Patients often ask their chiropractor, “What type of mattress is best for my back?” There are many types of mattresses available on the market. Mattresses can be foam, coiled, water, as well as combinations of all these. Not to forget further options between soft, medium, or firm. All of these variables make finding the right one truly difficult!
An orthopedic surgeon survey found that 95% of the surgeons polled believed that the mattress played a role in back pain management. 76% of surgeons recommended a firm mattress. But is this supported by research?
OSU Mattress Study
In an Oklahoma State University study, researchers provided 59 healthy people whose beds were at least five years old with new beds. Their beds feature a medium-firm, foam-encased spring mattress. ALL the study subjects said they had less back pain, less shoulder stiffness, improved sleep quality, and greater comfort after 28 nights on the new beds. However, when researchers reviewed prior studies that compared foam vs. coil vs. water beds, the reviews were mixed. This raises the question, “Would any new bed be better than an old one?”
Several studies have measured the difference between mattresses. This includes a chiropractor-led study that looked at two factors: spinal distortion and maximum pressure. The researchers concluded that the two goals of a mattress were to exhibit LOW maximum pressures and LITTLE spinal distortion.
South Korea Study
Another study, this time from a team of South Korean researchers. They found that participants gave the highest ratings when their spinal curve while lying down was similar to their standing spinal curve. This prompted a six-day/night follow-up study. Researchers measured brain waves, eye movements, heart rhythm, chin movements, and body temperature overnight in a sleep laboratory. They found that sleep efficiency and deep sleep percentages were higher. The participants also woke up less often when the participant rated the mattress as “comfortable”.
A Spanish study found a connection between higher comfort scores and how well the pressure of a user’s body is distributed over the mattress.
Another study that included 313 adults with chronic low back pain divided participants into two groups. They slept on either a medium-firm or a firm mattress for 90 days. The study found that those on the medium-firm mattress had the best outcomes for pain in bed, pain on rising, and disability.
So after ADDING up ALL these findings, it appears that doctors should recommend a mattress that does not distort the spine, distributes weight evenly, and is medium-firm in density.
