Hard mattresses not best for back pain
By Nathan Seppa
Mattresses rated medium-firm are better for people with chronically sore backs than are firm mattresses, researchers in Spain find. Their report in the Nov. 15 Lancet contradicts the long-held view that harder is better when it comes to beds and backs.
The scientists randomly assigned 158 people to use firm mattresses and 155 to sleep on medium-firm mattresses. The mattresses–which met European standards for firmness–were delivered to the homes of the volunteers, all of whom were adults with a long history of lower-back pain. The participants rated their pain before the study and after 90 days, using a standardized scale.