Best Mattresses for Back Pain 2025

More than anyone else, individuals with back pain have the most challenging time choosing the best mattress. Besides being comfortable, the mattress needs to have a good balance of support and firmness to alleviate the pain. Let’s chat the key factors to look for when choosing a mattress that will relieve your backaches.

Key Considerations When Choosing a Mattress for Bad Back

Firmness

A decade or so back, the first remedy for back pain issues was a rock-hard mattress. But the current research suggests that overly firm mattresses actually lead to low sleep quality. Today, sleep experts agree that the best mattress for back pain should feel medium-firm to the sleeper. We like pointing out that firmness is relative: what one person finds firm might be a soft mattress for another person. A medium-firm mattress is soft to the touch and responds quickly to pressure. Importantly, it shouldn’t have excessive sinking. As a thumb rule, firm mattresses tend to work well for heavier folks, while light individuals prefer a relatively softer mattress. If you aren’t sure how the mattress will feel, consider mattresses in the region of 6-7 on the firmness scale. These tend to alleviate back pains for most people most of the time.

Support

Firmness is vital when buying the best mattress for back pain online. But support is equally crucial. Support in a mattress is all about keeping your spine in the correct alignment. Have you seen those pictorial illustrations of a person lying with the spine straight? The idea behind them is to show you how the best mattresses for back pain should work. By maintaining the natural curve of the spine, the mattress helps in soothing any existing pressure points. It also prevents the creation of new ones. 

Foam or Spring for Back Pains?

There is no right or wrong between these two when choosing the best mattress for back pain:

Spring mattresses - if you’re a fan of spring-based beds, we suggest going for a hybrid mattress. These tend to have the best combination of comfort and support. People with chronic back pains may also want to consider a mattress with zoned support. Such mattresses are engineered to provide extra support to the areas that need it the most, the shoulders and hips included.

Foam mattresses - if you prefer the quiet operations of an all-foam mattress, ensure that it uses multiple layers of foam with varying densities. This balanced approach creates a mattress with fantastic lift without compromising comfort and support.