I have chronic low back pain and wonder if a different mattress or type of bed would be beneficial.
A recent one month study in Denmark demonstrated that persons with chronic low back pain are generally more satisfied with a waterbed with foam layers to stabilize the water, or a body conforming mattress after. While some people benefited from a firm mattress, most reported negative effects. The dropout rate was also greater among this group, most frequently due to increase in pain.
K. Bergholdt, R. Fabricius, T. Bendix. Better backs by better beds? SPINE 2008. Vol. 33, No. 7. Pp. 703-708.