Written by Mike Price, OT
Aging in place at home? Recovering from an injury, illness, or surgery? Have a medical condition that requires prolonged bed rest? Whether you’re temporarily or permanently challenged with immobility, bedsores can develop quickly. Painful and hard to heal, they’re caused by constant pressure on bony prominences and other areas of the body, usually resulting from extended sitting or lying in bed.
Pressure relief mattress toppers provide exceptional reduction of pressure to both prevent and treat pressure sores of every stage, while they also help boost circulation, mitigate inflammation, reduce pain, enhance comfort, and optimize rest, healing, and sleep. Utilizing real-life customer input along with advice from our product expert team, we help you choose the best pressure relief mattress topper in this article.
 | 1) ROHO Prodigy Mattress Overlay System View Product |
Making our review at number 5, the Drive Medical Convoluted Foam Pad offers dependable pressure relief at a lower price point. This quality mattress topper by Drive Medical utilizes a convoluted and contoured egg-crate design to effectively disperse pressure by redistributing the user’s weight across its surface. Its soft, immersive 4-inch foam envelops the body with luxurious comfort that’s also gentle on the skin.
Helping to improve blood circulation as it reduces the compressive physical forces that lead to pressure injuries, this convoluted foam mattress overlay also offers good breathability, promoting airflow to ensure a cool and dry pressure relief surface. Often used for both the treatment and prevention of lower stages of pressure wound development, this pad safely accommodates a 300-pound weight capacity.
Taking the 4th spot on our list with its exceptional non-powered reactive air support surface, the Waffle Static Air Mattress Overlay / McKesson provides a single chamber, low-profile design to reduce pressure on the bony prominences along with minimizing soft tissue shear forces. Its innovative and patented pattern of perimeter seals and air passages maximize pressure relief for all stages of pressure injuries, along with alleviating back, neck, and shoulder stiffness and pain. Delivering optimal air movement and moisture dissipation with its air circulation holes, this Waffle brand mattress overlay from EHOB provides comfortable, dry, and cool support for both supine and prone positioning, transfers, turning, and repositioning.
The integrated hand wells enable easier handling for caregivers to log roll, slide, or transfer the user. The adjustable vinyl straps of this mattress topper stretch and give during the inflation process, allowing it to self-center and stay in place on the bed. Made from soft, medical-grade polyvinyl material for optimal patient comfort, this material is also antimicrobial to effectively inhibit germs and odors. Accommodating a 300-pound weight capacity, its 3-inch depth immerses the user, redistributing weight to relieve pressure.
Coming in at number 3 with its choice of powered fixed or variable pressure, the Drive Medical Med Aire Alternating Pressure Pump with Pad System offers versatile support for effective pressure relief. The fixed pressure format delivers continuous, static air pressure for people who need a consistent style of treatment, while the variable pressure format provides an active, dynamic sleep surface that adjusts the air pressure to meet changing patient needs. Its powered operation is quiet to ensure uninterrupted sleep, with the fixed option set at 4 liters per minute in a 5-minute cycle.
The popular Med Aire system by Drive Medical utilizes a premium heavy-gauge vinyl bubble pad that has 130 air cells that alternate in inflation to redistribute the user’s weight, resulting in superior therapeutic treatment and prevention of pressure injuries at any stage. The pump includes brackets to attach to the bed’s headboard or footboard. You can also choose the variable pressure option that includes end flaps to better keep the mattress topper in place on the bed as it’s inflating and deflating. The Med Aire safely accommodates a 300-pound weight capacity.
Grabbing the 2nd position on our list, the Protekt Serenity Gel Foam Overlay comes in two bariatric options and one standard option, delivering superior non-powered pressure relief for users of all sizes. Its innovative design consists of a convoluted high-density polyurethane foam top layer, 15 horizontal bladders filled with aqueous gel in the middle layer, and a high-density, high-resilience foam base layer. The gel remains at room temperature at all times, helping to keep users cool and dry, while the high-density foam redistributes the users’ body weight to alleviate pressure. The standard size provides 3 inches of deep immersion and the two different bariatric sizes provide 4 inches of deep immersion, enhancing comfort for a better night’s sleep.
Its luxurious 3-layer construction prevents the Serenity overlay from bottoming out, ensuring it retains its shape for the most effective therapy that meets all pressure injury development stages. Its non-shearing, fluid-resistant top nylon cover is vapor permeable to optimize breathability and reduce heat buildup, along with providing protection against harmful microbes and bacteria. The bottom vinyl cover comes with elastic straps to attach the mattress overlay to the mattress, conveniently preventing it from migrating. These comfortable pressure relief toppers from Protekt (Proactive Medical) offer weight capacities of 300 pounds for the standard, and 500 pounds and 550 pounds for the two bariatric sizes.
We awarded 1st place in our review to the well-loved ROHO Prodigy Mattress Overlay System from 5 Minds for its innovative and highly effective multi-zoned support. Its 3 segmented sections fit perfectly with articulating hospital beds, keeping the support in place as the head or foot sections are raised or lowered. Because of its segmented mobility, this non-powered pressure relief support surface can also be used on recliners, wheelchairs, sofas, and chairs, alleviating pressure and optimizing comfort wherever you sit or recline. Disconnect one or two sections to customize the support to fit other surfaces.
Offering hydrostatic redistribution of load across the entire body contact area, the Prodigy’s flexible, interconnected air cells can be adjusted to conform to the user’s unique body contours. Customize your inflation from soft to firm with the included hand pump and this mattress overlay will automatically adjust to your shape, weight, repositioning, and movement to ensure constant support using proprietary Dry Floatation technology. Straps are included to keep the Prodigy in place on top of the mattress, while a machine-washable cover to protect the overlay can be purchased separately.
Providing 3 ½ inches of immersible comfort, this reactive, full-support air cell surface provides exceptional treatment support for pressure injury stages 1 and 2, while it helps to prevent all stages of pressure sore development. It comes with a repair kit to extend its functionality. Separate replacement segments, the repair kit, and the hand pump can all be purchased separately for a lower-cost alternative to replacing the whole system. The ROHO Prodigy accommodates a 300-pound weight capacity.
In order to determine the best pressure relief mattress topper to meet your needs or those of a loved one, there are a number of design features to understand so you can make the best choice.
Both powered and non-powered mattress overlays are placed over a mattress to provide pressure relief and optimize user comfort. Powered overlays require electricity and/or batteries for operation, utilizing low air loss, alternating pressure, and powered flotation. Providing either low interface pressure throughout or sequential inflation/deflation with an air pump or blower, powered mattress overlays are often indicated for people who are immobile, any stage pressure wound, and for those with major risk factors of pressure wound development.
Non-powered mattress overlays utilize foam, gel, air, water, and other materials, producing a depth between 2 and 5 inches to immerse the user and redistribute their weight to relieve pressure. Like their powered counterparts, they can also help to mitigate shear and friction, an important consideration for aging, compromised, or fragile skin. They’re frequently used for people with limited mobility, any stage pressure injury, and for those with mild to major risk factors of pressure wound development.
Indicated for people at any stage risk for pressure injury development along with helping to treat any stage of pressure wound, air mattress overlays come in three basic types; alternating pressure, low air loss, and static. Dynamic alternating pressure overlays circulate air back and forth throughout the cells, mimicking the action of self-adjustment and shifting for people who are unable to do this themselves, alleviating pressure points to both heal and prevent pressure wounds.
Reactive low air loss overlays are a much more affordable option to LAL mattresses, offering just as much efficacy to prevent and treat pressure injuries. They may be powered or non-powered, constantly filling with air and slowly releasing it to redistribute the user’s weight and prevent pressure points. Static air mattress overlays allow an adjustable level of air that stays constant to deliver effective weight disbursement for effective pressure relief.
Offering mild to moderate pressure relief, some foam mattress toppers can also be used for up to stage 3 pressure injury prevention and treatment. Usually configured with high-density polyurethane foam, memory foam, and/or viscoelastic foam, this higher-quality foam provides viable pressure reduction through immersion and weight redistribution. It can vary in thickness, softness, and firmness to meet specific user needs, and is usually one of the most affordable mattress topper options. Some users can find foam to get too hot, but foam toppers that incorporate gel are often quite cooling.
When they’re well-made, gel mattress toppers can be exceptionally beneficial and comfortable for alleviating and preventing pressure injuries. Often constructed with proprietary technology, the gel composition is more cooling, helping to dissipate heat and prevent sweating, while it also absorbs and neutralizes shocks. Relieving pressure on bony prominences, a gel may be used in combination with foam for more optimal results than using either by itself. Depending on their design, gel overlays are ideal for most stages of pressure injuries.
Mattress overlays that have a convoluted top design help to improve airflow and breathability to enhance user comfort. Configured like an egg-crate or diamond pattern, the contoured, convoluted toppers redistribute the user’s weight across the surface, dispersing pressure from bony areas of the body that are more prone to pressure sore development. They can be used for any stage pressure injury, but are generally better support for stages 1 and 2.
While most people will use a mattress overlay on a bed mattress, there are many designs available that can be used as a pressure-relieving support surface on a chair, recliner, sofa, or wheelchair. Be sure to measure the surface you intend to use the overlay on to ensure it will fit and is adjustable to meet those needs. In addition, always check the user weight capacity to confirm the topper will safely accommodate the intended user’s weight. Bariatric mattress toppers are a great choice for larger, heavier users.
Determining what kind of cleaning, care, and maintenance are required to keep your mattress topper performing and functional for as long as possible is important. Some overlays come with their own removable, washable, protective cover, while others are specially formulated to be easy to spot clean.
A mattress overlay is placed on top of a mattress to add a layer of cushioning to improve comfort. Also known as a mattress topper, mattress overlays are constructed in a variety of ways to suit specific user needs. They enhance well-being and improve sleep by increasing softness, enhancing air circulation, preventing heat buildup, and reducing pressure on specific areas of the body prone to pressure sore development.
A mattress topper is used to alter the feel of a mattress, providing added pressure relief and cushioning comfort. They are also sometimes used to extend the life of either an old or new mattress and can make the surface softer or firmer depending on the type of topper used.
A mattress topper can be added to a hospital bed mattress to make it more comfortable for the patient. Offered in an array of formats with varying design elements to meet different user needs, mattress toppers for hospital beds add cushioning, softness, and height to the mattress. Often utilized to both treat and prevent the pressure sores that can develop when people are confined to sitting or lying in bed for long periods of time, mattress toppers also help to enhance blood circulation and regulate temperature. The best fit for hospital beds are articulating, or segmented toppers that can remain in place when the foot or head sections of the hospital bed are raised.
Sheets are placed over a mattress topper to help protect it from dirt, body oils, hair, sweat, and dust. Certain kinds of bedsheets will help to reduce shear forces and pressure, adding to the therapy that the topper provides. Some mattress toppers come with their own removable, washable cover that can double as a bottom sheet, or sheets can be placed on top of the cover as well.
The best mattress topper for pressure points is one that uses either powered or non-powered air cells, high-density foam or gel-infused foam, a convoluted egg-crate or waffle design, or gel-filled bladders. Generally, the most effective pressure relief will be found in mattress toppers that combine two or more of these design components.
Memory foam is good for pressure relief in that it disperses the user’s weight by cradling the body, conforming to the user’s natural curves to keep the spine in a neutral position, alleviating pressure on bony prominences to mitigate pain and discomfort. Its open-cell construction reduces areas of high pressure to both prevent and treat pressure sores. Better for pressure injury stages 1 through 3 than more severe pressure wounds, memory foam, also known as viscoelastic foam, comes in varying densities and thickness levels to suit unique patient needs and personal preferences.
Medicare Part B will usually cover pressure-reducing support surfaces as durable medical equipment (DME) that’s prescribed by a physician for use in the home. Some types of pressure relief mattress toppers, such as powered low air loss and non-powered advanced pressure reduction, will require prior authorization before Medicare will pay for them.
Because bedsores can develop in less than a week of lying or sitting in the same position, it’s crucial to prevent these painful pressure injuries by employing a pressure relief support surface. One of the most inexpensive but still highly effective ways to do this is with a high-quality pressure relief mattress topper. Adding non-shearing softness, cooling air circulation, immersive comfort, and contoured cushioning, pressure relief mattress overlays and toppers come in a diverse array of styles to effectively reduce pressure for both the healing and prevention of pressure wounds.
While any of the pressure relief mattress overlays we chose for this article would be well suited for an individual user based on the specific benefits that topper provides, we selected the popular ROHO Prodigy Mattress Overlay System as our number one best pressure relief mattress topper. Along with its use as a mattress overlay, its unique segmented, multi-zoned support can be adapted to fit chairs and recliners, delivering unrivaled pressure relief wherever you need it.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about pressure relief mattress overlays! We invite you to view the rest of our quality selection of both standard and bariatric pressure relief mattress toppers, as well as our helpful caregiving tips at Caregiver University.
Co-Founder of Rehabmart and an Occupational Therapist since 1993. Mike has spent his professional career working in multiple areas of Occupational Therapy, including pediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, ergonomics and inpatient / outpatient rehabilitation. Mike enjoys writing articles that help people solve complex therapeutic problems and make better product choices.
