New Treatment Available for People Affected by Parkinson’s Disease

At Restorations Physical Therapy, we are very excited to offer the newest treatment for Parkinson’s Disease, the LSVT BIG® program. This program has been designed to address the movement disorders specific to Parkinson’s disease, and we are excited to have the chance to help those with this disorder.

The movement dysfunctions that can be caused by Parkinson’s often effect a person’s ability to work, participate in favorite recreational and social activities, and sometimes unable to perform everyday tasks. The good news is there is hope. LSVT BIG treatment has been proven to aide people in returning to their normal movement patterns, and therefore their normal lives.

The LSVT BIG targets decreased amplitude of movement, which some consider to be the most debilitating symptom. As the disease progresses, walking becomes slower, steps become smaller, and arm swing also starts to diminish. This shuffling type gait leads to decreased balance and mobility. The LSVT program focuses on increasing the amplitude or “bigness” of movement, allowing the patient to either prevent these changes in earlier cases or reverse changes in patients with longer standing diagnoses. Patients can regain their mobility, are less likely to experience falls, and feel less self-conscious of having a different gait then those not affected.

This program also differs from traditional therapies with its focus on function. LSVT BIG begins with core exercises that retrain the body to perform movements we use in everyday life. The next part of treatment focuses on practicing functional tasks using the new movement patterns. This increases the carryover into the patient’s lives so that the gains made in treatment aren’t lost as soon as therapy is over. Traditional therapies that focus just on balance and strength training have not been shown to have this same carryover into everyday life.

If you or a loved one could benefit from this treatment, please contact our office to learn more. You can also visit the official LSVT website for more patient testimonials and more information on the history of LVST BIG.