Parkinson's Disease

What is Parkinson's Disease? 

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that can result in stiffness, slowing of movement and trouble with balance.  These changes raise the risk of falls and interfere with a person's ability to function. It is one of the most common adult neurological conditions and it is more common in men than women.

Treatment

 Parkinson's disease cannot be cured, but medications can significantly help control many of the symptoms and improve quality of life. For many people, medicine works very well in the early and middle stages of the disease. Over time, however, medication may become less effective or cause side effects that make it harder to manage symptoms. When this happens, surgical options like deep brain stimulation may be considered to help relieve movement-related symptoms. Along with medical treatment, your healthcare team may recommend physical, occupational, and speech therapy to help you stay active and independent. These therapies play an important role in managing symptoms, improving daily function, and maintaining your overall quality of life. 

LSVT BIG Program

The LSVT BIG program effectively retrains people to make larger, more purposeful movements in everyday activities—whether small motor skills like buttoning a shirt, or large motor tasks such as rising from a chair, maintaining balance, or walking. This treatment improves mobility, self-care, and overall function by helping individuals “recalibrate” their perception of movement to match what others actually observe. It also teaches when and how to use increased effort to create bigger, more natural motions that mirror the typical movement patterns of those around them.

LSVT Loud Program

LSVT LOUD is a highly effective speech therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurological conditions. Named in honor of Mrs. Lee Silverman, who lived with PD, this program was developed by Dr. Lorraine Ramig and has been extensively researched for more than 25 years with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other major funding organizations.

The treatment is designed to help individuals with PD speak at a more normal loudness level during everyday communication at home, work, and in the community. A key component of LSVT LOUD is helping people “recalibrate” their internal perception of how loud they sound so they can confidently use a stronger, clearer voice that is appropriate and easily heard by others.

Parkinson's Voice Project Speak Out Program

The SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program, developed by Parkinson Voice Project, helps people with Parkinson’s and related disorders REGAIN and RETAIN their speech and swallowing. The program can improve volume, articulation, breath support for speech, vocal quality, intonation, and facial expression. Patients and families also report reduced drooling and improved swallowing. This highly effective, research-based treatment combines education, individual and group speech therapy, and daily home practice.

Physical Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

,Physical therapists help manage Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions by improving strength, endurance, balance, and mobility. They provide exercises to maintain independence, reduce the impact of symptoms, and prescribe mobility devices when needed to support safe movement and walking.  Our therapists are LSVT BIG certified and services are available at our clinicsl in Huntsville, AL and Decatur, AL.

Occupational Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Occupational therapists focus on helping individuals remain independent in daily activities such as dressing, bathing, cooking, and work tasks. They recommend adaptive equipment, home modifications, and techniques to conserve energy, maintain function, and improve safety and efficiency during everyday routines.  Our therapists are LSVT BIG certified and services are available at our clinicsl in Huntsville, AL and Decatur, AL.

Speech Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Speech-language pathologists address changes in cognition, speech, voice, and swallowing. They provide exercises to improve oral motor control, speech clarity, and loudness, helping individuals communicate more effectively and maintain safe swallowing function to support overall independence and quality of life.  Our therapists use Synchronly Dysphagia technology are certified in LSVT Loud and Parkinson's Voice Project Speak Out.  Services are available at our clinicsl in Huntsville, AL and Decatur, AL.