Orthopedic beds and mattresses

Pocket sprung and innerspring mattresses

Not too many years ago, pocket sprung or open sprung mattresses were the only available options. These were hard mattresses with a minimum spring gauge and their modern equivalents still work well when a really firm bed support is required. An advantage of the Pocket Spring mattress is that the springs resist being too firm when weight is applied.

Many would however argue that "mattress technology", and the understanding of skeletal body support mechanisms, has since moved on resulting in several more advanced orthopaedic bedding alternatives now being available.

Mattress construction

Pocket spring mattresses are made with individual spring units rather than the orthopaedic interconnected ones. With the orthopaedic inner spring mattresses, the tops of the coils are woven together like a web. This ensures additional support and makes the many coils function as a single "web" like unit.

The more springs there are in a mattress, the more it is able to support the whole of the body. This provides firmness, but also yielding and compression where needed. This total flexibility allows the mattress to respond to your precise shape, weight, size and sleeping patterns.

Orthopaedic Spring mattresses offer a strong support to your back and are often supplemented with various layers of foams to offer softness and greater levels of comfort. The more you pay, the more opulent will be the quilting and finishing touches to your mattress.

A simple sprung mattress will consist of spring coils, layers of upholstery fillings and a cover. A higher coil count means the springs will have a smaller diameter and probably will not feel quite so hard. The gauge or thickness of the coils also affects the firmness of the mattress. The heavier the gauge - the stiffer the mattress, and the lighter the gauge - the springier the mattress. The choice is down to personal preference and possibly medical advice.

A standard double spring mattress unit typically comprises of about 312 coils of 13 gauge-2. With a natural spring, this kind of mattress combines high compression resilience with good moisture absorption properties and acts as a natural insulator by maintaining a constant temperature.

Consider the coils in your spring mattress

Modern spring mattress cores, often called "innersprings," are made up of steel coil springs, known as "coils". The most commonly discussed feature of an innerspring mattress is the number of coils in the mattress. Most conventional mattresses, particularly those made with innersprings or coils, can produce painful pressure points that may cause you to toss and turn. If you decide to purchase a spring mattress, it is important to consider the number and type of coils.

In most mattresses, a higher numbers of coils means a firmer mattress. This higher coil count results in more coils that are closer together, thereby providing additional support for the mattress to prevent lumps from developing. The distribution of coils is also important. Steel wire is woven throughout the tops of the coils to secure each individual coil in place and eliminate the possibility of any lateral movement.

Both Memory foam and Latex foam can also be found in the surface padding of many of the better quality innerspring mattresses.

If you buy any kind of innerspring mattress you will be in good company, they remain the best sellers, but this is almost certainly down to price. Even so, you may not be getting the best mattress for your body or your spine. By modern standards, sprung mattresses are not able to conform properly to the unique curves of the body and they may not stay firm and supportive for as many years as the more advanced memory foam mattress. Coil mattresses wear out due to sagging springs, flattened filling and most of all use over time. They generally need replacing every 7 to 10 years.