like a bed that I feel wrapped in but at the same time gives me the support I need for my back.  Any advice??  I think this will be the last time I'll be able to exchange it, so I want to make sure I make the right choice this time.
Thank you, Danielle


Hi Danielle,
You’re not alone. This same scenario plays out, every day.
First off, "one of their best beds" meant that it's one of their best sellers....which has nothing to do with quality, support, comfort or what may be right for you. Even at the factory level when we, the retailers, go for a sales presentation, nobody talks about quality or how well their product is made. They talk about how well it will sell.
As far as consumers are concerned, many have adopted the notion that comfort is all there is to buying a mattress.
The blame for this way of thinking, partly, falls on the mattress industry, which is pushing that idea...taking advantage of the self-indulgent society that we have become. 
More is not always better, believe it or not. 
And, what you think you want can be very different from what you need. For healthy people, the odds of what you think you want being what you actually need are iffy enough. For someone like yourself, who has some damage to their back, those odds get much shorter.
Your primary assessment was likely correct. Your back injury probably did require you to buy a new mattress. 
However, "any new mattress" is a recipe for disaster. 
The one you chose lacked support as is true of all memory foam mattress….not to mention that it was too soft. 
The second one, that was supposed to be even softer, would have been even worse, had it had the time to break in like the floor sample you tried. Adding more memory foam is never the answer. 


Your sense of comfort is contrary to what you need for your back. 
We all require some degree of firm support for spinal health.
But after an injury, your back can no longer withstand the lack of support that goes with buying an all foam mattress, which provides zero pushback support to the spine.
 
In today's mattress market, there's only one way to get close to what you want....buying a mattress with an individually pocketed coil system for back support and one with a layer of soft latex for surface comfort. (Sinking in will only make matters worse).
Latex is infinitely better than memory foam. Soft latex at the surface of a firm coil mattress gives you support for proper spinal alignment, surface comfort that feels like you’re floating and durability.
Latex is and has been the best upholstery material for the last 100+ years…the comfortable and most durable of all the foams.


A recommendation from me: the Williams Kingston Plush Mattress 
This mattress comes with White Glove Delivery.
Delivery includes: Setup in your bedroom, Removal of your Old Mattress and all packing materials.
Shown Here:


The Williams Kingston Plush Mattress  


https://cc-mattress-llc.square.site/product/kingston-plush/105?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=TBPEGMF6GAOUPNC4SCBQMGLT 


AND:


You never want to put a new mattress on an old foundation.
Doing so will void the warranty of any mattress.
If you need a new boxspring/foundation, I recommend the Magniflex KD Foundation, which comes in your choice of height, 5” or 8”, and in your choice of color…black, brown or gray.
They’re very strong and assemble easily with no tools needed.
They are upholstered foundations, a bit dressy, but reasonably priced.
Shown here:  


Magniflex Foundations 
https://www.themattressexpert.com/foundations_and_bases.html#/


Also recommended is a waterproof mattress protector, which prevents perspiration from seeping into the upholstery materials.
Keeping your mattress clean and dry and odor free will enhance longevity.


The Sleep & Beyond Organic Cotton Waterproof Mattress Protector is my recommendation…the one we use at home.
It sleeps cool and works well.
Shown here:


Sleep & Beyond Organic Cotton Waterproof Mattress Protector 


https://www.themattressexpert.com/sleep_and_beyond_protectors_and_encasements.html#/




Thanks, Pete - TME

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