While we have a diverse and talented team, back, shoulder and hip pain—and health matters in general—are not our forte. In that vein, we worked closely with Dr. Ranvir Sahota, founder and operator of Synapse Chiropractic to write this post and select the best mattress for back and hip pain.
Dr. Sahota is a licensed chiropractor who works with dozens of clients each day, including people that are suffering from various forms of hip pain, including hip bursitis. We specifically discussed hip pain and lower back pain as well as causes, treatment options, and—of course—considerations with regard to mattresses. We even went through an in-person demonstration of the positives and negatives of different mattress types and sleeping positions.
Still, talk with your physician and/or chiropractor before you start the mattress buying process or switch up your daily life. Back and hip pain is not something that you’ll want to mess around with, and while changing your mattress can improve your situation, it can also make things much worse if you make the wrong selection. In addition to working with Dr. Sahota, we also performed our own tests and independent research with hundreds of hours of testing, researching, writing and producing.
Top 5 Mattresses For Hip Pain 2022
- Best Hybrid Mattress For Side Sleepers :Casper Nova HybridStarting at $1195 Shop Now
- Best Mattress For Shoulder And Hip Pain :Nolah Original 10Starting at $699 Shop Now
- Best Memory Foam Mattress For Hip Pain Relief :LaylaStarting at $749 Shop Now
- Best Mattress For Back And Hip Pain :WinkBeds ClassicStarting at $1149 Shop Now
- Best Hip Pain Bed For The Value :Helix MidnightStarting at $799 Shop Now
Best Hybrid Mattress For Side Sleepers
Casper Nova has an all-foam version available from select third-party retailers, but you’re more likely to find the hybrid version.
On top of the coils is memory foam and two layers of polyfoam—the top layer is perforated to help circulate airflow. This is what Casper mattress calls “Airscape” foam because it helps air to escape the mattress so that you are cooler during the night.
Because Casper Nova has two polyfoam layers as its primary comfort layers, the bed has a classic foam (or soft foam) feel. It won’t have the “sink-in” feeling you get from memory foam. It’s an extra-plush bed and super bouncy. It offers so much pressure relief that we think side sleepers with hip and shoulder pain might be right at home on the mattress.
Why Casper Nova is one of the best options for bad hips — The first word that comes to mind with Casper Nova is “plush.” It has a cloud-like feel, almost as if the bed is one big pillow. As such, we think it could be a nice choice for people suffering from hip pain, neck and shoulder pain or other ailments, particularly where pressure relief is of critical importance.
Best Mattress For Shoulder And Hip Pain
Nolah uses a proprietary foam called “AirFoam” that cradles your body like memory foam but is quicker to respond. It’s a unique feeling foam—we like it.
Nolah sits at about a medium-soft to medium on our firmness spectrum. We consider Nolah to be in the sweet-spot for side sleepers with hip and shoulder pain. Nolah is best for medium-sized and petite individuals, just like most foam mattresses.
Why Nolah is good for hip pain — Nolah is one of our favorite side sleeper mattresses. It offers tremendous pressure relief but is still easy to switch positions on. In fact, when we were compiling this list, Nolah was the first bed that we thought of. If you have sore hips, it will provide a gentle sleeping surface for them.
Best Memory Foam Mattress For Hip Pain Relief
Layla is a flippable mattress, which is great if you’re not sure which type of firmness with be your best mattress for hip pain. Layla has a softer, airy memory foam feel on the soft side. The firm side has a firmer memory foam feel.
We see the soft side as about a medium-soft, while the firm side is about a medium to medium-firm. This translates into a bed that will work for all sleep styles.
Why Layla is one of the best mattresses for side sleepers with hip pain — We see Layla as a wonderful option for individuals that need a lot of pressure relief. On top of that, we love that it’s a flippable bed so that you can choose the firmness level that’s best for you. As it relates to individuals with hip pain specifically, the soft side should be a good option for you.
Best Mattress For Back And Hip Pain
When you lay on the WinkBed mattress the first words that come to mind are that it is “supportive” and “hefty.” You also get a lot of pressure relief thanks to the pillow top.
For side sleepers with hip and/or shoulder pain, the softer model probably makes the most sense, but the most popular model is the luxury firm. Those with hip and back pain probably want to start with that option. Back and stomach sleepers may prefer the firm model, which is between soft and luxury firm.
The company sells an upgraded model called WinkBed Plus, which is designed and built specifically for heavier people weighing over 300 pounds.
Why WinkBed is the best mattress for back and hip pain — WinkBed is our top pick because it offers support that is nearly off the charts and yet is still comfortable, including for side sleepers.
Best Bed For The Value
Helix is a brand that makes numerous mattresses that range in price, firmness and thickness. You can take its Sleep Quiz to direct you to the most optimal mattress. This way, if you’re a side sleeper with hip pain, for example, you enter your information into the quiz and allow Helix’s system to make a tailored recommendation to you.
The reason we consider Helix such a good value is the price of the core six mattresses. Before discounts, they are typically around $1,000 for the queen, and after-discounts prices are closer to $900. It’s going to be hard to beat that.
The core models range from truly soft to truly firm and everything in between. The most popular model is Helix Midnight, which is around a 5/10 on the firmness scale.
Why We Picked Helix Sleep — Helix is our top choice for the best value mattress for hip pain. Helix combines quality mattresses at affordable prices.
Best Mattress For Hip Pain Pricing
Pricing can range with sales, discounts and natural price fluctuations. Check the websites for the most up-to-date pricing and offerings.
| Mattress | Twin | Twin XL | Full | Queen | King/California King |
| Casper Nova Hybrid | $1,195 | $1,345 | $1,895 | $2,095 | $2,395 |
| Nolah Original 10 | $649 | $799 | $899 | $1,049 | $1,149 |
| Layla | $699 | $799 | $999 | $1,099 | $1,199 |
| WinkBeds Classic | $1,049 | $1,149 | $1,299 | $1,599 | $1,799/ $1,849 |
| Helix | Depends on model | Depends on model | Depends on model | Depends on model | Depends on model |
Why Trust Us
Get the kind of sleep you’ve only dreamed of with some help from our team of mattress experts. We personally test more than 175 of the best sleep solutions from over 60 leading brands on site, so you can be sure you’re getting unbiased reviews, fair comparisons and personalized recommendations.
The Review Team
What Causes Hip And Back Pain?
There are many causes of hip and back pain between osteoarthritis, septic arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, pinched nerves and various injuries. You should have a serious conversation with your doctor about your back and hip pain and its source.
The hip and back are complex structures. The hip joint is where your femur attaches into your pelvis. This forms a “ball and socket” joint and is one of the largest joints in the body. The actual socket portion of your hip is called the Acetabulum. You then have connective tissue called ligaments that connect to the ball and socket to stabilize your hip joint. The hip is also surrounded by several large, important muscles. You have your Gluteals, which are the muscles of the buttocks, Adductors (inner thigh), Iliopsoas (lower back to femur), Quadriceps (thigh), and Hamstrings (back of upper leg).
As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into your hip and therefore a lot to potentially injure. Typically, you can tell the root cause of your back and hip pain via an MRI, X-Ray, or CAT scan. Below is a simple overview of some more common causes and symptoms of hip and back pain:
- Arthritis — Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the leading causes of hip pain. Symptoms include pain, stiffness and inflammation of the joint.
- Herniated disc – A herniated disk is when one of the discs between your vertebrae gets damaged in such a way that its protective exterior is torn. By itself, a herniated disk doesn’t always cause noticeable symptoms. Instead, the symptoms often depend on where in the spine the damaged disc is. If close enough to a nerve, the injury can cause extreme pain, numbness or muscle weakness.
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction – The sacroiliac joints connect between the spine and the pelvis. If subjected to enough physical trauma, these can become damaged and inflamed. Arthritis is another leading cause of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. When the sacroiliac joints become inflamed, it often leads to pain in the lower back, the buttocks, and sometimes the groin.
- Sciatica — This is a type of pain that refers to the sciatica nerve. It often presents as pain that travels down the back of your leg into your foot. We have another list on the best mattress for sciatica.
- Sprains and strains – Overuse of the back and hips, or improper lifting and twisting can lead to strains and sprains. Symptoms can include stiffness, swelling, tenderness, and muscle spasms. A strain is when the muscle is damaged while a sprain refers to damaged ligaments. Muscle spasms are less likely to occur with a sprain than a strain.
- Tight hip flexors – Sometimes back and hip pains are caused by muscle tightness without injury. The hip flexors are muscles in the front of your hip that run down towards your knee. When they are too tight, it can lead to localized pain, stiffness, soreness, and limited movement in the affected areas.
You can also check out our list of best mattresses for back pain if you want more insight.
How Do You Find A Mattress For Hip And Shoulder Pain?
Because your injury is likely localized, finding a mattress will depend heavily on how it affects your shoulders and hips. Put another way, you need to consider the rest of your body, but you should think critically about how the mattress makes your hip and shoulder feel. With this in mind, there are a few chief considerations:
- What exactly is your injury? Is your pain in your shoulder and hip, or just one?
- What is your sleeper type? Are you a side sleeper suffering from hip pain?
- Do you have a preferred mattress construction? For example, if you love memory foam, you’ll want to pick the best mattress for back and hip pain with memory foam.
- Where Does Your Hip Pain Stem From? A bone injury is far different than a strained muscle. Something structural like a broken bone will probably cause a lot more pain than a strained muscle. That will affect your sleeping positions, movement during the night and sensitivity to motion from others in your bed. Before you go mattress shopping, you should really hone in on your injury.
In general, you need to try a few beds to get things right, especially when you’re dealing with should and hip pain.
What Are The Best Sleeping Positions For Someone With Hip Pain?
A significant amount of research has been done into how sleep positions impact back and hip pain. As it turns out, sleep positions can have a considerable effect on hip and back pain. Sleep positions lead to such pains, and proper utilization of sleep positions can also be used to reduce some of these discomforts. After you determine your sleep position, you can use that information to find the best mattress for back and hip pain for you after you discuss it with your doctor. Here is how sleeping positions will make a difference:
- Side sleepers – The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that this position encourages proper alignment of the spine and can help with some back pains. Generally, side sleepers prefer a mattress in the medium-soft to medium-firm range (or a softer bed based on their weight). Too firm and you’ll end up with more hip and shoulder pain. Too soft and you could throw out your back further. Put more simply, side sleepers with hip and shoulder pain tend to need a bed with extra pressure relief.
- Back sleeper – If you have hip pain when sleeping on either side, try your back. This can reduce pressure on your spine by supporting the natural curve of it, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center. For back sleepers, you’ll want a firmer bed to help support proper alignment and the natural curvature of your spine. The only thing to keep in mind here is that if you do have hip pain, you’ll want to make sure your hips are not sagging down too much.
- Stomach sleeper – This position can put stress on the back because it can encourage poor alignment of the spine by maintaining an unnatural curvature in the back while sleeping. However, by placing a pillow under the stomach and pelvis to correct this spinal shift, you can prevent this from furthering back pain. Like back sleepers, stomach sleepers benefit from a firmer bed to help support the alignment of and curvature of your spine and back.
How Does Mattress Construction Affect Hip Pain?
The materials and design of a mattress play a big role in how your body will feel after sleeping on it. Sleep experts say firmer mattresses to help with and prevent back pains. Hybrid (or spring) mattresses tend to provide more support for longer. Foam mattresses have the lowest motion transfer and can provide more pressure relief. With sensitive injuries, light sleepers and people who feel too much pressure from hybrid mattresses, a good foam mattress can provide a reprieve.
Here is how the materials stack up:
- Memory foam will offer a good amount of pressure relief and support, but it also comes in varying firmness levels. If you see a mattress with a memory foam density (pounds per cubic foot or pcf) above 5, it’s probably going to be too dense and firm for you. Ideally, look for something in the 3-5 pcf range. Memory foam typically softens as you lay on it and when it’s exposed to your body heat. This can be helpful if you’re suffering from hip and shoulder pain.
- Gel memory foam is becoming popular. Some people love memory foam, but others say that it leaves them feeling ‘stuck’ in the bed, causing them to heat up (even sweat during the night). Gel memory foam can help keep you from overheating without changing the feel of the mattress.
- Latex foam is another popular material that can be found in the middle and top layers of some mattresses. There are several types of latex foam, but the natural, non-synthetic latex foam is made from the sap of a rubber tree. It’s typically airy and bouncy, almost like a sponge. Some people adore it while others consider the responsiveness (or bounce) to be too much. In either case, latex foam generally sleeps much cooler than memory foam. If you’re among the 1% of Americans who are allergic to latex, avoid this type of mattress.
- Polyurethane foam is popular in mattress construction is polyurethane foam, especially as a foundation layer. If you see it as a top layer, you’re typically looking at a cheaper mattress. Polyurethane foam comes in different densities and firmness levels. It doesn’t offer as much pressure relief as other types of foam mattresses.
- Proprietary materials are growing in popularity. Certain beds have proprietary foams, such as on Tuft & Needle Mint and Brooklyn Bedding. For example, Casper uses its open-cell foam so that the bed sleeps cooler. There are also a few companies that use a gel-like material for their top layer., including Purple mattress. It’s responsive yet offers great pressure relief and airflow.
What Accessories Are Good For Hip Pain?
A mattress is a good start, but there are other things to add. For example, if you get the best mattress topper for hip pain, you might get more relief. Here are some of those accessories:
- Cold packs and patches – When inflammation is behind the pain, applying a cold pack/patch to the affected area can help to relieve stiffness and pain. You always want to use a cold pack for the first 2-3 days after an injury. After this, you can switch between hot and cold, depending on whichever works best for you at the moment.
- Mattress toppers – Also known as bed pads, these can be placed atop your mattress to add softness or support, depending on the topper. Many of these toppers are a thin variant of a foam mattress, but some are built with spring-type technologies to add extra firmness and support. These can help with mattresses that have begun to show a little age, although they can’t compete with a full replacement. Take a look at our picks for the best mattress topper.
- Hip wraps – Though bulky, these wraps can help alleviate pain all the way around the hips. The devices apply pressure in key areas while often containing built-in pouches for hot and cold packs so that the wrap will apply both pressure and thermal therapy to the hips. You can alternate between hot and cold packs in a hip wrap. Use whichever works best to alleviate pain for you.
- Seating cushions – Numerous companies including Purple make specialized seating cushions designed to alleviate hip pain. These cushions are portable and can be placed anywhere you might sit, from the sofa to the car. By ergonomic design, seating cushions encourage posture that maximizes pain relief in the hips. To gain the benefits of a seating cushion even when you aren’t using it, pay attention to how it aligns your hips and back and try to imitate this posture whenever you sit elsewhere. Check out the Purple seat cushion review.
What If You Get The Wrong Mattress?
You should make certain that the mattress comes with a trial period. Most brands online, such as Nest Bedding, Leesa, Tuft & Needle and many others offer a trial period where you can test the bed to see if you like it.
This is crucial for anyone with an injury. You need to see how the bed feels and how it affects your injury. If you don’t like it, send it back. Most of these brands also offer free returns where they’ll dispatch someone to your house to pick up the bed at no extra cost to you and you’ll still get a 100% refund.
Similarly, mattress retailers such as Mattress Firm and RC Willey have trial periods, though, typically not as favorable return policies. Still, there are some serious advantages with testing a bed in-person at a store so you shouldn’t skip over the brick and mortar retail market.
Best Mattress For Hip Pain Summary
| Mattress | Highlight | Firmness Rating |
| Casper Nova Hybrid | Best Hybrid Mattress For Side Sleepers | Medium-soft |
| Nolah | Best Mattress For Shoulder And Hip Pain | Medium-soft to medium |
| Layla | Best Memory Foam Mattress For Hip Pain Relief | Medium-soft (soft) or medium to medium-firm (firm) |
| WinkBeds Classic | Best Mattress For Back And Hip Pain | Medium-soft, medium or medium-firm |
| Helix | Best Bed For The Value | Varies |
Yes, it can. If a mattress doesn’t provide enough support it can put extra stress on the hip joints.
Memory foam can be excellent for hip pain as it alleviates pressure from the hips and contours itself to the sleeper’s body, providing a form of gentle support. Memory foam comes in multiple firmness levels, and different body types and hip pains will vary in which is best for them.
In general, a medium-soft to medium mattress is better for hip pain, while a firmer mattress is better for back pain. A softer mattress can help to relieve pressure on the hips and allow them to rest more comfortably. However, too soft of a mattress can lead to some problems, especially if you sleep on your back or stomach.
Interestingly, for the majority of online mattresses, the brands are able to fit them inside a small cardboard box for delivery. It’s usually totally free for you. Delivery typically takes a week.
Yes! Most of the brands offer a 100-night trial period, if not longer. Some will allow you to try the bed for a full year before you decide to keep it or not.
That shouldn’t be a problem. If you buy a bed online it almost surely comes with free returns (or a modest return fee). The entire process is super easy and non-stressful.
You want to look for a bed with a 10-year warranty or longer. The industry average is about 10 years.