11 Aug Getting In and Out of Bed
Many of my students who have pain want to know, “What is the best way to get in and out of bed?” This is a great question, and if you can learn how to do this when you are NOT in pain–even better!
Click on this YouTube video I made to see it in action:
Some important Tips to getting into bed.
1) Push down with soft fists (as seen in video) to boost your bottom into the bed.
2) It might feel that laying on your side is scary. You feel like you may fall off, but actually your torso and shoulder won’t let that happen. Letting your arm fall off the side of the bed makes less work for later. If you have Parkinson’s Disease, this is a must! The effort it takes to readjust once on a soft bed is tremendous–so everything you can do to be laying in a comfortable position from the get go is very important.
3) People living with PD may need a caregiver to lift their legs for them once they begin the process of laying down.
4) When coming onto your side to get out of bed, try to keep your neck soft. This will feel like dropping your head. This will make your arms work better when moving hand over hand to come up to sitting.
5) When moving from Sitting to standing. Go slow! Feel the floor with the bottom of your feet. Really feel it. Most people pull away from a cold floor. Let your feet feel the cold if it is cold, or feel all the nooks and crannies of the carpet/rug if there is one. This will help you with your balance and grounding.
Let me know if you have any questions or if issues come up for you! I would love to hear if this helps you or a loved one get in/out of bed easier. This is also amazing if you are struggling with back pain or neck pain.
Warmly,
Lena
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