Best Sleep Position For Lower Back Pain

The difficultly with this question is that there are many causes of lower back pain from SI joint dysfunction, lumbar disc herniations (otherwise known as sciatica), muscles strains to the much more rare systemic causes of back pain. This means that one sleep position that produces the most relief for one back pain sufferer may be the worst position for the second back pain sufferer. This makes if very difficult to give specific advise unless you have a specific diagnosis and you have been properly assessed. 

The first thing I would suggest therefore is to see a specialist such as a Chiropractor who can assess you, treat you and then also give you specific advise more tailored for your issue. There are however few general rules that will help most people which I will go through now.

In terms of your sleep position, there are generally 4 main positions: lying on your back, front, right and left side. The general rule is to put your spine in the most neutral position possible with the least amount of pressure going through it. For most people, the best position is to lie on your back as this is the position that puts the spine in the most neutral position (provided your mattress is at an optimal firmness for your body shape). You can also put a pillow underneath your knees to take slacken your sciatic nerve as well as your hamstrings which can give further relief. The problem with this position however is that a lot of people just can’t sleep on there backs.

Quite often people will report being more comfortable sleeping on one side in comparison to the other when they are suffering with back pain. My advise here is to listen to your body and lie on the side that gives you the most relief. The most common reason why you will find relief lying on one side is due to an injury to your spine is located on one particular side. This can cause what we call an antalgic position. This is when your body leans to one particular side to take the pressure off the injury. This therefore creates a curve in the spine. When you lie on your side, the body tends to find comfort when you lie on the concavity side of that curve. 

Other reasons why you may prefer one side to the other, is to avoid putting direct pressure on an inflamed joint such as with SI joint dysfunction. An SI joint dysfunction usually causes you to want to sleep on the non painful side. You may also find it helpful to put a pillow between your knees when you lie on your side which can take the pressure of your SI joints. This can also help to prevent twisting of your spine especially if you have a larger pelvis.