@capper posted:Scott, thank you very much for the quick response. I am glad to hear that your back problem was successfully dealt with surgically. I understand that for most back issues, surgery is a last resort. By the sounds of your situation, it was an emergency. Have you had any comprises to make since then? Has your back health completely returned to normal without any current issues?
I agree that it is likely unrelated to my IBD and surgery. I have thought about what you mentioned - try different mattresses. Obviously during the pandemic it is likely not possible. The only thing is that I am not sure I would really know how a mattress would be good for me unless I have a chance to sleep on it for at least one night -- possibly a few!
My back has completely returned to normal, and after a suitable period I resumed all activities, including martial arts. I’m probably a bit more cautious now, less willing to try to touch my toes, for example. Back surgery is sometimes much less successful, of course, particularly if they try to fix a bony problem rather than a pure disc problem.
Some mattresses come with pretty good return policies, so you could try them. It can be close to impossible to get a mattress back into the box it was shipped in, though, so it might be worth limiting your choices to companies that will pick up the thing if it’s unsuitable.