Contour BackMax Body Wedge Back Support System

UPDATE: We have gone FIVE MONTHS without spasms or pain. This has quite literally changed my spouses life. The release of pressure has allowed for healing, and he has been able to play with the kids and be more active resulting in weight loss and better quality of life. A prayer has been answered here. It has not lost firmness and everything has held up well. If this works for you as it did for us.. it could be life changing. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I am sharing our story because I didn’t see many reviews specific to the purpose we bought it for. This was bought for someone who is 6ft, 230 lbs, and 32 years old. He has had sciatica issues for about two years now with little relief. In the past 6-8 months it actually has gotten worse by causing nocturnal leg cramps… I’m not sure if there’s different intensities of leg cramps but these were crippling, and would come anywhere from 2-6 times a night. This strong man would be brought to his knees in tears as I sat and watched helplessly. It was horrible. The lack of sleep would be hard on him, and the cramps were heartbreakingly bad. We had tried everything, pills, therapy, stretches, heat, cold, anything and everything we were told to do. I got so tired of watching this man in pain and decided to do some research of my own. That’s how we ended up here. I chose this unit in hopes of any amount of relief with no real hope it would do much.. but anything to make him comfier would be worth it. At 28” wide this thing is very capable of holding up such a large person. The foam is firm but that’s what’s needed to hold up someone over 200lbs. This unit is comfortable and fits the large size of our guy. (Side note: I am 5’9 but have insanely long legs, it does fit me differently than it fits him with his average sized legs. If you are 6ft and super leggy you may not be comfortable. Similarly, if you are too short I could see this being a nightmare. For the average American between 5’6 and 6’ I’d say is the sweet spot.) Back to the point of this review. We are 5 nights down without one back spasm or leg cramp! This is something that hasn’t happened in 6+ months! My sleepy pain filled shell of a man is back to being the dad and spouse we love and know! He thinks it’s not only because of the inclined position, but because of the wedge that keeps his feet in an upright position. He now sleeps on this thing all night without so much as a peep. It is really nice that it is zipped together and none of the pieces move out of place on him. It’s also worth mentioning that a king size bed is probably best for cosleeping since this thing is so large. In conclusion, it has provided more relief than expected, can hold a large person, and stays in position all night. If you or someone you love is in pain, it’s worth the try. 250$ sounds expensive.. but I’d have paid that to give even just one night of relief from what was happening, and so far we have 5!

I don’t usually write reviews, but I’m doing this one to help others. I have a myriad of back problems including scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, and flat back. It has gotten so bad if I stand for any length of time, the pain running down the back of my leg is excruciating. It seems I can’t sleep in a bed anymore because the pain and stiffness in the morning is unbearable. I have a Tempurpedic which I don’t recommend. I’ve tried various other beds and nope. I haven’t tried everything out there, but not super excited to spend $5K plus on a new bed. While searching for chair supports, I ran into this. Seemed kinda speedy for foam, but I was desperate. It has been worth every penny. I use the zero gravity set up to sleep and while I still have a bit of pain in the morning, it’s NOTHING like sleeping in a bed. I can actually stand up without much pain in the morning. It takes all of the pressure off my lower back. My bad has a chance to unclench and actually relax and rest. I also use a memory foam lumbar support cushion because the lumbar bump on the Backmax isn’t much and the extra support cushion really helps. I am a 6’ tall, about 175 lbs, woman. I bought the 28” and while my shoulders fit, they lay flat on the back piece which causes me dull pain. I use bed pillows on both sides to support my arms which is much better. I wish there were zipper-on arms. Speaking of which…spend the extra money…you want this one with zippers. I don’t see how separate pieces would work. I’m sure they’d come apart, plus, in my sleep I’d probably push them away and turn on my side. I am so comfortable on this that I don’t move around and it keeps me from being able to turn over anyway. I tried using the system on top of my bed, but I found it lost support. I keep it on the floor with a rug underneath. When you first sit down you’ll feel the hard floor under your behind, but once you lie back you kind of lift up and don’t feel the floor nor any weight on your behind. It’s awkward to to get off of it because of the shape, so you may struggle a little bit if you have limited mobility getting up off the ground. I sort of flip/roll off to the side, get to my knees then up from there. While I am plenty comfortable on this without a pillow and sometimes prefer that, it comes with an extra, softer neck pillow which isn’t bad. I tried a contour pillow, but due to the angle and firmness of the back cushion, it pushed my head up too much. As far as length goes, at 6 feet with a 34 inch inseam, with the expandable section between the the back and knee piece, I just make it. I’m too tall for using the foot cushion flipped forward, so I fold it back on the knee section and my feet are at the end without hanging off. You could just remove that part, but I don’t find it comfortable with my feet down and I think it takes away from the zero gravity. I think that if you are shorter than maybe 5’5, the proportions might be too long, and if you have an inseam longer than 34”, possibly too short, but I’d suggest trying it. As I write this, I’m visiting my mother. I ordered a second Backmax for her house, but, unfortunately, it didn’t arrive until the second day. I spent the night in the guest bed and all I can say is thank God I ordered the second one and it got here! If you are in pain and struggle to sleep because you need more lower back support and keep your spine straight, buy this thing!!!! The $250 is pennies compared to the relief I feel. Best wishes that you feel better!

So pleased I have this a go. I have horrible back and hip pain. Spent a small fortune on a nice couch but the cushions suck. So long story short. I was looking into a zero gravity sectional etc. But they're crazy expensive so I bought this with the hope I could sit on my couch for more than 30 minutes. I drive a lot for work I should also mention as that's part of the problem. The construction is very good. High quality dense foam is used. It's very comfortable and has for sure helped with my back pain and being able to sit. There are a few things that would've been nice. First the smallest piece that you can fold over should have like a Velcro fastener to keep it in place when you opt to use that configuration. Another feature that would be great would be some sort of cover for the cushions that would help you customize the look to match your furniture etc and that way it could be removed and washed.

It's nice and comfortable. The reason for not giving it the 5 stars is because It's a little bit too short. I'm 5'9 and my ankles float out of the pillow where feet are supposed to rest. Still comfortable enough not to return.

Excellent

I think that the product may be ok, but it was too big for my wife and did not help here much.