All I can say is the experience I have had and I truly hope my advice, will help..DO NOT SLEEP on a hard floor! I have had back surgery removing dics 4 and 5, a rod was placed, eight screws and a cage, you do NOT need to be laying on a very hard surface, YES it puts your back in straight alignment, but you do not want that as it is NOT comforming to the natural curves of the spine! You NEED somthing that when you place your hand under your lower back when laying down, COMFORMS TO YOUR LOWER BACK! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE A SPACE BETWEEN YOUR BACK AND THE BED! I have had this surgery, and I have had 4 years of physical therapy (unsuccessful may I add due to my condition) and I dropped 80 pounds..I have come to discover Firm or too soft is no help..I bought a dial a number sleep comfort bed, and it has helped me immensley! You can choose the number most comfortable for you, and it adjusts differently on each side, so each spouse can adjust to their needs..I found the middle number BEST for me..I will never ever be pain free, I was explained by my orthopedist ( and I went to 4 different orthos, getting four different opinions after FREAKING out when I learned the back surgery they each said I needed)..As I will always have back pain, it was reduced with spinal supportive surgery, and I invested in the sleep number bed, and yes I still do use meds, I have NO choice…IM telling you, you must investigate this type of sleep bed for your self, my hubby on the other hand had the same exact surgery himself, and can NOT sleep in the sleep number bed or ANY bed since his back surgery, he sleeps on the recliner, as laying on his back is too painful! My advice to you, is to check out the sleep number bed and ALSO THE CRAFTMATIC bed…the craftmatic bed adjusts to your position when you sleep..YOU NEED to do some “Investigative” shopping..And some of these bed manfacturers will let you try their beds out on a 30 day free trial…As for my hubby and I we are checking into the craft matic bed, if I can switch over to it, I will, I feel horrible he has to sleep on the recliner since his surgery almost a year ago
Please do your self a favor, never take advice from anyone that hasnt gone through these chronic back problems, DO ask a licensed Physical therapist!!! And PLEASE DO NOT sleep on a floor or a very hard surface!!! That is OLD wives tales for people that do not have “chronic”back pain, and you can do MORE HARM to your back!
GOOD LUCK and BETTER HEALTH to YOU!!!

I bought a ‘Craftmatic” bed after sleeping in my recliner for 5 years. It was rather expensive…apx. $3,000. A lot of money, yes, but what price do you put on a really good nights sleep? I had tried waterbeds. waveless and conventional. I tried feather mattress pads, and ‘egg crate’ pads, not to mention all the extra pillows I used to prop myself up in a variety of positions looking for some relief. All of these helped for short periods of time, but if I was to add up the cost of all of them, I should have bought the Craftmatic adjustable bed to start with. Good luck with your search for relief. My bed has built in massage, the head and foot of the bed can be raised or lowered…it can come with built in heat, but I opted to save money and get a heated mattress pad instead. After one year, I am still sleeping peacefully and pain free.

Sleep on the floor or other hard surface. Seriously. Bad beds contribute to back pain more than people realize. The floor provides support your back needs. Use a pillow under your neck and watch out for spiders. =)

Feel better soon.