Before you even consider purchasing a mattress for a patient undergoing spinal fusion surgery its important that you understand what doctors and chiropractors recommend. Its essential that you understand that a patient undergoing spinal fusion surgery cannot sleep on their stomach. Side sleeping is less painful and back sleepers require that they maintain a posture. Side sleepers should be careful that they don’t roll on to their back in their sleep and most importantly the posture is key.
Common Conditions Which Require a Specialized Mattress
Recommended Mattress Types For any of the listed conditions vary from the severity of the condition itself and the treatment the patient is currently undergoing. If the patient has undergone a recent surgery, Consider a medium firm Mattress with an adjustable base.
The Saatva is one of the best mattress , specialized in treating Spinal Problems and is the most recommended. Other mattresses we recommend include, Spine Align mattress and Latex for less.
According to Studies its recommended that patients who have undergone Spinal fusion surgery either sleep on their sides or Back. For those who prefer to sleep on their sides, it’s recommended to place a pillow between their legs and place one knee ahead of the other and not on top of another. Also use a pillow to rest your head and never place your hands, for it creates extra tension. For those who prefer to sleep on their back, roll a pillow and keep it under the knee for better support. Ensure that your hips and knees are bent. Also try to keep your upper body slightly elevated. Use a pillow for neck and head support and never your hands even though it feels very comfortable. An adjustable mattress with the right frame should be a great option for back sleepers.
A firm or medium firm mattress is your best option. A soft mattress will sink you in and is not recommended at all. A medium mattress is recommended for side sleepers and a firm one for those who prefer to sleep on their backs.
Napping during days will create a problem with your sleeping cycle. Good rest is important to healing and when you are not in medication for pain, avoid sleeping during days. This will ensure that you get a better sleep and rest during the nights. It also promotes better healing and overall health.
No matter how good your mattress, certain small changes can go a great way in the healing. For instance, getting in and out of bed should never be made in a haste. Take your time, roll over and get help to move out or in to bed. Avoid any fast or hasty movements after your surgery.
There are three major kinds of mattresses these days. The memory foam, the spring / coil mattress and last of all the Latex mattress. The memory foam mattress is usually not the best product when it comes to back surgery. Memory foam mattress are great to sleep on but have a few drawbacks. To begin with, it’s a bit too hot. For a person who would need to spend nearly the entire day on bed, Sleeping hot is not a good thing to happen. Coil mattress on the other hand have a memory foam layer to make it comfortable and is more breathable. Coil mattress helps maintain a good temperature in bed. Also Coil mattress are known to give patients a better support. Latex mattress is one of the best options when it comes to heat retention.
Apart from the type of mattress its equally important to know what goes into the mattress itself. Organic foam, sheets and the quality of the coils are all important. It should be important to clean the covers so a removable cover is very important. Also make sure that your mattress is designed to be allergy free. Dust , Sweat and moisture can create long term problems for those who spend their entire day in bed. Organic Latex, Cotton etc does go a great way and is not often a gimmick.
While some of the mattresses come with a “Chiropractor Approved” or a “Doctors Recommended” Advertisement tag, beware of these options. Some of these mattresses are simply marketed this way for better sales. Its important to check out the quality of the mattress before you go ahead and buy them. A trial period of at least 5-10 days would be a great addition.
Overall, A Spring Coil mattress which is medium firm or Firm (based on your sleep position preference) is your safest option when it comes to back surgery recovery. Add it to an adjustable base and you may go a great way to recover and fast.
Soft mattresses are clearly off the list when it comes to post surgery. This also includes pillow top mattress which gives you a plush soft feel. A mattress after a spinal surgery needs to be either firm or medium firm. A firm mattress for those who prefer to sleep on their back and a medium firm for side sleepers are recommended. Its important that you don’t sink into the mattress at any point of time, yet feel comfortable to spend almost the entire day in bed for weeks. Soft mattresses often retain heat, sink you in and creates problems in posture. This is not recommended post suregery.
A firm mattress is the best option for back sleepers but for those who sleep on their sides, it often creates problem. People complain of stiff legs or hands on a firm mattress when they sleep on their sides. A Medium firm mattress could be the most comfortable option for side sleepers. And sleeping on your sides is recommended post surgery. It’s the #1 option and recommended by chiropractors.
For those who sleep on their back, a firm mattress or even a medium firm mattress is good. Never a soft mattress. Its also recommended that you use an adjustable base with your mattress for back sleepers to keep your upper body elevated.
Its also important to know the persons size / weight when purchasing a mattress. While a lighter person may feel a medium firm mattress to be firm enough, a heavier person may sink into the mattress and he may feel it to be soft. The heavier the person, the firmer the bed needs to be. Its one of the reasons why most chiropractors recommend a firm mattress. Its safe for everyone, if you let go of the small inconvenience in comfort levels. But if you can take your time to test your mattress, you will find the perfect fit.
As per a detailed study conducted by Medical Professionals its stated to use a Medium firm mattress for better pain relief. There was no difference in recovery of the patient in both mattresses. To know more of the study download the pdf at
http://acpjc.acponline.org/Content/pdf/ACPJC-2004-141-1-012.pdf
Can a chiropractic mattress make the pain worse after surgery?
Chances are that they will not make your pain worse. Chiropractic mattresses are not really comfortable if you buy them off the shelf. Most of these mattresses are usually firm or medium firm. For those who are not used to firm mattresses, it does make sleep a bit more inconvenient. But when it comes to post spinal surgery, firm and medium firm mattresses are recommended for a lot of reasons. To being with, its easier to turn around in a firm mattress as compared to a soft mattress. Firm mattress are more breathable, avoiding you sleeping hot. You sweat less and there are lesser chances of allergies, rashes etc. With a soft mattress, though it may be very comfortable for you to sleep on, its harder to turn around after a surgery. You sink in, and it creates stiffness, which is surely a bad thing after a surgery. Chances of you sweating, sleeping hot is very high with a soft mattress.
There is a small inconvenience with a chiropractic mattress. Its firm, often termed hard. IT sometimes causes problems with circulation to your limbs. But overall, a chiropractic mattress helps keep your spine straight with the right support (pillows between your legs and for neck and head). As compared to a soft mattress, a chiropractic mattress will usually go a long long way for post surgery .
And what you need not really worry about is the “Chiropractor Certified” or the “Doctors recommended” Advertisement gimmick. A Great mattress may or may not come with a recommendation from a doctor, but surely comes with the above requirements.
If you mattress is good, then you should not worry about purchasing a new one at all. Is your mattress firm, adjustable and keeps you cool for hours together? Chances are you can use the same mattress and you don’t need to buy a new one. But if you mattress is soft, then its surely not recommended for a patient who has just undergone surgery. Its better to purchase a new mattress than to suffer more. The discomfort of a mattress will be seen after hours or even minutes after the person sets themselves on the mattress. While some may be ok with the pain, they wont last for more than a day and if they do, the effects of the recovery will be slow and sometimes not really good.
Be safe and get a new mattress if you think , even remotely that the mattress is not a good fit.
If you are suffering from lower back pain or have undergone surgery due to
We recommend some of the best mattresses today that you can buy online.
Ah, the never-ending saga of mattress and back pain!!!! It is difficult to sleep with back pain as it is and after the spinal surgery, it is almost unthinkable to have a comfortable sleep at night. The spinal fusion patients need as much rest as possible. But they get the rest they are due for. The answer is NO if the mattress is wrong and YES if the bed is of the right comforting. Read on to know all about Ideal Mattress For Spinal Fusion Patients or the best mattress for patients post-surgery.
I suffer from bad back, and I was looking for a new mattress that comforts by back. There I came across this spinal fusion surgery. I had no idea what that was all about? So I dug deeper and found this shocking fact that back pain that prolongs for more than a few months could lead to this situation. I sure didn’t want that to happen.
A bad back is, well, a bad back. The variations occur according to the severity. In the case of the spinal fusion patients, or those recovering from back surgery, a supportive mattress that provides ample rest and sleep is highly essential. Any bed that is good for back pain should do the trick to them as well. These types of mattresses will provide the right spinal alignment. They also offer a perfect cradling needed for the body for recovery. Better sleep is inevitable in those cases that naturally lead to rest that heals all the injuries. That’s the theory.
Does all those back pain to relieve mattress supply what they promise to? The answer is, almost all of them. There also are certain types of mattresses like the Tempurpedic mattress that is widely rejected by the spinal fusion patients. Those mattresses are said to be uncomfortable and making the pain worse.
Now comes the ideal mattress for Spinal Fusion Patients or for those who recover from back surgery. They are the adjustable beds with mattresses, good old memory foam mattress, sleep numbers, and other hybrid mattresses that have medium-firm comfort. Even the futon mattress could work if you are comfortable with the firmness. The ideal choice of best mattress is entirely dependent on the user as the comfort level of each differs.Adjustable beds: The whole idea of resting after the spinal fusion surgery is to get the pressure off the spine. The adjustable beds can elevate the upper body slightly or as much needed. Having a pillow under the knees then would keep the spine straight and at ease. This position would be comforting to many especially those who prefer sleeping on their back. This type would come handy to those patients who prefer to sit on a reclining chair than lying down on the bed. Hence, it is termed No.1 when it comes to the ideal mattress for Spinal Fusion Patients.[Sleep numbers: The Sleep number mattress can adjust the comfort level of it for the sleeper. The spinal surgery is a real pain, and the comfort level might even change from time to time or day by day. Sleep numbers will be the answer if that is the case with you. If you find yourself uncomfortable in the middle of the night adjust the comfort level. The different sleeping position would also need different comfort levels and this sleep number would be beneficial. One piece of advice is to buy the sleep number from a store that has a trial period offer attached to it. In case the patient finding it rather uncomfortable, there is no loss of money.
Memory foam mattress is the most sought-after type for all kinds of lower back problems. My research (googling!) revealed that majority of the people prefer a memory foam mattress over the other types. It went even to a hard plywood bed and a thin memory foam mattress that was found comfortable. Memory foam can cradle the body ideally in the way it needs. The only point to consider here is the that the bed should not be too soft or too firm. Though there are people, who prefer the hard firm mattress that might need to change after the spinal fusion surgery.[Futon mattress with its firmness also gets a few votes from the users. As said earlier it is entirely the patient’s comfort that matters.Update: The Sleep Ovation mattress is 700 Tiny mattress in one. It places right pressure on the right places, giving you a good sleep and also a great response to pain in your back, especially the spinal area. The company guarantees results for people who are suffering back problemsMemory foam pad can also work for some. Lay a memory foam padding over the existing mattress. If that is comfortable, there is no need for a new mattress. The pad should be of even surfaces with no fancy designs.
The spinal fusion is major surgery, and the recovery is a slow process. It takes weeks or even months to get back to the better definition of normalcy. Even after the recovery, one must also be careful not to injure the back once again. What is the solution? A comfortable mattress!
It may take a few weeks to know the character of the new mattress that is why it is recommended to go for the one with a trial period to know it well. If there is no discomfort during the initial few weeks, there shouldn’t be any problems later.
Simply using the comfortable mattress, getting enough sleep and exercises are not all. There is also the right way to get up from the bed. Turning on the side, slowly get up using your hand firm on the mattress. Gently push yourself up. Never be in a hurry to get up from the bed.
There is also no ideal sleeping position for spinal fusion patients. They can sleep in any position they want like. A bigger bed or mattress than needed would be better to allow room.Check out the latest study on Firm and medium firm mattress, how it affects your recovery and a lot more at
fhttps://www.mscs.dal.ca/~field/stat5990/lancet.pdf
Jump To