The assumption that gets us into trouble is that if we don’t feel back pain, our backs aren’t hurting. That simply isn’t so. From the mattresses we sleep on, which are usually insufficient, to the way we bend over (by bending at our backs instead of from our knees), we are constantly placing unnecessarily harmful stresses on our spine. The results of these chronic abuses are small strains and microtears within our joints, ligaments, and muscles in and around our spine.
If you think of the way most of us spend our days, is it any wonder that 80% of us develop back pain? We wake up, drive to work, sit (usually slouch) at our desk for 8 hours, eat a quick lunch, drink coffee and snack on junk food, rush home while still sitting in a car, train, taxi, or bus, eat dinner, sit or lie down in bed and watch television before falling asleep on a mattress that is not up to the task of supporting our back. Sound familiar? And then we wake up with a sore back and wonder, “Why does my back hurt? What did I do to it?”
First, humans weren’t meant to sit all day. We are designed for activity. Sitting all day, bending incorrectly, not exercising, and sleeping on a bed with a mattress that doesn’t fit our back is a perfect recipe for back pain. It’s a lot like eating a steak everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not exercising, smoking, and then wondering why we have chest pain when we climb a flight of stairs! Not ready to change your entire lifestyle? Looking for a quick fix for the problem of back pain? You’re in luck. While it’s not an excuse not to take better care of yourself, one of the most effective ways to treat your back right, is also the easiest way.
The average person spends about a third of his or her life in bed. And yet the average person understands very little about the mattress and bed they sleep on! Does that make sense to you? It didn’t to us. As healthcare providers specializing in the treatment of back pain, it was frustrating to see so many of our patients come into the office with back pain, improve and become pain free…only to fall back into the same habits that created the back pain in the first place. A major barrier for many people to finding the right mattress for themselves is a lack of easily accessible, high-quality, unbiased information about what makes a “good” mattress, and which mattress is right for them. That’s why we created this website as a means to educate, discuss, and explore the different types of beds and mattresses, and which bed or mattress is best for you.
Every spirit, every person, and every spine is different. But certain basic principles apply to every spine, and using this website as a resource should prove invaluable in finding the bed and mattress that is best for yours.