Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that can present with tremors, difficulty with walking, poor balance, muscle aches and pain, stooped posture, coordination difficulties and even difficulty with writing. It is never too early to begin physical therapy after diagnoses in order to slow the progression of symptoms.
Physical therapy treatment of PD will begin with an evaluation to determine disease progression and the patient’s functional goals. Posture, gait, assistive device and balance assessments are performed in order to determine deficits caused by disease progression. A patient’s treatment will often consist of balance training, postural training and strengthening, gait training and assistive device training. Other areas to assess and include in treatment are caregiver training, bed mobility, and transfers.
Patients will be provided with an individually tailored home exercise program that will allow them to continue their treatment at home while receiving services and after discharge. Parkinson’s disease does not have a cure, but with a combination of medicinal therapy and physical therapy quality of life for a patient can be maintained or improved with individually tailored treatment programs.
LSVT BIG is NOW offered at Carousel’s Kilmarnock AND Hartfield Clinics:
LSVT BIG trains people with Parkinson disease (PD) to use their body more normally. People living with PD or other neurological conditions often move differently, with gestures and actions that become smaller and slower. They may have trouble with getting around, getting dressed and with other activities of daily living. LSVT BIG effectively trains improved movements for any activity, whether “small motor” tasks like buttoning a shirt or “large motor” tasks like getting up from sofa or chair or maintaining balance while walking. The treatment improves walking, self-care and other tasks by helping people “recalibrate” how they perceive their movements with what others actually see. It also teaches them how and when to apply extra effort to produce bigger motions – more like the movements of everyone around them.
Because LSVT BIG treatment is customized to each person’s specific needs and goals, it can help regardless of the stage or severity of your condition. That said, the treatment may be most effective in early or middle stages of your condition, when you can both improve function and potentially slow further symptom progression. Beginning your work with LSVT BIG before you’ve noticed significant problems with balance, mobility or posture will often lead to the best results, but it’s never too late to start. LSVT BIG can produce significant improvements even for people facing considerable physical difficulties.
LSVT BIG is a 4 week program that is covered by most insurances. Treatments include an hour session with a certified LSVT BIG therapist four times a week. Treatment protocol includes daily exercises performed by patient at home one on treatment days and two times on non-treatment days.
