Is back pain a sign that you need a new mattress?

If you’re waking up every morning with a sore and stiff back it can be a sign that you need a new mattress. As your mattress gets older, the foam and springs supporting your back loose their resistance to your body’s weight, in doing so, the mattress looses its ability to keep your back straight, which can cause back pains.

Overly soft mattresses can also cause back pains. A soft mattress that lacks in support can cause the lower part of your spine to strain. There’s a natural curve in the lower, lumbar area of the spine, (the sacrum and coccyx area) this curve needs to keep its curved position, if your mattress doesn’t provide enough resistance under this region the natural curve will ‘straighten out’ resulting in pain.

Memory foams can also cause back pains. Visco-elastic memory foams do not provide any resistance to your body, and while this can be beneficial when it comes to relieving pressure points, it also means that the lack of resistance risks forming a crocked back, especially if you have a bad posture to begin with. The other problem with memory foam is the sensation many people have of feeling trapped within the mattress, hence, changing positions on a memory foam mattress requires a certain amount of force, which can sometimes result in strained or pulled muscles.

Don’t forget that the purpose of your mattress is to keep your back straight. This doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice comfort, it only means that your mattress needs to have a perfect balance of comfort and support for YOUR body.

It is possible to manufacture an orthopaedic mattress with memory foams, and springs and latex, as long as all of these components work together to keep your back straight.

Many different things, of course, can cause back pain: lack of exercise, being overweight, and a bad posture will always eventually cause back pains.