HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY Health Tips Newsletter
MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE HOW THE LSVT-BIG PROGRAM HELPS TREAT PARKINSON’S DISEASE
INSIDE :
• What The Vaccine Means For Hands-On Care • Complimentary Screening
• Exercise Of The Month • This Patient Got His Life Back, You Can Too!
the patient is capable of. Then, specific exercises are given to increase their amplitude of movement with the goal of improving their overall gait pattern and balance to reduce their risk for falls. The accelerated program is built to slow the disease progression by protecting dopamine neurons, restore connections in the brain, and specifically train the patient’s individual deficits. The LSVT-BIG program is a specific exercise program consisting of 16 one-hour sessions for four consecutive days per week for four weeks. Throughout the four weeks, patients are completing daily homework and carryover learned exercises for 30 days straight. This is followed by coaching of five everyday tasks that the patient is having difficulty completing, such as sit to stand transfers or pulling keys out of pocket, all under close supervision of the licensed physical therapist. Our team of certified experts are here to help slow the progression of the disease and enhance quality of life. For more information about the LSVT-BIG program at Excel Physical Therapy, please see our location list to find a certified LSVT-BIG clinician near you.
Parkinson’s disease is a “progressive disease of the nervous systems marked by tremor, muscle rigidi ty and slow, imprecise movement. It is associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine.” It commonly affects 4-6 million
Katie Kelly, PT, DPT
people worldwide. It is most prevalent in Caucasian and Hispanic men over the age of 60, with a prevalence of twice as many men affected compared to women. It is diagnosed by motor symptoms including bradykinesia (slow movement), rigidity, tremor, as well as a positive response to dopamine replacement therapy. Lee Silverman Voice Treatment- BIG (LSVT-BIG) is one part of a dual-treatment program for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At Excel Physical Therapy, LSVT-BIG is taught by a certified physical therapist. LSVT-BIG is defined as an “intensive amplitude- based exercise program for the limb motor system and re-education of the sensorimotor system.” In other words, as the name implies, the exercises are comprised of big, exaggerated movements. A common presentation of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s is bradykinesia or small amplitude movements. This can include decreased arm swing or short step length (shuffling) while walking. The LSVT-BIG program begins by addressing the person’s maximum amplitude of movement, meaning “the largest range of motion with the highest effort and the best biomechanics” that
By Katie Kelly, PT, DPT, Staff Physical Therapist at Excel Physical Therapy - Blue Bell
More information can also be found at: www.excelphysicaltherapy.com/ services/lsvt-big
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