Where should you start if you want the best orthopedic mattress? It’s fair to say there’s some mixed advice online.
Most of the time a mattress referred to as ‘orthopedic’ or ‘orthopaedic’ just means one that is very firm or extra firm.
Despite the name, it isn’t necessarily the best mattress for a bad back. Instead, you should look for a mattress which suits your build and weight.
How do you find a mattress to match your build?
Heavy people generally need firm or very firm mattresses whilst lighter and smaller people need a soft mattress. The idea is to sink into the mattress sufficiently so that you have a nice straight spine.
Please note, I’m not claiming to be a back expert. This is just a summary of advice from people who know what they are talking about, such as the UK’s Sleep Council (now The Sleep Charity). Please speak to a medic who knows your personal situation.
Scientific research into mattress firmness and sufficient support
There have been several academic papers which have explored the link between healthy sleep and mattress firmness. In one Iranian study, researchers explained that ‘there is an incorrect spinal support when people lie in a natural lateral (i.e. side) sleep position on a very firm mattress‘.
This is because ‘only the wide areas of body are supported, i. e. just the shoulder and pelvis receive good support.’ (Leilnahari, Fatouraee et al, 2011).
Mattress firmness and sleep quality
Meanwhile, Dubb and Driver examined how nine people, aged 16-30 and with ‘low back pain’ reacted to different firmness levels. They hoped to determine whether ‘a hard, medium or soft mattress and base bed set affected the quality of sleep of patients.
In that study, they found that the ‘well‐being of our patients…improved if they slept on a firmer mattress’. I would caution that it was only a small scale study.
Choosing the best orthopedic mattress for you
If an orthopaedic mattress is something you’re looking for, there are several signs of quality to look out for.
We’ve picked out 5 of the best orthopaedic mattresses available in the UK based on customer reviews, specification, value for money and awards.
We’ve picked mattresses which describes themselves as ‘ortho’ ‘orthopedic’ or ‘orthopaedic’. However, it’s worth being aware that there isn’t a standard industry agreement on how firm a mattress has to be for it to be considered ‘orthopedic’.
Prices are for double mattresses. Review scores and prices are correct at the time of writing in 2024.
1. REM-Fit 500 Ortho Hybrid Mattress – £1089 (although you might get a discount)
This REM-Fit 500 Ortho mattress isn’t the cheapest but you can sometimes pick up a discount or a good deal (a double was half price when I checked). The REM-Fit brand achieves an impressive 4.1/5 from 1500+ reviews on TrustPilot.
It makes our list as one of the few ‘ortho’ mattresses on the market that comes with a home trial period. The idea is that you can try it out for 100 nights and return it for a refund if you don’t like it. Similar things are offered by other brands, but it’s not so common at the firmer end of the mattress market.
Another massive plus point is that you get a 15 year guarantee. That is far longer than most mattresses on the market in the UK. For this sort of price you’d expect a warranty of 5-10 years with a traditional pocket sprung mattress.
The construction of the REM-Fit 500 is what’s known as a ‘hybrid’ mattress. That means it straddles the line between a pocket sprung mattress (the more traditional option) and a memory foam mattress (the more modern option).
Orthopedic memory foam mattresses and allergies
You may have read that memory foam is considered good for people with allergies. The theory is that foam isn’t a natural material and doesn’t attract dust in the same way as a pocket sprung mattress.
However, this is up for debate. A team of three academics found the opposite when they carried out a study of children’s mattresses in 2002. Mite faeces was found in a much higher percentage of dust samples from a foam mattresses than from spring mattresses. The study is called ‘House-dust mites and mattresses’ by Schei, Hessen and Lund. Don’t read it whilst lying in bed.
A good quality orthopedic mattress for the money
I will try to avoid getting too technical but it’s fair to say that the specification of the mattress is very good.
There are 2000 pocket springs on the king size version of the REM-Fit 500 Ortho. 1000-2000 springs is the range of most decent mattresses.
The Rem Fit 500 springs are full size, whereas some hybrid mattresses use mini springs and leave most of the heavy lifting to the foam layers (e.g. Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress). Every manufacturer of hybrid mattresses will tell you that their combination of foam and springs is spot on. My opinion is that shoppers who prefer a more traditional and bouncy feel to their mattress are better with a hybrid mattress with larger springs. Shoppers who favour the less bouncy feel of memory foam are better with a hybrid mattress which is mostly foam.
The layer of memory foam on the REM-Fit Ortho 500 is 5cm deep. That’s very good compared to a lot of rivals which only offer 2-3cm of memory foam.
Is the best orthopedic mattress made from foam?
Foam mattresses offer some benefits over pocket spring mattresses. Some experts claim that they can outlast a sprung mattress and not suffer from as many sags and dips.
It does seem to be the case that memory foam mattresses usually come with longer warranties than a similarly priced sprung mattress.
In the zone?
You’ll see that the mattress is described as being ‘zoned’. The idea of zoning on a mattress is that it offers slightly different support to different parts of your body.
The REM-Fit 500 can’t be turned over. The theory is that if you can turn a mattress over it won’t sag and dip as much but I would take some reassurance from the 15 year guarantee.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that this is a ‘bed in a box’. All that really means is that it is squashed up for delivery. However, ‘bed in a box’ has become a term loosely applied to mattresses which you order online any try out at home before deciding if you want to keep them. They tend to use more foam than traditional brands like Hypnos or Vispring.
range of mattresses
heavier than average
rival mattresses
2. Sleepeezee Ultrafirm 1600 Pocket Sprung Mattress – £699
Sleepeezee are a highly respected mattress brand. However, they aren’t actually all that expensive.
They have a Royal Warrant, which isn’t something they give out at the drop of a royal hat. If an endorsement from the Royal Household isn’t enough, you may be more impressed by the customer reviews. These average 4.2/5 on TrustPilot. That’s a score for the overall brand rather than this specific mattress. However, that score makes it one of the highest scoring mattress brands that we could find on TrustPilot. You can see the full rundown on our Sleepeezee guide.
I found a couple of Sleepeezee mattresses that are described as ‘orthopedic’ or something similar. I’ve picked out the Sleepeezee Ultrafirm 1600 Pocket Mattress. This model averages 4.6/5 from 150+ customers.
The Ultrafirm model has got a good pocket spring count of 1600, which should provide a solid level of support. It is double sided, so you can turn it over to try and reduce the risk of it sagging over time. It’s 24cm thick, which is about normal for this price range of mattress and it comes with a 5 year warranty.
Swap it if you find it isn’t the best orthopedic mattress for you
Rather appealingly, Sleepeezee offer a 60 night trial if you buy it from Mattress Online. That means you can swap it for another mattress if you aren’t happy.
It’s not quite the same as some foam mattresses which offer a refund if you aren’t happy within 100 days or even 365 days. However, it’s still useful if you are buying online without trying a mattress out.
3. Rest Assured Adleborough 1400 Pocket Ortho Mattress – £529
Rest Assured is a brand owned by the Silentnight Group, which is the UK’s biggest mattress maker. Silentnight reckon that about 1 in 5 mattresses sold in the UK was made by them.
We’ve included the Rest Assured Adleborough 1400 thanks to its good specification for the price. It’s also got an award from Good Housekeeping and very positive customer reviews.
It’s got a lot in common with the orthopedic Sleepeezee mattress also mentioned in this guide, as it is a traditionally made pocket sprung mattress with a ‘hand tufted finish’. That is those bits on top which look like buttons.
It is a similar thickness and comes with the same 5 year guarantee but it is around £200 cheaper for a double.
The negatives about this mattress
On the downside, the Adleborough has a couple of hundred fewer pocket springs, which might make a slight difference if you are heavier than average.
One other difference is that this one can’t be turned over, whereas the Sleepeezee mattress below can be. Turning a mattress over regularly is better than just rotating it. Most experts agree that it will make it last longer, assuming you are physically able to turn it over. Also, this orthopedic mattress doesn’t have a trial period, unlike the Sleepeezee mattress.
4. Relyon Ultimate Ortho Support 1500 Pocket Sprung Mattress – £1019
This Relyon Ultimate Ortho mattress gets glowing customer reviews.
They’re a long established UK mattress brand and are one of only a handful of mattress makers with a ‘Manufacturing Guild Mark’, which is a sign of quality. Harrison Spinks is one of the other holders of the awards. They make the John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection.
It’s another pocket sprung mattress which makes our list. Most of the mattresses described as orthopedic or ortho are pocket sprung rather than foam mattresses.
The spring count is similar to others in this top 5 orthopaedic mattresses guide. However, it’s about 5cm thicker than the Rest Assured and Sleepeezee models (see earlier in this guide). It can also be turned over, which is an advantage in my opinion.
I couldn’t find the Relyon brand on TrustPilot. However, the majority of customers give this model 5 stars.
5. Sealy Steeple Ortho Plus Mattress – £409
You will often see claims that Sealy is the world’s ‘biggest bed brand’ or something similar. Others say that they one of the biggest. Let’s not fall out over it.
The Sealy brand is certainly a good choice in the middle of the UK’s mattress market.
If you are after an affordable Sealy mattress which is described as being an ‘ortho’ mattress then take a look at the Sealy Steeple Ortho Plus Mattress.
What do you get for under £500?
The first thing I like about this mattress is that it is double-sided, which should prolong its life and reduce the risks of mis-shapen lumps and bumps over time.
We’ve noted in the past that Sealy’s mattresses do contain rather a lot of jargon in some of their descriptions. In this instance, you have a ‘PostureTech Core Support spring system’ alongside ‘Sealy PowerPack technology’.
My understanding – after much reading – is that the ‘PostureTech Core Support spring system’ is similar to an open coil mattress (see our Sealy guide for more detail). Generally, this is considered the inferior option to a pocket sprung mattress in terms of support and movement. This may be a compromise you are willing to make to get a Sealy mattress at a more affordable price.
Meanwhile ‘Sealy PowerPack’ is a similar idea to ‘zoning’ that you see in a lot of foam mattresses. It means that the firmness of the springs varies so that it provides more support in the middle of the mattress, where your body carries the most weight (no offence).
Warranty and trial period
The warranty of the Sealy Steeple Ortho Plus Mattress is five years, which is about what you would expect for a sprung mattress of around this price.
Better news is that you get a 60 night trial if you buy it via Mattress Online. The trial period allows you to swap it for a different mattress, rather than getting a refund but it certainly makes buying online less of a gamble.
Are Ortho mattresses always firm?
Well, actually no they aren’t.
John Lewis has a range that it calls the John Lewis Ortho Support Collection, which are available in medium and firm versions and cost about £600-£800.
In this instance, they are described as ortho because they claim to offer ‘enhanced spinal alignment’. This is achieved by making the springs ‘zoned’ so that the firmness and resistance varies on different parts of the mattress. The idea is that you get a different level of support on different parts of your body.
The idea of zoning a mattress is used in lots of different mattresses.
In other words, don’t take the word ‘ortho’ as any kind of endorsement. You really need to dig a little deeper into the description and look at things like:
- Is it made from foam, springs or a ‘hybrid’ of both? See our guide to the pros and cons of springs and foam.
- If it’s a sprung mattress, is it pocket sprung or open coil? Pocket sprung offers much better support and less sideways movement, but open coil mattresses are easier to recycle
- If it has pocket springs, how many are there on a king size model? 1000+ is good enough for most people, but heavy people would benefit from a slightly higher number. If it has more than 2000 springs then they are spread over two or more layers. See our guide to pocket spring mattresses.
- Does the description say that it has hand side stitching or machine side stitching? Mattresses with hand side stitching are stronger at the edges.
- Can you turn it over? This isn’t a deal breaker but a double sided mattress may last longer if you remember to turn it over regularly.
See our beginners’ guide to buying a mattress for more advice.