Best Mattress For Back Pain

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Best Mattress For Back Pain – An Osteopath’s View In 2022

Can a Mattress Contribute to Back Pain?

By Andrew Siyabalawatte. August 2022.

Back Pain is the leading cause of disability in the UK and affects approximately one in six adults. Whilst our environment influences our posture, lifestyle and habits (for example, sitting slumped at a desk with one leg underneath the bottom, until the foot goes numb), a mattress, where we spend several hours of our time on, can have a profound impact on the ‘maintenance’ of incorrect posture and subsequent imbalances our body develops for the long term.

A Typical Back Pain Scenario
Joe or Olivia Bloggs, wake up with an unusual tightness in the lower back that has become more noticeable over the past two days. Thinking nothing of it, they go to work which requires sitting at a desk for extended periods of time. Work is busy, so the tight constant feeling in the lower back, takes a back seat in the mind.

Its home time, time to put the feet up and catch up on one or several tv shows. During this time, the tightness has returned to the forefront of the mind. Several hours later, waking up on the sofa in an unusual position, the tightness has now escalated to a dull pain. Time to go to bed.

The alarm sounds. It’s time to get up. All of a sudden, an intense pain surrounds the base of the back. Joe/Olivia take several minutes to get up. Something is not right.

Is The Mattress To Blame?
No and Yes. No, because Joe/Olivia could have done several things along the way that may have helped avoid this particular back pain scenario. Yes, because there is evidence to suggest that a mattress that fails to provide adequate support or pressure relief may also contribute to aches and pains the next day.

A Good Mattress
Research suggests that sleeping on a medium-firm mattress, promotes comfort, proper spinal alignment and as a bonus, better quality sleep. A good mattress will support the healthy curvature of the spine by distributing the body weight evenly. This will prevent uneven load on the back, individual joints and muscles.

Too OTTY To Handle
Before I speak of the health benefits this mattress brings, I must inform you all that this recommendation comes from my own personal experience, having purchase the OTTY Original Hybrid mattress for myself.

This mattress uses a combination of springs and foam. From my research, I know that a good supportive mattress should have around 2000 springs. This level of support will create the perfect spinal alignment to support the back and joints, significantly reducing the chances of developing back pain.

My job as an Osteopath is very demanding as I stand and lift body weight all day. The OTTY Original Hybrid mattress ensures that as my body recovers from the stresses of the day, it not only supports my body to restore its normal alignment, but it keeps me cool with its memory foam ‘Air Flow System’ technology, which helps to remove excess heat and ensure my body temperature stays well regulated.