Thanks for good advices. Is Tempur-Pedic really better than the conventional beds?

Thank you for an article that I need BADLY! I would also like to know if anyone has ANY idea if Tempur-Pedic AND/OR an air bed, (like Select Comfort,) is better for someone with chronic back pain? I am looking right now to buy a bed in Feb./March 2007, and I can't believe how many types there are and how EXPENSIVE they are. I haven't slept in our king sized [firm mattress] bed or our water bed for months! A recliner seems to be the best place for ME to sleep. (That doesn't make for an intimate sleeping arrangement with my husband every night either!) We have decided on an adjustable bed, no matter what...Any thoughts, information, or medical advice? It would be SOOOOOoooo appreciated!! Thanks for making me realize I'm not alone in this journey.

Approximately two years after having back surgery to remove a Schwanoma growth from my spinal cord (the facia of two of my vertebrae (L1 and L2)had to be removed for this surgery), I developed neuropathy in both of my feet and pain in my lower back. MRI's and X-ray's did not show any additional problem. A spine specialist told me that I was experiencing a crushing effect where additional pressure on the injured spinal cord was causing the neuropathy (perhaps as a result of a slight stenosis from the prior surgery). A neurologist found no problems with my blood work, and recommended that I take up swimming.

Swimming seemed to relieve symptoms, but did not make the neuropathy disappear. So I took up strength exercises by going to a gym several times a week. I got the greatest help from the stretching exercises prescribed by the trainer of the gym. Stretching of the hamstring produced most pronounced results. As I swam and stretched, I also got stronger with weight training. Eventually, I noticed I could not sleep comfortably in my bed. So I bought a new bed with a firm mattress (a good mattress, but nothing real fancy). After about a month, my back pains were gone, and my neuropathy just about gone. I hesitate to comment on the physical processes involved here, except that it relates to the health and good care of the lower back.

Physical therapy, including traction, did not help this problem.

I read all kinds of articles about back pain. There are very few of them that address middle back pain. I've had an MRI which doesn't show much tissue damage. I was in an auto accident as a teenager..thrown from the vehicle, drug 21/2 times as the car spun around with my head trapped between the tire and the wheel well. Fortunatley my head was just cut, bruised to the point of severe swelling, etc., but, my middle spine has been plagued by severe and chronic pain for years, and not one doctor I've seen in some 30 years understands the pain I go through on a daily basis. However, if my lower back goes out and I'm hunched over from it, I get all of the understanding they can provide. This pain, while it looks more disabling, is nothing compared to the daily pain I suffer from middle spinal problems. My muscles ache and burn and the bones in my spine are extremely sensitive and painful to touch. Will you please respond with a recommendation regarding what type of test(s) I can have done that will help to show someone in the healthcare profession how much I am suffering? Thank you very very much.

Sincerely, Beatrice Griffiths

Beatrice -- Here at the website we cannot provide personal medical advice. However, we are happy to provide referral information for Johns Hopkins Medicine should you wish to make an appointment with a Hopkins specialist.

The most direct way is for your physician to call the Hopkins Access Line at 1-800-765-5447 (within the continental U.S.) or 410-955-9444 (within the Baltimore area). You may also call to make an appointment yourself at 410-955-5464 (within Maryland), or 443-287-6585 (outside of Maryland, but within the U.S.).

Good luck and we hope you feel better soon.

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