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October 3, 2011 - 10:43am
Should I expect any benefit from a Tempur-Pedic Contour?
Hello, I think thinking about getting Tempur-Pedic Contour mattress to help alleviate some chronic back pain. I tried it yesterday and it felt pretty nice and supportive, but it's hard to gauge something like a mattress from only using it for 10 minutes. I guess I am wondering that given my pain history, should I expect to get any benefit from switching to the Contour mattress?
Here is my general pain history:
2006-2009: Characterized by very sharp pain in my hips/butt that would shoot down my legs. Worse on the left side, and worse when I would wake up. Very on/off--on bad days I could barely walk, on good days I could play tennis. I think I have pretty much figured it out, as the biggest key is for me to always sleep on my left side (plus things like jogging, using the Teeter, and good posture at work help too).
Fall 2011: Characterized by very achy back. Often I will wake up after 4-5 hours with a very sore and achy back, and spend the remaining 2-3 hours tossing and turning in bed trying to get comfortable. Sometimes I will move to the floor for the remaining 2-3 hours, which seems to help. In additon, the outside of my left thigh (IT band?) is also very achy. All of this completely dissipates about a half hour after I get up.
My current mattress is 10 years old and probably originally had a medium stiffness. I am thinking that I need something stiffer, so I was also considering just a hard futon.
Any thoughts?
Thank you very much.
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I have a memory foam mattress 6" memory and 5" foam and it's very comfortable. I think more comfortable than a hard futon. I have my memory foam on a boxspring but it's supposed to be just on a platform bed but it's working for now.
Try to find out what's going on with your back and see if you need x-rays or see your Dr. I know a mattress is important but doesn't take away all the pain if you have disc and nerve issues. Take care. Charry
Any answers I have is not medical advice only a Doctor can help you with that. Just sharing my personal experience as a fellow Spine Health member only. DDD of lumbar spine with sciatica to left hip,leg and foot. L4-L5 posterior disc bulge with prominent facets, L5-S1 prominent facets with a posterior osteocartilaginous bar. Mild bilateral foraminal narrowing Neck-reverse Lordosis of c-spine C6-C7 with impingement, numb hand and sore outer elbow. Keep the faith.
I hate to say this (as I LOVE my TempurPedic) but the memory foam toppers are pretty darn great for supplementing "old" or "regular" mattresses!!! I love mine because with multiple spine surgeries it allows more a bit more flexibilities for getting out of bed, and too adjusting for sleeping positions...
For months I used the memory foam toppers... they were wonderful!!! I guess the key is what is going on in your spine, and how it helps you sleep and too... (biggy) how you can get in and out of bed?
Some mattress stores (US) you can play around with mattresses, and too toppers to see what might work for you... Granted 20 minutes isn't the "whole" night, but you get a taste, and many give you wiggle room to try the topper or mattress.... I hope you find relief!!
Brenda
ACDF C5/6 2/08 - C6/7 8/09 - Neuropathy right arm and both legs - Cervical Myelopathy
10-11-11 PCF C4-T2 - C4-C7 Lamies; Surgery #2 Emergent removal large Hematoma!
L2/3/4 & L5/S1 fusions and Laminectomy on hold till neck fused.
For the full "Cliff Notes" please click my name!
"Life can knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get up!!"
Yes, I'd expect better sleep and comfort. Try for 30 minutes on it if you can, and lie on your back and sides. Take a book to take your mind off it!
Bear in mind though that the average mattress lasts no more than 7 years, and may well become uncomfortable before then.
Some of the pillow tops will form ridges after a few years and you end up lying closer to the actual mattress with the nice soft pillow top alongside you.
This is not classed as a defect for warranty purposes, just normal ageing.
Wouldn't hurt to ask about it. It is a big problem and an expensive mattress might be good for less than 5 years.
That's what happened to us. We'll probably go all latex next time, but I'm still not sure what to do.
Our present one is latex with a pillow top. For the first 4 years we absolutely loved it, then the backaches started.
I've had to layer my side to build it up again.
Ask lots of questions and do more research into problems.
Great, thanks everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to get the Temper-pedic. Hopefully it should help, and if it doesn't, I guess that's a sign that I have bigger problems than just a bad mattress.
You will love it. Bear in mind that mattresses are a very high mark-up item, so negotiate hard.
it cost over 3 thousand pounds it look fantastic on its sleigh bedstead i hardwood .but its useless to me and it gives my wife {who had a good back} back pain!! .so our son has it in his room .we did buy the velda pro flex 30 its two single beds joined together they are also top end and electrical adjustable with a combination mattress that pocket springs and memory foam .extremely comfy .my wife can sleep for 10 hours on it without any pain .but unfortunately i can only manage two at the most .but that's down to my back not the bed .the bed is top end very expensive .worth it though ..i would advice an electric bed with anyone with back pain .you can try the tempur bed for 60 night so that may be the way to go .remember to keep the packaging otherwise they will charge you 100 pounds to repackage it .happy shopping
tony {UK}
1/laminectomy L4/5 result fair
2/redo of original op and discectomy result failed
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3/ALIF done 29 dec 2011 .at 4 months most of the surgical pain has gone but the right hand side lower back ache {the problems i have had for many years is as bad as ever } i feel like i will never get better my mobility is a lot worse too ...
They sell memory foam you can put over your matress? I had injection and layed on the table and it felt great, i asked the nurse is this memory foam! She says yes, i was like wow this is what i need at home can i take it?
If they have it in full size to put over a matress i need 2 of them, One for my private bedroom because i move around a lot and 1 for our shared bedroom so i can stay in the shared room in the bed.
Who sells it here in the states without breaking the bank? I only seen it on tv for the full matress where they want to send you a cd and all that crap but wont even say how much it is,
So i know its a rip off where they expect you to refinance your frickin house or something for a stupid matress, thats not hapening, Any time they dont advertize the price you know something is wrong, Its not as if i was buying a car, Do they actualy think i am going to finance a matress and make payments on it for life,
Its a matress for christ sake! Its not a mercedes, If i dont have the cash for something i dont buy it, If i want it then simply tell me the price so i can walk in somewhere and buy it damn it,
L4 L5 disc replacement in 2004=causing nerve damage'Flexicore disc. 2006 fusion same level leaving adr in. Fusion did nothing to releive the nerve pain.Pain clinic=every injection procedure avalable inc,razadamy, ablation, nerve stimulater trial,morphine pump trial all failed. Pain can be described as burning pain in lower spine penetrating in to left buttock,down left leg. Refuse to take lyrica or nuorontin do to its side effect,Leaving me with norco,valume,and flexiril at night.Which these medications only help with the muscle aches and stiffnes does nothing for the nerve pain from the nerve damage sustained from the adr surgery.Coming up nov.19th 2009 Lami, and hardware removal from fusion,for hardware just causing more pain in other areas.Hardware block comfirmed hardware is also causing pain in diferent area aside from the severe nerve pain on left side.Emg showed some posible problem above surgery are at L3 L4.
I have a latex overlay on top of my pillow top latex mattress as I needed to do something when the top layer started to mound up on the edges.
I still have to pad the centre-using a folded mattress protector-but the overlay evens it all out.
It's reasonably thick and cost a bit. We take them with us on holidays now as often the beds are too firm.
I found that the mattress was designed for people who primarly sleep on their backs. My back is fully fused from T10-pelvis and I have suppurative spondylits (inflammatory spine disease). Consequently, I can only tolerate sleeping on my side or stomach, but was unable to turn over in the memory foam and found my muscles getting fatigued from having to stay in the same position all night after I "sank" into the memory foam. It was a very expensive mistake, but I gave it up for a firm mattress that makes a log-roll maneuver easier. I like the idea of the memory foam, but it just didn't work for me because of my spine problems and chronic pain.
Regardless of what you read on the internet or what your neighbor tells you. Doesn't matter if you had the same surgery I did.
Go to the store and try it out several times. I don't mean just lay down on it for a few minutes. Bring a book or your ipod. Take your shoes and coat off. Lay down and stay ther 15-20 minutes. Leave. Go back again. Do this a few times and try on your back, sides, stomach. All positions that you would normally sleep in.
It took me months after my surgery to pick one. I did not like tempurpedic at all. To each his own.