Specialized Parkinsons disease therapy demonstrates dramatic patient results

This year, Marie Bott, a 72-year-old resident of The Woodlands, was able to hand-write Christmas cards for the first time in years.

Bott was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 2012 and suffered from a severe tremor in her right hand, which made everyday activities like writing nearly impossible.

Now, not only can she write, but she can beat eggs for her famous egg custard, climb flights of stairs and perform other daily functions that she previously found daunting, and its thanks to therapy that she received at TIRR Memorial Hermann The Woodlands rehabilitation hospital.

In the year since it opened in The Woodlands, TIRR Memorial Hermann has grown from fewer than 10 to 35 therapists specializing in a variety of disciplines to help patients with a range of conditions, including strokes, balance disorders, brain injuries, amputations and neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinsons.

Nora Harrigan, a senior physical therapist specializing in Parkinsons disease treatment, works with Bott and others in the early stages of the disease using a physical therapy method called LSVT-BIG.

LSVT-BIG is an intensive, four-week exercise program where a therapist works closely with the patient four times a week on exercises that help improve motor skills.

Whats unique about this program is it targets the problems most people with Parkinsons have. They move slow and they move small ... (LSVT-BIG) encourages them to increase the bigness the amplitude of their movements, Harrigan explained.

Research has shown that it improves their walking speed, it improves their balance, it improves their ability to do functional activities.

Dennis Hough, 67, of Bentwater, also has Parkinsons Disease.

For him, the biggest struggle was that his joints would freeze, making it painful for him to move his arms and legs even slightly.

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Specialized Parkinsons disease therapy demonstrates dramatic patient results