Best Orthopedic Mattresses

Mattress Nerd consulted Julia LeBlanc, PT/DPT to ensure that this article met our editorial standards

---

Many adults who experience chronic back pain can alleviate the issue completely or partially by improving the quality of their mattress. The right mattress for your body type, weight, and sleeping position will help minimize areas of aches and pains throughout the night, leading to a better sleeping experience and more energized days.

Disclosure: By clicking on the product links in this article, Mattress Nerd may receive a commission fee at no cost to you, the reader. Read full disclosure statement.

The 10 Best Orthopedic Mattresses of 2024

• WinkBed – Best for Stomach Sleepers
• Saatva Classic – Best for Back Pain
• Helix Midnight – Best for Side Sleepers
• GhostBed Flex – Best Affordable
• Brooklyn Bedding Sedona – Best for Couples
• Puffy Lux – Best Memory Foam
• Casper Wave Hybrid – Best Luxury
• Cocoon Chill – Best Cooling
• Nectar – Best Value
• Tempur-ProAdapt – Best for Athletes

Chosen by Experts and Advocates

While there’s no industry standard for the types of mattresses that can be classified as “orthopedic,” mattresses marketed as such are generally medium-firm and have characteristics that support the proper alignment of sleepers’ spines in order to improve body posture and alleviate pain. Our team has compiled this list of the best orthopedic mattresses in order to make your shopping experience a little bit easier, and to make your nights more comfortable. To learn more, check out our review process.

Best for Stomach Sleepers: WinkBed

When it comes to stomach sleeping, it’s absolutely crucial that sleepers receive the proper support, comfort, and spinal alignment. Too often, stomach sleepers rely on a mattress that forces the spine into a strained position, but we think that will change with the WinkBed. It’s extremely durable and should last you between 7-10 years, so you shouldn’t have to worry about a sagging mattress.

This mattress comes with four different firmness levels: softer, luxury-firm, firmer, and plus. Because of this, you should be able to find an option that suits your body type, sleeping position, and general preferences.

We think that lightweight and average-weight stomach sleepers will enjoy the luxury-firm model. Average-weight stomach sleepers who require more support might want to take a look at the firmer option. As for heavier stomach sleepers, we think they will do well on the firmer or plus versions.

Read our full WinkBed Mattress Review to learn more!

Best Orthopedic Mattress for Back Pain: Saatva Classic

A hybrid mattress is a multi-layer bed that is made of memory foam, latex, or gel combined with an innerspring system. The Saatva Classic is our top choice for back pain relief because it’s made with luxury materials like organic cotton, a plush pillow top, and durable coils, all of which support a naturally aligned spine. This model also comes in three accommodating firmness options: Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm. 

Sleepers with orthopedic needs are bound to experience pressure relief thanks to the foam layers and the sturdy feel of this classic spring mattress. The two layers of lumbar support will also help keep your spine aligned comfortably, making the Saatva Classic an ideal choice for people with back pain. Best yet— this mattress works for all body sizes and sleeping positions. 

The Saatva Classic comes with a 180-night trial period as well as a lengthy 15-year warranty, and free white glove delivery in the contiguous United States. 

Read our full Saatva Classic Review to learn more! Not interested in the Saatva Mattress? Check out our best mattresses for back pain for more options to choose from!

Best for Side Sleepers: Helix Midnight

The Helix Midnight is the brand’s most popular hybrid model and we rank it the best hybrid bed for side sleepers of all body types and weights. It has a medium firmness that caters best to side sleepers since it’s not too soft nor too firm. 

Made of a soft cover, three layers of supportive foam layers, and wrapped coils, the Helix Midnight is a luxury option that is made to last at least a decade. This model’s middle layer supports the shape of your body and allows the shoulders and hips to stay aligned and elevated. When put to the test using our in-lab pressure map, results proved that side sleepers should experience minimal to no pressure build-up in the shoulders and hips— which means no achiness in the morning!

Helix mattresses are all made-to-order, handmade in the United States. The Midnight mattress comes with a 100-night trial period, a 10-year warranty, and ships for free anywhere in the country. 

Read our full Helix Midnight Review to learn more! If you aren’t interested in the Helix Midnight, check out our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers for more great options.

Best Affordable Orthopedic Mattress: GhostBed Flex

A good hybrid mattress provides support with a layer of sturdy coils, and comfort with either layers of foam or latex. A great hybrid mattress does these things and also excels in edge support, responsiveness, and motion isolation. The GhostBed Flex is a great hybrid mattress.

The GhostBed Flex contains five total layers: a quilted cover, a layer of gel memory foam (great for cooling), a ghost bounce layer (great for responsiveness), a tall layer of individually wrapped coils, and a base layer of high-density foam. Every layer utilizes high-quality materials that should make for a long-lasting bed.

As for how it helps with back pain, the formerly mentioned comfort and support-giving construction plays a key role here. A healthy spine means less pain, and the GhostBed Flex does a good job of allowing the hips to sink into the surface enough to feel comforted, but not so much that the spine rests in an unhealthy position.

Read our full GhostBed Flex Mattress Review to learn more! If you’d like to see more options, head over to our list of the best affordable mattresses.

Best for Couples: Brooklyn Bedding Sedona

The Brooklyn Sedona is a medium-firm, hybrid mattress with lofty foam layers that aim to provide pressure relief for primarily back and side sleepers who like a hugging, cushion feel to their bed. We rank it our best orthopedic mattress for couples because of its exceptional motion isolating properties. 

Motion isolation is a bed’s ability to neutralize movement from transferring from one side to the other— which is ideal for couples who don’t want to feel their partner move around throughout the night. Thanks to the Sedona’s soft, slow-response foams, couples will experience minimal disruptions from movement, which means longer, more restful sleep. In our motion transfer test, the Sedona performed the best among hybrid and all-foam/memory foam mattresses. 

The Brooklyn Sedona comes with a 12-night sleep trial, a 10-year warranty, and it ships for free! 

Read our full Brooklyn Bedding Sedona Review to learn more! Not interested in the Brooklyn Sedona? Check out our best mattresses for couples.

Best Memory Foam: Puffy Lux

The Puffy Lux is constructed of a four-layer foam system that is great for lightweight, average-weight, and heavy-weight body types. The medium-firm finish is ideally suited for back sleepers and side sleepers, due to the top comfort layer. 

This is a great option for providing lots of pressure relief without sacrificing support. The support foam provides rigidity, while the top layer does a great job of cradling the body. Overall, there are better options for those with heavier body types and stomach sleepers. The Puffy Lux comes with a 101-night sleep trial, a lifetime warranty, and free shipping in the contiguous USA. 

Read our full Puffy Lux Mattress Review to learn more! Not interested in the Puffy Lux, check out our other best memory foam mattresses for other great options. 

Best Luxury: Casper Wave Hybrid

With a supportive structure and airy foam layers, we found that the luxurious Casper Wave Hybrid performed well on all six of our performance factor tests. High scores in pressure-relieving capabilities and spinal alignment indicate a mattress can help to ease and even prevent back pain. Plus, this mattress utilizes materials that are durable and, if properly taken care of, can last for a very long time

Read our full Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress Review to learn more! Looking for other great options, check out our best luxury mattresses to find your perfect fit. 

Best Cooling: Cocoon Chill Hybrid

The firmness of a mattress is crucial for achieving spinal alignment, but for hot sleepers, it is also important to consider the materials used in the construction. The Cocoon Chill Mattress is an affordable, cooling option that can be purchased in multiple firmness levels. 

The foam construction is great for motion isolation, but not the best option for those who value edge support. The Cocoon Chill mattress comes with a 100-night trial period, free shipping, and a 10-year warranty. 

Read our full Cocoon Chill Mattress Review to learn more! Looking for other mattresses sleep cooler, check out our best mattresses for hot sleepers. 

Best Value: Nectar

The Nectar mattress contains three layers of memory foam and one layer of polyfoam, including a plush top layer of quilted gel memory foam, a secondary layer of gel memory foam, a high-density memory foam transitional layer, and a firm support core of high-density polyfoam.

The multiple foam layers work together to provide excellent pressure relief, and the medium-firm feel makes it an appealing choice for sleepers of all weights and preferred sleeping positions. It also provides excellent motion isolation and breathable qualities for the price point, sealing the deal for sleepers with aches and pains who want relief but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg.

Read our full Nectar Mattress Review to learn more! Looking for a mattresses other than the Nectar mattress to fit your budget, check out our other best mattresses for the money. 

Best Luxury: Tempur-ProAdapt

If you have orthopedic concerns and you’re willing to splurge on a luxury option, you can’t go wrong with the Tempur-ProAdapt. According to Tempur-Pedic.com, the ProAdapt is their most popular model. It comes in a soft, medium, and firm option and it measures 12” thick, which means you can pick the most comfortable option for you. Temper-Pedic also offers this model in a hybrid option with a medium firmness level. Looking at what’s inside the ProAdapt, you’ll find two memory foam comfort layers, a transition layer, and a high-density polyfoam core. The soft and medium versions feature a complex polyfoam support layer as well. 

With the ProAdapt, you’ll receive all-night responsive support, advanced TEMPUR pressure relief in those extra sensitive areas, and top-of-the-line motion absorption. This option allows for a personalized firmness level, it works for all sleeping positions, it accommodates every body shape and size, and, of course, is an obvious choice for people with chronic back pain who are looking to splurge on a great night’s sleep. 

The ProAdapt bed comes with a 90-night sleep trial, a 10-year limited warranty, and free white glove delivery. 

Read our full Tempur-Pedic Tempur-ProAdapt Review to learn more! Want to learn more about other Tempur-Pedic options? Head over to our Tempur-Pedic Mattress Reviews.

---

Orthopedic Mattress Buying Guide

In this buyer’s guide, we’re sharing everything you need to know and consider prior to purchasing an orthopedic mattress. Read on to learn about the different types of orthopedic mattresses available, important buying considerations, and how to pick the best orthopedic mattress for your budget, unique issue, and preferred sleeping position.

Best Materials for Orthopedic Mattresses

There’s no industry standard for what qualifies a mattress as “orthopedic.” However, each of the most common mattress types provides various benefits for sleepers with back and joint issues. 

Foam—Foam mattresses provide excellent conforming and pain relief, thanks to the thick comfort layers. All-foam mattresses also isolate motion better than other types, which helps to reduce sleep disruptions. Keep in mind that these widely available mattresses can have issues when it comes to edge support, so if ease of getting in and out of bed is important to you, look for an orthopedic foam mattress with high rankings in edge support to prevent unwanted sagging. 

Latex—Similarly to foam mattresses, latex mattresses conform to the body but do so to a lesser extent. Latex has more bounce than foam, and the bounce can feel too much for some sleepers with spine or back problems. They’re among the most durable mattresses on the market, though, so if you can find a latex orthopedic mattress that relieves your back pain, it could be a worthwhile investment that lasts many years. See: Best Latex Mattresses 

Hybrid—Hybrid mattresses provide a nice combination of contouring (in the comfort foam layers) and support (from the pocketed coils support core and foam base layers). They typically sleep cool and come in varying firmness options, but they’re among the most expensive mattress types on the market.

Innerspring—Innerspring mattresses, or “traditional” beds, have a support core of innerspring coils that are topped with layers of foam. The majority of innerspring mattresses aren’t orthopedic because they don’t contour well, but some brands have tailored their innerspring beds for back pain by adding comfort layers and improving the quality of the base to provide pressure relief and evenly distributed support. 

What to Consider when Choosing an Orthopedic Mattress

Know Your Sleeping Position

The best sleeping positions for back pain vary by your area of pain. For example, those with upper back pain who sleep on their sides will fare better with a thin foam pillow between their knees. Those with lower back pain who sleep on their back with a pillow beneath their knees will feel that the natural curve of their spine is more supported. Looking for more back pain friendly options? Check out our Best Mattresses for Back Pain page.

Body Weight

It’s important to consider your body weight to determine the best type of mattress and mattress firmness for you. As mentioned above, if you are a heavyweight individual, you may fare better on a firmer orthopedic mattress. If you’re lightweight, consider a softer orthopedic mattress, which will allow for more conforming.

Select a Firmness Level

As mentioned above, the firmness level of an orthopedic mattress is absolutely crucial in ensuring the mattress will alleviate pain and properly support your spine. Evaluate your body weight, body size, and primary sleeping position, all of which factor in to determine the firmness level that’s best suited for your body.

For average weight side and back sleepers, the ideal mattress firmness setting for side sleeping is medium to medium-firm. For average-weight stomach sleepers, the ideal firmness setting is medium-soft to medium. Lightweight and heavyweight individuals will require softer mattresses and firmer mattresses, respectively, in each sleeping style category.

Choose a Mattress Type

Whether latex, all-foam, hybrid, or innerspring, there’s no “best” mattress type when it comes to orthopedic mattresses.  The mattress industry has become so varied in the last few decades that, for nearly every type of mattress available, there’s a version that’s well-suited for individuals with orthopedic issues depending on sleeping position, price…

However, the criteria for choosing your orthopedic mattress should remain the same regardless of the type of mattress you prefer: it should provide back support (proper spinal alignment) above all, alleviate areas of aches and pains, and have a firmness level that’s tailored to your sleeping position and weight. From there, the various mattress types offer unique benefits. Hybrids, for example, work well for individuals who sleep hot. Memory foam mattresses, on the other hand, may sleep a little warmer but provide the coveted “deep hug” feeling that many sleepers have come to love.

Mattress Company Reputation

As mentioned, there’s no industry standard definition for “orthopedic mattress” or governing body in the mattress industry that regulates which mattresses can earn the title of “orthopedic mattress.” As such, it’s important to make sure that any mattress marketed as “orthopedic” actually has qualities that will alleviate back and joint pain and support proper spinal alignment. 

The brand’s reputation can be a good indicator of its ethics and therefore the honesty of its marketing tactics, so we recommend looking into customer reviews, Better Business Bureau ratings and accreditation, and more to make sure the product you’re considering is actually what the company says it is.

Sleep Trial 

The vast majority of mattresses sold today come with a sleep trial, which allows sleepers to test out the mattress for many nights (usually 30 or more) with the option to return it for free if it doesn’t suit their needs. The length of the sleep trial is an especially important shopping consideration for individuals with pain. Orthopedic mattresses, which tend to be more firm in nature, may take several weeks for your body to adjust to. We recommend looking for an orthopedic mattress that has a sleep trial of at least 90 days with free returns. 

Company Policies (Warranty, Etc.) 

Most mattresses sold today also come with a warranty that spans anywhere from five years to a lifetime. The more expensive the mattress, the more important the warranty, and its coverage becomes. If you’re investing several thousand dollars in an orthopedic mattress that you want to last for five to ten years, we recommend making sure that the mattress company covers its product with a generous warranty term length. Some warranties are voided if you do not use them on a proper box spring, foundation or bed frame as required by the company, so make sure you do your research!  

FAQ

What’s the best way to sleep with back pain?

Conclusion

The right new mattress can help alleviate pressure and aches in your neck, hips, lower spine, and shoulders, and the wrong mattress can exacerbate issues in these same areas or even create new areas of pain. When choosing the best mattress for sleep and back pain, take your time. You can never do too much research to determine the type of mattress and firmness level that’s appropriate for you and your partner. From there, refer back to our list of the best orthopedic mattresses for back pain, which should get you started in the right direction.  

Recap of the Best Orthopedic Mattresses in 2024

Mattress Model	Award	Nerd Score
WinkBed	Best for Stomach Sleepers	4.3/5
Saatva Classic	Best for Back Pain	4.3/5
Helix Midnight	Best for Side Sleepers	4.8/5
GhostBed Flex	Best Affordable	4.3/5
Brooklyn Bedding Sedona	Best for Couples	4.8/5
Puffy Lux	Best Memory Foam	3.9/5
Casper Wave Hybrid	Best Luxury	4.5/5
Cocoon Chill	Best Cooling	4.0/5
Nectar	Best Value	3.7/5
Tempur-ProAdapt	Best Luxury	4.8/5

Julia LeBlanc is part of our panel of medical expert contributors on the subject of sleep health. They provide important perspectives on the topics we discuss to help make our content as accurate and dependable as possible. They do not personally endorse any products, nor are they associated with any brands featured in our review content.