I have severe scoliosis (curvature of spine), archanoiditis (nerve damage), and 7 other spinal issues. This has made finding a good mattress a life long battle.I am kinda on the heavy side also 249 pounds. I have tried every kind of mattress and topper I could afford in a search to get comfortable while laying on it. I am now bedridden due to all these spinal issues. I am considering a latex mattress. I have not had this kind before. A regular spring mattress has not been comfortable for years. We had a Tempur-Pedic one. I don’t remember the exact name of it. We bought it in 2007, and it was extremely firm. I laid on it while bedridden for the first 1 and half years. Then it developed a dip under my pelvic area. I had to move to a hospital bed, and the physical therapist picked the mattress topper combo I have now. I have had it 1 year and it has FAILED!! It is a polyfoam 5 inch mattress with a 3 inch gel in the middle with foam edges topper. There is a HUGE hole where my pelvis lays, and bumps everywhere else. We rotate it once a week just to try to get it to last until I can figure out what to buy now.
Because the Tempur-Pedic helped relieve the pressure of joint pain, and some of the spine pain, but did sink in the pelvic area. I think a latex mattress would be the best for me. I am debating between 2, and need some help PLEASE. The mattress will be going on a Leggett and Placket adjustable base that we are purchasing around the same time. The two I debating between are both by Dreamfoam Bedding. The first one is the 10 inch Natural Latex Mattress. It has the 2.35 pound foam core and a 3 inch Dunlop comfort layer with a bamboo soy based cover. Chuck told me this one is extremely firm. That is my concern with this one. I am also concerned about my weight with this one, and it bottoming out in the pelvic area after a short period of time. Does anyone know if bottoming out would be a concern with this one, and how long did it take?
The second one is the 10 inch Total Latex Mattress. You can choose the core, and I’m not sure if I should make it dunlop or talalay 36ILD or 32ILD? It has the wool cover on the mattress. The mattresses I have bought in the past have had a firmness of either a 5 or a 4. I have read lots of reviews that say this firmness is a little too firm in the latex type mattress. So, should I make it a little softer than the spring and memory foam I have had in the past, or make it the same firmness?
As you all know buying a mattress online is a daunting task. I would like to thank the mattress underground for making it a lot easier, and giving us all the ability to ask lots of questions before we make the purchase.
MJ13,
I sent you a PM. I have arachnoiditis as well as well as a bunch of other back stuff. We tried a Tempurpedic and that helped but we couldn’t handle the odor. We are now testing latex and are going to Sleep EZ today for visit #2. I am hoping for some relief as well. I have tried latex from 4 other places here in the Phoenix area and am probably going to go with Sleep EZ. No pressure just good education. You may want to call and speak with Shawn there, he is very helpful and knowledgeable. I can’t suggest layers or not, but I am a bit overwhelmed by it all.
Good luck. Arachnoiditis sucks! I am meeting with my back doctor to schedule my 6th back surgery - oh joy!!!
Doug
Hi MJ13,
I’m sorry to hear of all the challenges you are facing … and as you know it will make finding a mattress that works well for you (at least “most of the time” because there may not be a perfect solution that works all of the time) much more difficult.
The process though will be the same as someone that doesn’t have any health challenges because regardless of the specific health conditions or circumstances that are unique to each person … the goal is always to find a mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP and that uses good quality durable materials so that your mattress doesn’t soften or break down prematurely which can lead to the loss of comfort and support which was the reason you bought it in the first place.
Because of your higher weight and the length of time you spend on your mattress … it will be more important to make sure that any mattress you decide on uses good quality and durable materials regardless of which type you prefer. All types of materials have lower quality and less durable versions and higher quality more durable versions. You can’t “feel” the quality or durability of materials in a mattress because lower quality and higher quality materials can feel the same initially but they don’t maintain their feel and performance for nearly as long. There is more about the many factors that can affect the relative durability and the useful life of a mattress in post #4 here and the posts it links to. Post #3 here and the posts it links to also has much more useful information that may be helpful for those in heavier weight ranges.
The first place I would begin in case you haven’t read it yet is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you can use to make the best possible choices … and know how to avoid the worst ones.
I’m not sure if you are able to do some local research to test different types of mattresses and materials to see which ones you prefer but if that’s possible it’s always the best idea so you can have a better sense of which materials and types of mattresses you tend to prefer … regardless of where you end up buying from.
If local testing isn’t possible … then the tutorial post also has links to some of the better online options that I’m aware of and of course Dreamfoam and their sister company Brooklyn Bedding is one of these.
I would be aware that memory foam and latex are very different materials and are more different than they are similar. You can read more about the differences between them in post #2 here but your actual testing or experience is the most reliable way to know which one you prefer or tends to work best for your specific circumstances.
Bottoming out only happens when the entire mattress is too thin for someone’s body weight and you “go through” the entire mattress and can feel too much of the firm support system underneath the mattress which isn’t likely to happen with either of the mattresses that you are considering. What can happen though is that it can “feel like” you are bottoming out if you “go through” the comfort layers too much and can feel too much of the firmness of the support layers underneath it … even though you aren’t actually bottoming out (the mattress is still able to compress more than it is). You can read a little more about this in post #7 here.
You can also read more about the benefits of an all latex mattress vs a latex polyfoam hybrid in post #2 here.
Neither of the options you are considering have any “weak links” in terms of quality and durability but when you haven’t tested a mattress in person then the exchange or return options that are available to you may be a much more important part of your personal value equation.
The choice between Dunlop and Talalay is a personal preference and not a “better worse” choice. Post #7 here has more about the differences between them but once again the most reliable way to know which one you prefer is your own personal experience. It’s also true that Dunlop gets firmer faster when you compress it more deeply so it can “feel” firmer than the same ILD of Talalay in the same thickness but this depends on how deeply the layer is compressed. In some cases where it is only compressed to a small percentage of its thickness it can feel softer as well but this isn’t the norm.
As you can also read in mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the knowledge and experience along with the help and guidance of the retailer or manufacturer you are dealing with is by far the best way to choose which mattress or layer combination has the highest odds of success for you (along with the ability to make changes after a purchase). They will know more about their mattresses and how well they may “match” different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences based on the experiences of other customers that appear to have have some similarities to you than anyone else.
Of course each person is unique so the “best judgement” of a manufacturer or retailer in combination with the more detailed information you have provided them when you talk with them doesn’t always turn out to be the best choice which is why the options you have after a purchase and the possibility of needing an exchange would be something I would always factor in to any online purchase. Your own experience on a mattress can sometimes be surprising and different from what any “theory at a distance” or even the best guidance predicted.
There is no standardized firmness ratings between different mattress manufacturers and firmness and softness itself is subjective and relative to each person so one manufacturers firmness ratings for their mattresses may be different from another. There are also different types of firmness/softness that have very different meanings that each person may be more or less sensitive to compared to the more subjective “overall firmness” of a mattress (see post #15 here).
I also think that with your circumstances and challenges that an adjustable bed would be a very good option to have and post #3 here and the adjustable bed thread that it links to may be useful in making your choice.
Phoenix
I think the reply was for MJ13.
Hope you are doing ok. We went to Sleep EZ. You might want to give Jeremy a call also. He is very knowledgeable and helpful.
Hi krnndug,
Oops … your right … thank you 
I’ve edited the post.
Phoenix