What is the best mattress for back pain? Unfortunately there is no universal solution that everyone can be happy with. While some people will lean toward an extra firm mattress, others will shudder at the very thought. And the reason is quite simple --back pain sufferers form a wildly diverse bunch of people. Orthopedic specialists mostly agree that the best mattress for back pain would be something resembling "medium firm" or "not too soft, but not too firm either."

How this undeniably vague advice would play out for each individual in pain... is nearly anyone's guess. Each individual's perception of soft or firm would be different. Picture a tall, overweight 45-year-old male, let's say about 6' 7" and over 300 pounds... maybe an ex-football player... and then imagine a dainty and petite 68-year-old female just clearing 5 feet and barely tipping the scale to 100.