Question
We are looking to buy a new mattress as ours is causing us a lot of pain, even though it is only a couple of years old.  We are both near 60 and over 200 lbs.  We also both sleep on our side.  Our bed is so uncomfortable, that I have started sleeping on the couch!!  Please let me know your recommendations for the best type of mattress.  We are confused between memory foam, sleep numbers, coil mattresses, etc.  Thank you!  

Answer
Dear Linda,

Thank you for your question about pain and mattresses.  Your question is similar to others I have gotten from those who may be mattress shopping or simply investigating chiropractic for the first time.  It is a bigger question than it appears to be.  In order to answer it properly and give you the most benefit, I抣l first need to give you some background on the chiropractic profession.

There are two branches or schools of thought in chiropractic.  Briefly, they are differentiated by whether they deal with the limited therapeutic approach for aches and pains (commonly termed "mixed" chiropractic because it represents a mixture of a chiropractor with a non-chiropractic matter) or a non-therapeutic approach to optimum body performance (termed "straight" chiropractic because there is no mixing of chiropractic with anything else).  My expertise is in non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.

Therapeutic "mixed" chiropractic is the older approach based on a split from the founding principles of chiropractic about a century ago.

Non-therapeutic "straight" chiropractic is the more modern of the two.  It deals with a particular, common situation called a vertebral subluxation. The spine is made of many bone segments which house and protect the spinal cord and the smaller spinal nerve branches that come off the spinal cord and exit  between the bones.  These nerve pathways carry information or messages between the brain and the cells of the body.  These messages are essential for the life of the cells.  Without vital brain messages, the  cells immediately begin the process of dying; i.e., they can no longer function the way they should to maintain life.

Because the bones are moveable, they can misalign in such a way as to interfere with the messages and, ultimately, the ability of the person to function at their best or express their optimum potential.  People with vertebral subluxations are not able to get all they can out of life.

Your question deals with an important concern in all this.  Vertebral subluxations can be caused by a wide variety of factors, what we'll generally call stresses.  These stresses can be physical (such as mattress condition or athletic injuries, perhaps, but also the birth process, sneezing, falling down, etc.), mental / emotional (in its many forms, probably the most familiar use of the word stress), or chemical (such as pollution, drugs, etc.), which are, unfortunately, regular parts of daily living for all age groups.  In short, a vertebral subluxation can occur for a multitude of reasons.

Tragically, vertebral subluxations are rarely obvious to the individual they affect.  They usually have no symptoms.  The reason is that most of what goes on inside you happens without your awareness.  As an example, try to "feel" your liver.  What's it doing right now?  You can't know, so you can't know if it's functioning at its best or something less.  To complicate things, nerve pathways that carry messages of control (termed "motor" nerves) have no way of transmitting ache or pain messages, so your body function may be far from perfect and you'd not have any alerting signal whatsoever.  In order to know if someone has a vertebral subluxation, it is necessary to have that person抯 spine checked by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor using a method of "analysis."  When a vertebral subluxation is detected this way, it is obviously important to correct it as soon as possible.

Since vertebral subluxations are caused by so many  different things, people choose to go and bring their children to a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor on a regular basis to enjoy the most time free of the life-robbing effects of vertebral subluxation. There's a saying that straight chiropractic is not about your back, it's not about your pain, it's about your life.  Each person has a unique potential in life.  With vertebral subluxation, it's impossible to realize that potential.

A key question to ask for your purposes, then, would be, Is someone with the symptoms you have better off with vertebral subluxation / nerve interference or free of subluxation / with the nerve channels open?  It is easy to see that having all the available nerve messages getting through is better than only some of them getting through, regardless of the person's situation otherwise.  It抯 not that you should see a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor FOR your symptoms ?you should visit one in an effort to be free of vertebral subluxations, even WITH those symptoms.  Non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is not about diagnosing and/or treating these complaints or any therapeutic-model or medical condition, whether by mattress or sleeping advice or any other method.  It is entirely separate in its goal.  

Another question to ask, then, is does one抯 sleeping posture and mattress have the potential to cause a vertebral subluxation or even pain and is that the only possible cause?  Well, of course, it does and, no, it is not the only possible cause.  Anyone who tells you they can prescribe a certain type of sleeping posture, mattress and pillow, etc., is guessing, at best, and ignoring the fact that each person is an individual.  In addition, there are many different forms of stress that one may encounter.  Ultimately, though, it still comes back to whether someone would be better off with vertebral subluxation / nerve interference or free of subluxation / with the nerve channels open?  It is still true that having all the available nerve messages getting through is better than only some of them getting through, no matter what may be a person's choice or preference of sleeping posture or mattress and pillow.  

Naturally, you would be wise to have your spine checked by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor, regardless of your decision to use or avoid certain mattresses or seek therapeutic attention for your back pain.  As I mentioned earlier, not all chiropractors adhere to this and it is important that you be able to distinguish which ones do if you're going to seek this type of service.  If you are interested in finding out how to locate a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor in your area, please contact me at this site again.  

Linda, it has been my pleasure to provide you with some information.

Sincerely,
James W. Healey, D.C.