Mattresses come in a range of types according to your needs and wants. But there is one type of mattress that is specifically designed to help provide support for your spine and joints. An orthopaedic mattress. Hence why it could be called the healthy choice.
Orthopaedic, according to the Collins English dictionary, means ‘relating to problems affecting peoples joints and spines’ and is considered the ‘branch of medicine dealing with the correction of deformities of bones or muscles’.
Orthopaedic mattresses therefore are designed to support the joints, back and overall body, by offering targeted, tailored support.
They can be made from a range of materials and may or may not contain springs. As a result they can be found in different firmness’s although generally they would be considered ‘quite firm’. This is also the type of mattress most likely recommended by medical professionals for people with back or joint pain and is a major favourite of people looking to buy a bed or mattress online
Top Benefits Of An Orthopaedic Mattress
Great Support
As these mattresses are designed with support in mind it means that support, especially for those achy limbs and sore back, is going to be top notch.
Balanced Weight Distribution
Your bodyweight spreads evenly with a good orthopaedic mattress which helps alleviate the build-up of pressure on your joints and spine.
Healthy Posture
As this mattress is designed with support in mind it helps you retain the correct posture when sleeping and helps relieve the stresses put on your body throughout the day.
Orthopaedic mattresses provide a lot of support and pressure relief which in turn helps to reduce your aches and pains. It can help with back and joint pain by promoting good posture alignment and pressure relief.
Is An Orthopaedic Mattress Right For You?
Traditionally Doctors would have recommended an orthopaedic mattress for anyone suffering from back or joint pain as they tend to be that little bit more firm and offer more support.
However, that doesn’t mean that an orthopaedic mattress is right for everyone. As they tend to be firmer than most mattresses they might be too firm for your body weight and end us causing more harm than good.
If it is a firm or extra firm type of mattress that you need or want then an orthopaedic mattress would be the most suitable choice.
The important thing when choosing your mattress is getting the right level of firmness and comfort for you. You can even talk to an online orthopaedic mattress expert to help you figure that out.
Beyond an expert in orthopedic mattresses, it can be worth your while to get the opinion of an actual orthopedic surgeon in Freehold. Medical practitioners are going to have a little more background than most experts selling mattresses, for the same reason that an IT professional who designs technology hardware has more insight into, say, a smartphone than a salesman. The IT professional works with the devices day in and day out at a hands-on level, whereas the salesperson just tries to assure all the “bases” are covered for a sale. So though the opinion of an orthopedic mattress expert is quite valuable, if you’re still not sure, consulting a surgeon who specializes in this field will help you get a more well-rounded perspective on such a purchase. Oftentimes, these mattresses are just what you need. However, there are times when such a route isn’t quite right.
Changing Your Mattress
The Sleep Council recommends you change your mattress at least once every seven years as ‘after seven years a mattress has been subjected to over 20,000 hours of wear and tear’ and because ‘we lose half a pint of fluid each night and shed a pound of dead skin cells a year’. Sounds pretty gruesome when you look at it like that. But people are people and we tend to leave things a bit longer than we should.
For an orthopaedic mattress it is even more important that you stick to that 7 year advice. Your mattress may feel fine but over the years it is sure to have weakened and changed the amount of beneficial support it was giving you. Springs may be less supportive. The mattress slightly mis-shaped. Little things that add up to a poor sleeping experience and added stresses on your body.
The longer you leave replacing it the more likely your back and joint pains may reappear or increase. Like any piece of functional equipment you want your mattress to be functioning at its absolute best.
