SOME people can doze off anywhere. But generally, most of us are used to having a good or fairly comfortable bed (or mattress) for a good night’s sleep. Then again, a good mattress not only allows us to sleep better, it also does our back a favour, so to speak. If we sleep on a good mattress, we are less likely to end up with a backache or low back pain.
Studies show that a proper mattress can help to provide back pain relief and improve sleep quality in people with low back pain, says orthopaedic surgeon Dr Siow Yew Siong.(source: The Star) He explains: “A good mattress provides support for the natural curves and alignment of the spine. Sleeping on the wrong mattress can cause or worsen low back pain.”
“Lack of support from a mattress reinforces poor sleeping posture, strains muscles, and does not help keep the spine in alignment, all of which can cause low back pain,” says Dr Siow, in his recent talk on Back Pain And Care. He was speaking at the global launch of the new Dunlopillo Florelle CollectionofTalasilver Latex mattresses.
Better backs
A study found that medium-firm mattresses provide patients with better back support and comfort and more back pain relief than firm mattresses. In a trial involving 313 adults with chronic lower back pain and backache (The Lancet, 2003), patients who slept on medium-firm mattresses reported reduced back pain than those who slept on firm mattresses. Sleeping on a mattress that is too hard, the study found, exerts additional pressure on the back, resulting in more back pain for some patients.Another randomised study (in 2008) compared back-conforming mattresses (waterbed and foam) with a firm mattress.
Dr Siow says: “Those who slept on conforming mattresses had less back pain and improved sleep and there were higher dropout rates for those assigned to the firm mattress.“The curves of our bodies and the arch of our bone structures are unique to us. If we continue to sleep on too hard or too soft mattresses, in the long run, it will re-configure the formation of our bone, which will cause us great discomfort in the form of body aches, back pain, and spinal disorders.”
Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment, reveals Dr Siow. About 80% of people, at some point, have back pain that interferes with work, routine daily activities, or recreation. Acute low back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks while chronic low back pain can last more than three months. Most acute back pain, Dr Siow says, “is the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis”.
Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, housework or gardening, or a sudden jolt, such as a car accident. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility, or an inability to stand straight.
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