Hunterdon Healthcares physical therapy offers treatment program for Parkinsons disease

Hunterdon Healthcares Physical and Occupational Therapy is now offering Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Big (LSVT Big) therapy to help patients with Parkinson Disease and other with neurological disorders.

Parkinson disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects a persons movement. People with Parkinsons disease move more slowly, they tend to take tiny steps, write smaller and may stand up and freeze in place. The goal of LSVT Big is to retrain a patients brain with a repetitive exercise program that helps the patient make their movements larger. A patient may do thousands of exercises to help improve trunk rotation and balance, increase speed, and have a better quality of life, explained Amerigo Abonitalla, Senior Physical Therapist at Hunterdon Healthcares Physical Therapy located at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Whitehouse Station. Abonitalla added, The Physical Therapist will tailor the program to the individual. If we have a patient that wants to get back to their game of golf, we will work on breaking down the steps to help them get back in the game or the patient may need help with basic life skills such as brushing their teeth so the patient can maintain his or her independence.

Hunterdon Healthcare has three physical therapists certified in LSVT Big therapy. Patients are evaluated and if therapy is appropriate, the program includes sixteen sessions over a month, which is four 60 minute sessions a week. There is also homework. Patients have a set of exercises they have to do daily. It is a commitment, but the patients that are currently receiving treatment have shown great improvement, stated Tracy Monaco, PT, Physical Therapist at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Whitehouse Station.

LSVT Big is covered by Medicare and most insurance providers. For more information or to schedule an appointment for an evaluation for LSVT Big therapy, call Physical Therapy at the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Whitehouse Station at 908-534-1320 or call Physical and Occupational Therapy in Flemington at 908-788-6394.

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Hunterdon Healthcares physical therapy offers treatment program for Parkinsons disease