Are you a person with Parkinson’s Disease interested in making improvements to your movement or communication? At Professional Therapy Services we are proud to offer nationally recognized programs specifically designed to improve your life. These programs (called LSVT treatments) are evidence-based speech, physical or occupational therapies. LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment. Named for Mrs. Lee Silverman, a woman living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), it was developed by Dr. Lorraine Ramig and has been scientifically studied for over 25 years with support from the National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding organizations.

Today there are two distinct LSVT therapy programs: LSVT LOUD speech therapy improves communication in daily living; and LSVT BIG physical or occupational therapy improves mobility and movement used in everyday function.

These are not general exercise programs. Instead, they are research-based treatment protocols designed specifically to address the motor, sensory and non-motor symptoms that many people with PD face. LSVT LOUD and LSVT BIG treatments can only be given by specially trained LSVT Certified Clinicians. With their guidance, people with PD will learn to translate skills built during treatment into better everyday communication, function and movement.

Research on LSVT LOUD has documented that people with PD show improvements in loudness and intonation of their speech, as well as clarity of speech, facial expressions, and some preliminary data on swallowing. The research on LSVT BIG is newer than and not as comprehensive as for LSVT LOUD, but it is growing. Studies have shown people with PD improved walking, balance, and activities such as rolling in bed. 

Content related to LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD used with permission of LSVT Global, Inc. https://www.lsvtglobal.com/Patients_Family.