As if buying a mattress is not challenging enough, some people have to deal with back pain as part of the equation. If you frequently suffer from back pain, your mattress can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. This means that much is at stake when you go mattress shopping.

Here are some things worth remembering to help you find the best mattress for back pain that can provide some real relief:

1. The right support. The most important factor to consider is the support that the mattress can provide to your body. This is the first thing you should pay attention to. A mattress should not be too soft, should not sag, and should respond to your weight by slowly going back to its original form. If a mattress simply gives under your weight, then it will not support the proper curve and alignment of your spine. If a mattress does not provide the optimum support especially for the key areas of the body like the lower back, you will most likely wake up to body pains.

The two best types of mattress for back pain, when it comes to support, is the innerspring mattress and the memory foam mattress. Innerspring mattresses depend on coil springs for support; unlike foam, these are heavy duty, highly resilient sources of support. They do not flatten out or soften. The combination of the number and the positioning of coils will determine how supportive a mattress is. If there are more coils and the coils are placed closer together, the mattress will be more supportive.

The other type is the memory foam mattress, which can provide support that conforms to the unique shape of each body. This way, every inch of your body will receive the support it needs, regardless of what your body build is. Memory foam also provides pressure point relief, which is also beneficial for people with bad backs.

2. Sufficient padding. A lot of people with bad backs went straight to the most supportive mattress they could find, only to find that it didn’t help them at all. This is because your spine also needs the right amount of cushioning. An overly stiff mattress can also cause stiffness in your back muscles. Thus, you have to find the perfect balance between these two important factors.

The perfect combination of support and a bit of padding can be found in medium-firm mattresses, which has proven to be most helpful for people suffering from chronic back pain. A clinical study was even conducted to back this up.

3. Your back condition (or the cause of pain). The real condition of your back or the real cause of your pain is also an important factor in choosing a mattress for a bad back. For chronic back pain, innerspring mattresses are popular because of their excellent support.

However, if you experience joint and muscle pain caused by certain conditions such as fibromyalgia, an innerspring mattress will only make the pain worse. Thus, you will benefit more from a memory foam mattress or even a water bed mattress, which completely gets rid of pressure point pain. Fortunately for fibromyalgia sufferers, there are now a few mattresses specifically created for you.