Are you alright there Ray?
It's just the pain
It's taking my breath at the moment so I can't breathe properly
The pain I've got is where the coccyx is
Bend your knees
Does that make it better?
Both knees
Yes it does
It's quite surprising to me that a lot of people with Parkinson's
don't actually know that pain is a symptom
That's absolutely right
I think a lot of people don't report pain unless you ask them
It's kind of an afterthought
It's not one of the core symptoms of Parkinson's
Quite a lot of older people have got Parkinson's
Not you
There's a more stoicism about a certain generation
that just doesn't volunteer pain
How would you describe your pain Ray?
I would say that I'm constantly affected by my lower back
We've seen you in the past unable to move at all
You came in
and I don't even think you could lie down on the bed
he was in such pain
There's five different reasons why people get pain
or five different types of pain
but one of them is stiffness from the Parkinson's
the rigidity
and if we start by getting muscles moving more
they're more likely to relax more and then the pain
the stiffness and the lack of movement is more negated
So for Ray lying down completely straight is difficult
It's quite painful
That's nice, this is nice
How do you sleep in bed?
I don't sleep in bed
What do you mean you don't sleep in bed?
I found with Parkinson's it got more
difficult in bed to turn
You sort of stick
It took me an hour and five minutes
to get from one side of the bed to the other
an hour and five minutes!
Do you sleep in a chair every night?
Yea
And I don't think that's helping
I think I'm bringing some of my own pain on
I'm afraid I think I would agree
When it's really been bad for a sustained period
it wears on you
you just feel totally down
In Parkinson's the lack of dopamine
actually affects your perception of pain
So you can have a heightened perception of pain
that you wouldn't have had before
Not everybody but some people do
It's quite difficult because your body has changed
in how much pain you can bare
Some people say they've got high threshold
Some people it's lower but again that might alter with a diagnosis
Is it important for people to acknowledge what they're experiencing ?
Yes and to talk to the Parkinson's nurse, the doctor the physiotherapist
Somebody about it
You can be in denial
In this position the best thing that you could also do
is bring your knees a little bit closer and
just start letting them gently rock from side to side
Very gently
This is a good exercise
because it helps get you a bit more rotation in your trunk
Now Ray is lying with his legs straight
That's amazing
You are obviously physically in a different position there Ray
but in terms of pain
There isn't any
That's amazing
That's crazy
And that's why people need advice
Yea because how would you know how to do this?
Are there things that people can do to prevent?
Well exercise!
This is the thing that I would recommend
Exercise is absolutely one of the best things that people can do
Well, the best thing that they can do
Well done
Does that feel easier?
Ooh you stood up better then as well
A lot better, straight off
See now I'm totally loose
Just being able to do that
Is there pain anywhere?
Nowhere
This is actually crazy to me because I'm not used to seeing this
A couple of minutes of simple exercise
Yes, that's the difference that exercise makes!
That's where the job satisfaction is immense
Is just seeing seeing somebody's life made easier
Maybe Ray will go to bed tonight
Will you go to bed tonight Ray?
You'll have to have a chat with my wife