A new therapy for Parkinson’s disease patients improves their mobility and speech.

Physical and speech therapists at Summit Therapy & Health Services implemented the Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) BIG and LOUD treatment for patients, respectively, in March, said Alison Weigley, the community relations coordinator of Pullman Regional Hospital.

“This is the only therapy program in this area that is specifically designed to help provide therapy options for Parkinson’s disease patients,” Weigley said.

Patients go through an intensive therapy with 16 sessions in a month, Weigley said. Therapists work one-on-one with patients.

LSVT BIG, the physical therapy component, helps to recalibrate amplitude movement in patients, said Timothy Williams, who holds a doctorate of physical therapy at Summit Therapy & Health Services.

Williams said this treatment is more effective for improving quality of movement and decreasing risk of falls than traditional balance training.

 “I have one patient who was having daily falls prior to beginning the LSVT BIG program,” he said in an email. “Following treatment, she had gone several weeks without a single fall.”

Parkinson’s patients tend to shuffle their feet, Williams said.

“This program retrains the patient to ‘think big’ and increase the size of movements,” he said.

Over 1,600 physical therapists across 16 countries trained in LSVT BIG, according to the LSVT website.

LSVT LOUD trains Parkinson’s patients to project their voice, said Keri Jones, a certified speech language pathologist as Summit Therapy and Health Services. It is the only Parkinson’s voice treatment with a standardized approach.

“Traditional voice/speech treatment for people with Parkinson’s misses the mark by focusing on articulation skills,” Jones said in an email. “People with Parkinson’s lose volume in their speech, therefore proper treatment should focus primarily on regaining the volume. However, this needs to be accomplished through a very specific treatment regimen using LSVT LOUD.”

Eighty percent of patients maintain treatment improvement one to two years post-treatment, she said.

“We collect a baseline speech sample recording when treatment begins and are always astounded at the difference in speech and voice post-treatment,” Jones said.

Over 9,200 clinicians in 54 countries have been trained in LSVT LOUD, according to the LSVT website.

Williams said Parkinson’s is a progressive disease and there is currently no cure. People with Parkinson’s maintain independence longer through LSVT treatments.

 “A later stage patient who is wheelchair-bound can make tremendous gains in movement in the chair and in completion of daily tasks like feeding themselves,” he said.

After treatment, patients are expected to complete daily exercises and return for rechecks every two to five months, Williams said.

Patients can participate in both LSVT BIG and LOUD treatments or choose between one, Weigley said.

“What’s great about this program is that it’s good for all stages of Parkinson’s,” Weigley said. “Any stage of Parkinson’s disease patient can benefit from this therapy.”

Six providers with Pullman Regional Hospital’s Summit Therapy & Health Services are certified in this program, Weigley said. Most insurance companies cover the treatment.