small, thin, with back and hip pain, desperate for comfortable mattress

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
1

Hi,

I desperately need good advice on how to solve a problem with a difficult combination of a need for extreme pressure relief as well as support. I’m a 38 y.o., 5’2" and 102 lbs with very pronounced lumbar curve. I’m a mostly side sleeper, occassional back sleeper. I was always healthy, active, comfortable most anywhere, but slept on a very firm spring mattress with a feather topper for comfort. That is until several yrs ago when I developed a nerve entrapment in my right leg (which makes it extremely sensitive to pressure), and later developed instability in my pelvis (which among other things causes pain in my hips when lying on my sides).

I then switched the feather topper to a very soft 2" memory foam topper, which helped with the pressure on my leg and less hip pain when in bed. Since then I have developed disabling spine problems (lower and mid) and am more often out of alignment than not (not necessarily because of the mattress, but possibly a contributing factor). I spend most of my time in bed, so support and being comfortable is critical.

I suspected the mattress was not ideal for me, so I tried out a tempurpedic contour signature and loved it in the store. I felt weightless, and pressure was almost non-existent. However, when I received it, it was painfully firm. Tempur-pedic told me it needed breaking in, but I couldn’t tolerate laying on it, and had to put the old soft topper on it. That arrangement was comfortable and seemed more supportive than the old spring and topper combo. My family walked and lounged on it and 5 months later it has softened up some, but it still hurts my hips to lay on my side. The support is great at first, but as it warms and softens, my hips sink in and my emaciated legs stay on the surface- an alignment disaster. Tempur-pedic told me that a lower density softer foam would be better for me since I am so lightweight. I tried the Cloud supreme and it felt a lot softer, less pressure points, but my lower back did not feel supported enough.

My daughter has a LifeKind Euro medium-firm latex mattress, which feels too hard (pressure on my hips and shoulder, and doesn’t conform to my lower back even when liying on my back (very curvy lower back)). My husband has a Habitat Furnishings 6" dunlop/2" talalay latex mattress, which is softer and conforms better to me, but doesn’t have the soft plush feel on the surface that I like. It also feels a little too “rubbery” when you move on it.

The tempur-pedic got pretty hot in the night, so I tried some icomforts. I liked the feel of the soft foam on top. The savant and Epic had good pressure relief. I had not read the tips on ths site about evaluatng for support before I tried them, but from what I can remember, the Epic did not feel supportive.

Are there any places local to central Massachusetts where I can try something that would be good for me? Can you offer any recommendation for what kinds of things I should be looking for? Do you have any suggestions for some widely-available mainstream mattresses I can test?

Sorry for the long post. I hope you can help.

Thanks,
Desperate

2

Hi desperate,

In case you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start with any mattress search is post #1 here which has the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best choices along with links to some of the forum posts you may find most helpful.

Post #2 here has more about how to make the most suitable design choices and links to some of the theory involved but these are just generic suggestions and are not specific to any person. I focus much more on helping with “how” to choose rather than “what” to choose and there are no specific mattresses I would recommend because there are too many individual preferences, variables, and unknowns to make any kind of specific suggestions based on specs alone out of the many thousands of mattresses that are available. To me a mattress is just a combination of layers, materials, and components that together are more or less suitable for the needs and preferences of each person. I would generally tend to avoid mainstream mattresses though and work with smaller manufacturers or sleep shops that have the knowledge and experience to help you make the most suitable suitable choices and tend to have much higher quality and better value than most mainstream manufacturers or stores.

In cases like yours … outside of working with experts … zoning may also be a worthwhile approach to consider because of your lighter weight and your pronounced lumbar curve. Post #11 here may help with understanding how zoning works although there may also be some non zoned designs that also work well so I wouldn’t “lock in” to a zoned design and would use your personal testing more than any “theory” as being the most important factor in your choice.

Some links to some of the forum lists that include the better options and possibilities in the general Massachusetts area I’m aware of and some links to feedback about some of them as well are in post #2 here.

In more complex situations like yours … who you deal with and their level of knowledge and expertise can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.

Phoenix