Kent Rehab offers new limb therapy for Parkinson’s treatment

Posted 5/13/14

Kent Hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic in East Greenwich has added LSVT BIG™ to its physical therapy and occupational therapy programs. LSVT BIG™ is a specialized limb movement …

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Kent Rehab offers new limb therapy for Parkinson’s treatment

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Kent Hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic in East Greenwich has added LSVT BIG™ to its physical therapy and occupational therapy programs. LSVT BIG™ is a specialized limb movement therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease and is offered as a complement to the LSVT LOUD™ treatment for focused speech techniques, which has been offered through Kent since 2012.

Patients have had profound benefits from physical, occupational and speech therapy using LSVT™ methods, which are globally standardized treatment protocols, delivered by over 10,000 speech, physical and occupational therapists in 54 countries around the world.  

Kent Rehabilitation team members Tracy Cassara, OTR; Danielle Dwyer, DPT; Patricia Lefebvre, PTA; Susan K. Kelly, PT, MS; and Desiree Perry, OTR/L, attended a two-day intensive LSVT BIG™ training and certification workshop and are now certified to provide this treatment while Julie Henner, SLP, also received training and certification in LSVT LOUD™, expanding Kent’s LSVT™ program.

LSVT BIG™ is a specialized limb movement therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease, based on training increased amplitude of limb and body movement (bigness). These techniques have resulted in documented improvements in amplitude (trunk/rotation/gait), which can improve speed of gait, balance and quality of life.

LSVT BIG™ treatments can be delivered by a physical therapist or occupational therapist. Treatment is administered in 16 sessions over a single month (four individual 60-minute sessions per week). This protocol was developed specifically to address the unique movement impairments for people with Parkinson’s disease. The protocol is both intensive and complex, with many repetitions of core movements that are used in daily living. This type of practice is necessary to optimize learning and carryover of better movement into everyday life. Studies have shown that people were able to maintain these improvements when challenged with a dual task.

Kent Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation Center accepts all insurances and offers convenient scheduling and booking evaluations within one week. For questions on LSVT™ methods or other services offered, call 886-4650 or visit www.kentri.org/rehab. Kent Hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Center is located at 1351 South County Trail, building two, suite 200, East Greenwich.

For questions about Parkinson’s Disease, contact The American Parkinson Disease Association’s  Parkinson Center at Kent Hospital at 736-1046 or email MThibodeau@KentRI.org. You can also visit the APDA website at www.riapda.com.

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