OT: Mattress Advice

[Jeff da Weasel]

Thanks folks.

 

After a couple of nights on the new mattress, I can tell you I am still loving it. I do have one specific issue right now... a compressed nerve in my lower back that's giving me pain and numbness in my left foot. But with my new desk chair and new mattress, my back itself is feeling great!

 

So, this morning, I'm off to the chiropractor and trying to work out whatever nerve is getting squished. After that, I should be feeling superb. The girlfriend and I are also talking about finding a yoga or tai chi class and committing to some long-term maintenance plans for our bodies. We're both about 40, so it's not like we'll be getting better without trying. You have to want to feel good... it doesn't usually happen automatically.

[Johnny-Boy]

For back problems; think firm. A very firm mattress is the solution.
And don't you forgeeet it!

[Jeff da Weasel]

For back problems; think firm. A very firm mattress is the solution.

 

 

That's what people used to think. Not so much, anymore. You wanna be in Goldilocks mode: not too soft, not too firm... just right. Ahhhhh.

 

By the way: I love my mattress as much as a man can love a mattress without it being some kind of fetish.

[Johnny-Boy]

If it works for you, that's what is important. My extra firm one works for me and the misses. Both our back problems were gone in a couple days.

John

[Consume]

I ended up getting a Sleep Number bed.

Yeah, it costs an arm and a leg, but you know what? I sleep great, and when I wake up - I don't hurt anymore. I used to just ache all the time. Iwas in a car wreck when I was 19; we were sitting at a redlight (I was in the front passenger seat), and some guy rear-ended us in a brand new car he had stolen off a car lot about 5 minutes before!

And of course, he gets out and RUNS!

and dumb me, when the cops asked if I wanted to go to the hospital - I said,"No!" After all, I didn't feel any pain...that is, until the next day - and I've been hurting ever since.


Moral of the story - if you're in a car wreck - GO to the hospital!!

Just because you don't feel any pain at the moment doesn't mean you aren't hurt. you're all pumped up from adrenaline from the accident, so that masks some of the pain.


But, since I've gotten the sleep bed, when I wake up, I feel just fine.


C

[JoseC.]

I fell off a horse twelve years ago, and got two slipped discs at L5 level. I did not notice at that moment, I just jumped on the saddle again and kept riding. It was only after some time that I made a bad move, and the sciatic nerve got pinched, with a jolt of acute pain that left my leg semiparalyzed more than three months. Worst part of it was that for a couple of years I was really scared of any exercise that could make the nerve pinched again. Slowly I got back to weight training in the gym VERY carefully, until I discovered Pilates. It did me so well that I ended up becoming a certified instructor, and it is really keeping my back in shape (plus helping with some extra income).

You need a good mattress (I got a Tempur, and it does make a difference), but you need to exercise, especially if you spend a lot of time putting stress to your spine (you don

[UstadKhanAli]

Pilates and/or yoga is a great way to keep in shape and keep the spine flexible and keep the pressure off the disks.

I purchased the Miralux that we discussed above yesterday, and it will be delivered on Friday.

[UstadKhanAli]

For back problems; think firm. A very firm mattress is the solution. And don't you forgeeet it!

Actually, studies have found that a medium firm mattress is generally the most comfortable and beneficial for back pain, and that a very firm mattress can actually exacerbate back pain (as can a mattress that is too soft, obviously).

[philbo]

Jeff, I got a posturepedic-like mattress two years ago and am very happy with it. However, the main point of this post is to make you aware of an ancient chinese device that has saved me from the serious back issues i had been experiencing for some time. The "Ma roller". http://www.themaroller.com/ This thing is better than any chiropractor ever was. It lets you use gravity to decompress each spinal joint- one by one. When i feel my back turning into an S -shape this thing makes it right before it gets out of hand. Its been a lifesaver for me. YMMV

 

 

Thanks for the post, Kendrix. I'll have to get one of these. The music on the website was interesting too...

[Jeff da Weasel]

I purchased the Miralux that we discussed above yesterday, and it will be delivered on Friday.

 

 

I've slept on it for the last four nights and am still loving it.

 

And yes: my sciatica/pinched nerve issue seems to ONLY get better with exercise, and the longer I sit in a chair (any chair), the worse it is when I stand up again. Numbness, pain, and it'll just get worse.

 

My ladyfriend and I are talking about getting into yoga or tai chi. I think we're serious enough about it to pursue the idea.

[halfnote]

Haven't read past the OP.

 

 

Considering the attacks you put forthe on legit posters, WTF!!!!

 

Gret a grip on either your place in the universe or control of your intoxicant leveels.

 

We already lost LF b/c of the "real world".

 

Don't mistake that yer more vital b/c U ain't!!!!!!!!]

 

[then again nor am I....]

 

Sence no "emoticon" is equivalent";

FARQAR?????

 

I can't get U outtta here but start listening....

A jukebox ain't the same as a jokebox...

Call for moratorium.......

[philbo]

Jeff,

I'm glad to hear it. It has changed my life, greatly, for the better. Just remember don't try too hard. Just relax into it. If you're trying at all, you're trying too hard. Good travels to you.

[UstadKhanAli]

My ladyfriend and I are talking about getting into yoga or tai chi. I think we're serious enough about it to pursue the idea.

 

 

Either would be good.

 

If it's yoga, there's a number of types that would help you out. I really like Iyengar Yoga personally because they tend to hold the positions longer and really stress correct positioning, even if that means using props (rubber bricks, blankets, straps for stretching, etc.).

 

Also consider Pilates.

[halfnote]

People often make things more complicated than need be..

Wild animals seem to find perfectly comfortable places to sleep w/out inventing elaborate technology...

People can & HAVE done the same....

As w/audio, flat is better than most other situations...

 

 

"Take a nap"

[UstadKhanAli]

I purchased the Miralux Olympus natural latex foam mattress, which I got for a very very good price, and slept on it Friday evening. EXCELLENT!! I woke up with my back feeling noticeably better and less stiff than the other mattress. Now, to be fair, my other mattress sucked. It was a two-year old mattress that already had large indentations on both sides and was too hard.

[JeffSC]

This isn't really OT; if your spine is as messed up as mine has been lately, it's not easy to reach out and turn an knob on a console, use a mouse, or play a guitar. I need a new mattress, and really would like to spend less than $1000 (quite a bit less, if possible). That gives me a good range to work with. Any advice on a brand or model I should look at? I'm going to my local Super Duper Mattress World this weekend and getting it ASAP. My current one is causing me major problems. I could tell very easily because when I was in a hotel last weekend, my back felt great, and as soon as I got home and spent a night in my own bed, my sciatica came back with a vengeance. Plus, I think I bought my current mattress sometime in 1846. It dips about three feet in the middle. It must go. Advice? Mahalo.

Greetings! I'm Jeff and I'm a member of Select Comfort's online customer response team. I'd like to provide a little more information to help you decide on the bed that's best for you. Hopefully you don't feel we're intruding! We've recently rolled out a new Sleep Number Memory Foam bed that is the only bed that combines the adjustability of the Sleep Number technology with the flexible comfort of memory foam. There is a lot of great feedback on the new bed at www.beds.com/blog/?p=133 from some members of the press that had the chance to try the bed out during an event in New York City. For more general product information feel free to check out www.sleepnumbermemoryfoam.com. In addition, we have several other bed options with queen sets starting at $999.98 that you can view by going to www.sleepnumber.com. Hopefully this information will be a positive contribution in your search for restful sleep!


Jeff
I'm a 55!

[slight-return]

My ladyfriend and I are talking about getting into yoga or tai chi. I think we're serious enough about it to pursue the idea.

 

One kind of interesting part about tai chi that gets overlooked a lot is that it's a nifty combat system.

 

back in my 20s i got into just for breathing and stretching and then (it was bvery Karate Kid) our instructor started showing us how to use it for combat.

(a few of my pals were in the class, so as 20 something males we of course delighted it knocking each other on our asses as much as possible)

 

I really found that area beneficial - not from an "ass kicking" perspective (I'm certainly no ass kicker), but it really showed me how remain centered (physically as well as emotionally) with outside influences acting on you

as with Go how "when under attack, make good shapes" is a method you can employ

and how you "opponent" is really more of a mistake amplifier for your imbalances

and the slow practice is much like motorcycle racing "to go fast, try going slow"

 

 

 

kind funny, it really helped when I moved into fencing and sometimes echos directly

about 5 years ago I was in a foil bout and my opponent asked for a box check (you just check to make sure the electrics are working) because when he would lunge in, I would fold up and simultaneously riposte.

after 4-5 touches he's was "that's some friggin weird "matrix fencing" - what are you doing?

and until he asked, it didn't dawn on me that it was "box the tiger's ears" from the Peking set - it just kind of came out "box the tiger's ears!!" - when under attack, make good shapes

 

it's a very groovy thing

 

man, now I wish I had stuck with it, but underachieving is an important part of my life

[Jeff da Weasel]

Greetings! I'm Jeff and I'm a member of Select Comfort's online customer response team.

Greetings! I'm also Jeff, and I thank you for this personalized spam!

I am loving my mattress still. Ken, tell me how yours is doing. Back feeling good? Mine is.

[Jeff da Weasel]

One kind of interesting part about tai chi that gets overlooked a lot is that it's a nifty combat system.

I spent a couple years in college doing a more high-impact form of martial arts. I have no need to choose any kind of combat training at this point in my life, but I absolutely love the health and focus aspects of tai chi, from what I've seen and heard from others.

Besides, where I live, they usually have classes right on the beach. I could think of worse ways to start my day.

[slight-return]

 

I have no need to choose any kind of combat training at this point in my life, but I absolutely love the health and focus aspects of tai chi, from what I've seen and heard from others.

 

 

I think that's the really cool part about tai chi -- it's all sort of integrated, the "combat" part doesn't have to be "combat" it's really about mastery of self

the "opponent" is merely a mistake amplifier (that's why I use "opponent" in quotes, even the concept of "opponent" actually is can be different than in hard styles)

 

so even in the combat of it, that's really about the self-mastery the internal balance and focus - it's a lot like motorcycle racing in that the other guys on the track are just "points in the environment" when you are properly zoned - when properly zoned it isn't a combat/non-combat thing - it's a flow thing and the "opponent" who is "attacking" you shouldn't {censored} with your flow.

 

 

you've probably seen people doing "push hands" together (it's that classic pairing you see) -- is it cooperative flow? is it combat? Is there a difference?

 

that's the groovy part (I don't just mean nifty, I mean groovy it's about getting in the groove - grooves are stable, yet they can be dynamic)

 

And the cool thing (and I think why there is so much benefit) is that system can propagate throughout your day -- to those "combats" we may face in looking for a parking space or aiming a math canon at your biz competition or litigation or dealing with that guy...

 

It's one of those simple things that can be difficult to learn (esp if you are used to hard styles) -- it really is much like getting the rhythmic sense of a swing. You have to learn NOT to fight it and to flow.

 

Often you'll see in the beginning stages, people worrying about getting "the movement" right at expense of the breath. They aren't swinging yet

or you'll see guys trying to muscle through pushhands and they'll get off center and out of their flow

 

so if you decide to pursue it, don't be afraid to explore that side of it in that it shouldn't be a "shift of gears" or change in purpose to do so (just the opposite) - there's not even really a line where that has to happen -- like with the pushhands, you start flowing WITH the other person, and the other person might change the flow, you flow WITH that if they had a little hitch in their flow, or are getting a little saucy and there's a smirk on their face...shouldn't matter. and it doesn't have to be a grim thing, it shouldn't be a grim thing

[girevik]

Another for yoga here. It really focuses on ways to loosen up those stubborn muscles that, via excessive tension, can contribute to back pain - these muscles including hamstrings, hip flexors, piriformis, etc. The right instructor can make a huge difference.

I too can report that firm mattresses exacerbate my low back pain.

[slight-return]

{censored} man - my chinese uncle died a bit back

 

I think I might just have to start again - practice the lessons - see what else I can see

 

ya know it's , well not weird, but the lessons from that kind of stuff appear all over the place

 

I think that's what I find amazing, a lot of reflections in reality

 

hey jeff thanks - I know it's kind of a roundabout way, or maybe not but -- back pain -> physical wellness -> getting centered

 

kinda has me looking at my own areas and what I can do to ... be groovy

 

 

[edit : kind of a funny thought about the reflections - OK, in western fencing...now there are more kinds of that than folks probably realize, but it ties into modern "sport fencing" the olympic style stuff you see --- sport fencing is just that, a game, it has it's roots in swordsmanship and bears some resemblence to it, but it isn't swordplay. In fencing, the tools are called "weapons" not swords, and weapon can just mean "tool of contention" and that's really what they are -- and they really are there to abstract out control and put the user in the role of "strategist" as Miyamoto Musashi would say. In that, it's really about self and mastery of self even in a dynamic world-- am I covered, am I balanced, is MY analysis - ranging and timing, accurate robust and flexible, do I have an A game AND a B game...do I handle my bad days with grace like I handle my good days. So you work very hard at fluidity and the quiet mind, then you find yourself with a guy trying to poke you and you learn to keep your fluidity, then you take your mask off and have gin and tonic while your coach yells at you!]

[Johnny-Boy]

Actually, studies have found that a medium firm mattress is generally the most comfortable and beneficial for back pain, and that a very firm mattress can actually exacerbate back pain (as can a mattress that is too soft, obviously).

Didn't in my case (or the misses). I'm not talkin' cement hard ya know.

If they would have included me and the misses in their studies it would have changed the results. As all studies; depending on the subjects, it can bend the study either way. That's why I don't put much stock in studies.

The studies were probably done by a company with a {censored}load of medium firm mattresses.

I reiterate: think firm, firm, extra firm!

And don

[Jeff da Weasel]

I too can report that firm mattresses exacerbate my low back pain.

 

 

Mine too.

[UstadKhanAli]

Greetings! I'm also Jeff, and I thank you for this personalized spam! I am loving my mattress still. Ken, tell me how yours is doing. Back feeling good? Mine is.

I've slept on it for three nights now, and am still very happy with it. My back feels better. I'm not in a ton of pain when I first wake up like I was with the other mattress, so that alone is worth it.