Anyone with SI Joint issues ?

Hello !

First of all, I would like to thank Phoenix for the amazing information on this site and this forum.

I’ve had SI Joint issues for a few years now, following an injury. While it never got worse, it also never got better. After trying a ton of things, I realized during the past few months, that my bed is making things worse. Turning in bed hurts, I wake up with my whole lower back sore, and I had to change my pillow for a -much- lower one as I was also getting upper back and neck pain - and that’s new. I can feel the unevenness in my mattress. It’s latex, although I don’t know the details, and 8.5 years old.

So it’s time to change it. I’ve done a ton of reading (again, thanks Phoenix) and visited a few retailers around town. I’m dead set on another full latex mattress (no springs, ever, and I don’t really like memory foam). I’m planning on visiting Flexus tomorrow. I’m interested in their 9" natural latex mattress - and maybe an adjustable bed to go with it as my current one won’t fit American bed sizes.

I’m 5’11", 155lbs, female, side sleeper, don’t move much. I’m heavy but also relatively lean and muscular - which means I’m pretty sensitive to pressure points at the hips. I like a firm mattress with a softer comfort layer - but no plush bed for me. I also sleep alone - most of the time :blush:

I don’t really have a specific question, but I’d love to hear people’s experience with buying a new mattress for this specific issue of SI joint pain. What did you go for, what worked for you, what didn’t ? Especially regarding the layers ? Is there anything I should watch out for ?

Thanks !

Hi p-asadena,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum!.

I don’t know the specifics of your mattress but if you have an “all latex” mattress it’s possible that some of the deeper transition and support layers in your mattress may still be in good condition and it may be worth considering mattress surgery and reusing the deeper layers in your mattress and just adding a new comfort layer (possibly with a new cover). There is more about mattress surgery in post #2 here.

As you probably know flexus is a member of this site which means that I think very highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. You are certainly heading in a good direction.

[quote]I’m 5’11", 155lbs, female, side sleeper, don’t move much. I’m heavy but also relatively lean and muscular - which means I’m pretty sensitive to pressure points at the hips. I like a firm mattress with a softer comfort layer - but no plush bed for me. I also sleep alone - most of the time :blush:

I don’t really have a specific question, but I’d love to hear people’s experience with buying a new mattress for this specific issue of SI joint pain. What did you go for, what worked for you, what didn’t ? Especially regarding the layers ? Is there anything I should watch out for ?[/quote]

Hopefully some of the members here that have SI pain will see your post and share their comments but I would keep in mind that the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), any specific health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).

In other words there isn’t a specific mattress that is “best for SI pain” because each person can be different and a mattress that would be a great choice for one person with SI pain in terms of PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else with SI pain to sleep on because of differences in their body type, sleeping positions, or individual sensitivities and preferences. Just like clothes or shoes … a mattress that fits one person perfectly may not fit someone else at all.

While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful and a forum search on Flexus (you can just click the link) will bring up many more comments and feedback about them … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because again … a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range or have similar health conditions) and reviews in general certainly won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress that would be “best for you” (see post #13 here).

The only thing that I would really trust when it comes to choosing a suitable mattress is your own careful testing and personal experience.

Phoenix

I have SI joint pain that comes and goes and am currently sleeping on a mattress that has standard (as opposed to extra firm) pocketed coils and a 3" firm foam comfort layer. I just bought a component bed that comes with 2 kinds of spring and various foams and that is the combination that feels best to me. I was surprised by that, I really thought that I’d be a firm springs/medium soft foam kind of sleeper but that combo didn’t feel nearly as good to me. I don’t know the physics of it but it works, I guess there is less compression/more support from the comfort layer and a little more compression and support from the springs. So I’d say keeping an open mind about what could work might be a good thing, you might be surprised that something you’d never have considered feels great.

Hi Amity,

I would say that this is very good advice :slight_smile:

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). As you mentioned it can sometimes be very surprising which type of mattress someone does best with in “real life” vs “theory” even if their body type, sleeping style, health conditions, circumstances, or preferences appear on the surface to be similar to someone else.

Phoenix

Hi Pasadena,

After spending much time reading the forum, I have learned not to give any recommendations, one way or the other, specific to mattresses (especially considering I am still looking for a mattress that works well for my own SI Joint inflammation issues), but I can tell you that an adjustable base has personally helped me tremendously with keeping my SI Joint from flaring up, even without having yet found a new mattress. Your mileage may vary, of course, but it may at least be worth looking into. :slight_smile:

Hi TDen,

Thanks for your comments :slight_smile:

I also think that an adjustable bed with slight elevation of the head and/or foot could make a difference in some cases and would be well worth considering (or at least testing in the sleeping positions that someone normally sleeps in) to see if it makes “enough” of a difference to justify the additional cost.

Phoenix

Yes, I would say it’s definitely worth testing. Obviously, a mattress that suits your needs may also be beneficial (perhaps more so), and I know everyone’s own unique circumstances will provide different results, but I’m happy to share my personal experience.

I knew, after only 15 minutes of testing at the store (I sleep mostly on my back, although occasionally on my side) that it would be a worthwhile purchase. As Phoenix said, just a slight elevation of the head and foot was enough to take pressure off of my SI Joint. I can only imagine what result adding the proper mattress might achieve, but in the 3 months I’ve owned my adjustable bed, my SI Joint has gone from excruciating (and debilitating) to most often just a nuisance.

It has also helped two other medical conditions somewhat. I have worn a cast, boot, or brace - most recently, an Arizona (AFO) brace - on my right ankle for the last 15 years. The Arizona brace has evened out my gait, but the damage to my SI Joint was already done. (A Simmons mattress - replaced 3 times under warranty - definitely hasn’t helped). I need to keep my ankle elevated at night to keep the swelling down, which was always such a pain with pillows. I also have a (mild) case of sleep apnea, and although I diligently try to wear a CPAP machine at night, it’s always off by the time I waken. Elevating my head helps with the sleep apnea as well (also a pain with pillows)

One word of caution: I would test mattresses separately from the adjustable bases. Almost any mattress feels more comfortable on an adjustable base!! Also, I was on a very limited budget and didn’t think I could possibly afford an adjustable base. However, since my husband passed away several years ago, and I also now sleep alone, I was able to downsize to a queen. Still, I couldn’t find a base less than around $1,100 locally (before tax and delivery) However, I was able to find a very basic (Serta-branded) Leggett & Platt model on US-Mattress.com for $699 including tax and white-glove setup. Both Sears and Mattress Firm include adjustable bases in their price-matching policies (not that I would recommend buying a mattress from either place, based on what I now know), so I was able to get a queen base for $629, with tax & delivery included, delivered the next day (sometimes Amazon will also have an L&P at around $699 as well - although it may be branded by another company) Be aware, though, that bases are not typically returnable under a trial period, and if they are, you will probably be responsible for the cost to return it.

Mine is a very basic model with none of the bells and whistles (Serta Motion Essentials II), and although USB/AC outlets, built-in Bluetooth, nightlights, massage (basically vibrations), and a backlit wireless remote w/presets might be nice, mine has a very functional wired remote that does everything I need sufficiently. Plus, I’m the type that’s always digging through the blankets looking for the TV remote, so a wired remote is actually a benefit for me, lol.

Good luck in your search for a mattress. I, too, am hoping to find a new mattress that will continue to help alleviate my SI Joint pain. I’d love to purchase an all-latex model, but am not sure my budget will allow it at this time; however, I have learned so much about what to look for in a mattress from reading the detailed articles and forum posts at this site that I’m certain I will find something much better than what I had, at any budget level.

Hi everyone, thank you so much for the replies ! I will read them carefully and respond as soon as I get home :wink:

Unfortunately, this isn’t a mattress with a zipped cover. I would have to cut it open. It’s also an European one, which means it’s a different size than US beds. The two external layers (it’s a dual side) are 3". Changing them, or one of them, would end up costing me half the price of a new mattress, and with a lot of work and aggravation, requiring tools I don’t have to sew it back, while only giving me a few years.
The base is still good for a couple of years, though, so I haven’t 100% decided yet if I’m going to change it now or just the mattress. The size is close enough to a queen that I could use it for a while.

I know. I have tested a few and will choose based on that. But reading other people’s experiences helps.

Thanks for the thoughtful, and as usual, extensive answer.

Hi Amity, thank you. This is exactly what I’m “afraid” of. I’m trying to keep an open mind when testing, but I’m always afraid that whatever I choose, I will choose based on my own prejudices and a 15 minutes test and it might feel entirely different than a whole night or a week or two. Return policies are important for that reason. So far my tests have confirmed that I do indeed like a firmer mattress and not one I can sink in - but… but… buying a new bed is a scary experience !

Hi TDen,

Thank you so much. This is exactly what I was looking for. I was going to only change the mattress, then I found out adjustable bases are not as expensive as I thought they were, and I’m now also looking at them - although I’m not 100% decided yet. If I do change the base, which I think is a good idea, I will go for an adjustable one.

My parents have one and I love it for a few reasons that kind of mirror yours. My legs tend to swell after a long day at work and nothing feels better than elevating them, which, as you say, is a pain with pillows. Regarding my back, it would allow me to sleep on my back sometimes, which I like but can’t do on a flat bed (this isn’t due to my SI Joint issue, but just plain morphology).

It’s also really cool for reading in bed :stuck_out_tongue:

[/quote][quote]

Mine is a very basic model with none of the bells and whistles (Serta Motion Essentials II), and although USB/AC outlets, built-in Bluetooth, nightlights, massage (basically vibrations), and a backlit wireless remote w/presets might be nice, mine has a very functional wired remote that does everything I need sufficiently. Plus, I’m the type that’s always digging through the blankets looking for the TV remote, so a wired remote is actually a benefit for me, lol.
[/quote]

Ahah, yes. I’ve looked at them and the bells and whistles made me shake my head. Like you, I think a wired remote is a huge plus. The only feature I can think of that may be useful is the wall hugging thing, but it’s clearly not a convenience worth several hundreds of dollars.

I know someone who has a massage bed with two settings. Vibrations ? Can’t feel them on a 10" mattress. Waves ? They just move you around and again, not really worth it with a think mattress. Plus I’m not sure that’s very good for the mattress either !

I went to Flexus today. I have to say, it’s a very nice change from other bed stores. The owner is extremely nice, welcoming and helpful. No hard sell at all. I didn’t have many questions as I basically knew what I wanted, but other people were there and between all of us, all questions were answered, even those I didn’t know I had.

The showroom is extremely small, but that is also a welcome change. I tried a couple of configurations, and settled on a 9" firm-firm-medium. I probably would have gone with a firm comfort layer if they had had them, but they don’t. So it does feel quite a bit softer than what I currently have, but after spending like 10 minutes on it, the support felt perfect. I could feel that the firm bottom and middle layers were doing their job. As I said, the comfort layer is much softer than what I’m used to, but its still comfortable, and I figured the force of habit also plays a role there. I went for it, reassured by their very good exchange or return policy. Let’s hope it works out.

It’s funny that he was actually surprised that I said it was much more “cloudy” than my current mattress, and everybody else was going for soft top layer. Oh well, I suppose my European genes are showing.

It’s important to note that this was still the most comfortable mattress I’ve tried during my (admittedly short) search. All the others were way too soft for me and/or not supportive enough.

I also got a Reverie 3E base. Can’t wait to play with it :lol:

Hi pasadena,

Congratulations on your new mattress … and adjustable :slight_smile:

As you mentioned your definition of “cloud like” may be a little different from others that prefer a softer top layer but all that matters is that it feels “cloud like” to you.

You certainly made a great quality/value choice and I’m looking forward to your feedback once you’ve received it and have had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.

Phoenix