DH has v bad back - will a memory mattress help?

[MamaGettingBitey]

or would we be better with an ortho one?

looking at this one

or

possibly this?

[MamaGettingBitey]

.

[morningpaper]

I would ask his physio

It really depends on what the problem is

To be honest unless you have a very soft mattress I would doubt any of this would make much difference

Is it different when you sleep in other beds?

For the money there are probably better ways to spend it - i.e. one-on-one Pilates sessions

[MamaG]

He's seeing his phsyio next week, he could ask her then I suppose.

We just spent 5 days at his parents house and DH slept on their spare sofa - no back pain! We thought it might be the bed? Its not masively soft, but it is pretty old and has indentations where we've laid (the mattress, that is)

[drosophila]

How bad a back?

I have a lot of experience in bad backs (one slipped disc and SI joint dysfunction)

See a good physio and look into MBT trainers. Expensive but helping me at the moment.

[MamaG]

(thanks MP!)

[bambino1]

Hi! we have just invested in a memory foam mattress for the same reasonand it is fantastic.
I rave about it to everyone and has definatly helped dh get a better night sleep.
We purchased ours from www.trusleep.com Fantastic company and reasonable prices.

[MamaG]

Dros, GP told him today he thinks he has a trapped sciatic nerve

[drosophila]

I have had conversations with physios about mattresses and they always say not too soft and not too hard. Not sure what that means. I lay on on eof the memory ones in the shop and I just knew it would not be good for me. I ended up buying an expensive medium pocket sprung mattress and it is ok but I suspect there may be better out there. Go to a good bed shop and take a lot of time lying on the mattresses.

[MamaG]

Thats a good idea D, will do. Bambino, thanks for that link I'll look into them

[drosophila]

I had sciatic nerve pain due to slipped disc and I can honestly tell you that Pilates (taught by my physio) was my saviour.

It is incredibly painful, worse than child birth ( I have had drug free birth - not out of choice). When I used to stand up the pain was soooo bad I would grab a spindle on the stairs oooo hard I permanently dislodged the spindle.

[ELF1981]

DH's granddad had a terrible back and brought one of those soft memory foam mattresses. Within weeks they'd taken it back, his back was worse and his wife was getting pains in her hips.

[drosophila]

If he can have a bath then I would also recommend a hot bath with Epsom Salts. Very good for stiffness.

[drosophila]

Epsom Salts a long forgotten remedy:


Epsom Salt softens the skin, soothes aches, reduces swelling, inflammations, exfoliates the skin, removes odors, draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, relaxes the muscles, provides relief from joint soreness and arthritic pain, and is a natural emollient. Unlike other salts, it does not leave the skin feeling dry. On the contrary, Epsom Salt leaves the skin with a soft and silky texture.
Add 2 cups of Epsom Salt to warm bathwater for a luxurious, relaxing, and soothing experience for the mind and body. While soaking, try massaging some of the salts over your skin, this will help to exfoliate and cleanse the skin. For sore feet, add ½ cup of Epsom Salt to a large pot of water. Essential oils, such as Lavender or Rosemary, may be added to enhance relaxation and medicinal effects. Epsom Salt can also be used in compresses to sooth bruises, sprains, insect bites, draw out splinters, and to alleviate muscle soreness. To make a compress, dissolve 2 cups of Epsom Salt in hot water, and use this mixture for your compress.

[MamaG]

BAmbino, did your DH have sciatica?

[MamaG]

Dros, his GP told him not to have baths - he said it would put his back in an awkward position or something

[bambino1]

No he has got a permanent curvature to his spine caused by weight lifting in his teens. It is being helped with physio but mattress was recommended to help as well.

[drosophila]

I couldn't get into a bath when the sciatic was very bad. I think it was something to do with the nerve being very tight and sitting into a bath stretching it.