Mysteries of Back Pain

Everybody I know who has back problems swears up and down that sleeping on a really firm mattress is key. My father used to have a big plywood board under his side of the mattress, so that his side of the bed would be less soft (I think they have since bought a new mattress that is uniformly hard).

So, why is it that every time I sleep on a mattress that’s firmer than the one we have here, my lower back locks up so badly that it’s an hour before I can walk comfortably? And when I get back to our relatively soft bed, my back feels fine in the morning?

I suppose this could be some sort of grand conspiracy to mess with my head, but some of the people involved don’t know each other, and it’s hard to see how anybody could be benefitting from this. Is it a scam on the part of the medical community? Are doctors systematically deceiving people with lower back problems into sleeping on mattresses that will ensure they continue shoveling money toward ineffective but expensive medical procedures?