PT for Parkinson’s helps social, physical and cognitive symptoms
Physical therapist Cher Cassidy starts the session by saying, “Be big! Big posture! Big hands!” with the biggest smile that totally lights up the room. I’m at BGH’s Performance Therapy Services with Marilyn Barnes, 83, who seven years ago was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and is now taking the LSVT Big/Loud classes.
LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment and was developed by Dr. Lorraine Ramig for a woman named, you guessed it, Lee Silverman, who had PD. LSVT Loud is speech therapy that improves communication in daily living, and LSVT Big trains to improve mobility and movement used in daily life.
PD is a progressive brain disorder that affects the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by nerves. At first, it may present as just a slight tremor in one hand. Then your face may show little expression, your arms don’t swing while you’re walking, your family members complain that you’re mumbling, or your handwriting gets smaller and smaller.
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