Hi PAFred,
While it’s not really possible to “diagnose” mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns and variables involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) or any “symptoms” they experience … there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
There is also more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
These posts are the “tools” that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your body’s language and “translate” what your body is trying to tell you so you can make the types of changes that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any “symptoms” you are experiencing.
The most common (but not the only) cause for lower back pain is a mattress that is too soft in one way or another and while I don’t have any way to know which configuration will work best for your back pain (each person is different) … with the new layer you would have 4 configurations to try to see which of them is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP. Your 4 options would be your zoned core with the medium latex on top (which is the one you are currently using), the same configuration with the medium layer underneath the zoned core, your new firmer layer on top of the zoned core, and your firmer layer underneath the zoned core.
The only way to know which of these would help most with your back pain the most would be by comparing your sleeping experience and your “symptoms” on each of them. I would probably start with your current configuration upside down (with the medium layer under the zoned core) so that you can try it while you are waiting for the firmer layer. I would also make sure to try any new combination for a few days at least so that you have a chance to identify any consistent patterns in your experience because your experience for just a single night or two can often be an anomaly or the result of your body adjusting to the change itself.
It’s very unlikely that the lanoodles topper will have any effect one way or the other on your back pain on any of the configurations so you would most likely be “safe” keeping it on all of your configurations…
If you are a back sleeper then sleeping with a pillow under your knees can certainly help to decompress the spine and help with lower back pain. The wedge would be higher than the pillow but the only way to know whether it will work better for you than a pillow will once again be based on your own personal experience because there really isn’t a way to predict for certain how any product will affect any specific person’s back pain. It may also be worth considering a thicker pillow or even two pillows to raise your legs a little higher to see if that makes a difference as well.
Phoenix