Mattress shopping is difficult. There is no two-ways about it. With conflicting information plastered all over the internet, Chiropractors saying one thing and Bed Manufacturers saying another, it is simply impossible to grasp what actually is going to be the right mattress for you. With the evolution of 100 Night Trial Schemes as well, you may think you have found the ultimate solution as well, but the problem with this scheme lies in the fact that this “solution” is based around logistics as opposed to matching the correct product with the individual. However, today we aren’t discussing the issues in the industry moving forward, we are looking backwards and at the current day and the problem that revolves around the word Orthopaedic and answering the question, do I need an Orthopaedic mattress?

Do I need an Orthopaedic Mattress?

“Do I need an Orthopaedic mattress?” could potentially be the most uttered phrase customers announce after walking through our door. Orthopaedic is a word that every person affiliates in the search for a “Quality” mattress or a “Firm” bed, however, did you know that this word is actually just a marketing term used by deceptive companies in order to charge you more? Allow me to explain…

Orthopaedic, Marketing or Fact…? 

Simply the biggest problem with the word Orthopaedic, when affiliated to a Mattress, is that there is actually no concise definition as to what makes a mattress Orthopaedic. Most people, and by that I probably mean 99% of the population, believe that an Orthopaedic mattress is a firm mattress, Here-in lies the problem, what is firm? Firmness as a concept is entirely subjective. If you want a metaphor that explains this best, let’s use a totally none-relevant example of cars. If a person who is used to driving down the motorway, and not much else, goes above 100MPH, they will probably believe that they are travelling pretty fast. However, when Louis Hamilton steps into that same car travelling at 100MPH, he would probably wonder why they are travelling so slowly. It is entirely down to perception, and the same could be said for support in a mattress. As humans, we are all built entirely differently. Some of us are tall, some of us short, some of us wide, some of us slim. We are all totally unique and as such, we all have completely different demands when it comes to support in a mattress. With all of us being built uniquely, so our perception of what constitutes firmness changes with us. If you are an 8 stone elderly woman, your perception of what constitutes firm will be entirely different to that of a 16 stone, middle-aged man. Henceforth, when discussing mattresses, there is nothing stopping somebody from slapping the term Orthopaedic onto a 500 Pocket Sprung Mattress (something I would deem to be exceptionally soft) and marketing it as such. Crazy, isn’t it?!

What is an Orthopaedic Mattress? 

There is no governing body or organisation to actually distinguish the term Orthopaedic. Any medicines you buy obviously have to go through a stringent procedure before they are presented for public consumption. Beds, on the other hand, have no such regulation on them and as such can be marketed however they like, with nobody differentiating between a truly “Orthopaedic” mattress and something that offers no support what-so-ever. Originally used as a medical term, it was realised shortly after that mattresses sold better when described as Orthopaedic, and as such it was adopted as a marketing term to push substandard mattresses. 

What Mattress is right for me?

Now we understand that an Orthopaedic mattress is a concept dreamed up in an office rather than a surgery, the next question that arises now has to be “what mattress is the right one for me?” This isn’t a question to be answered by an article on the internet. No one mattress is right for everybody, and it comes down to the individual to combine the elements of their personal preference, alongside what is the correct construction for them. To fully establish this, there is no alternative but to actually lie-down on multiple mattresses and figure out what best suites you. This is why, at Feather and Springs, we ONLY sell our mattresses through our showroom. We recommend every single customer come to our showroom, and try every mattress in our range. Only through trying multiple mattresses (as opposed to lying on a machine that will supposedly tell you which mattress you need and doesn’t take into account any form of personal preference) will you fully develop an idea as to what suits you best and will be the right investment for years to come. Gimmicks and lies rule the mattress industry, but we intend to take 0 part in this and intend to be as transparent as possible. 

If you have any questions regarding this, and other topics, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01539 734577, or pop into our showroom at Dockray Hall, Kendal.