LSVT Stories

I have been exploring the option of using LSVT BIG® with kids for a few years now. I pursued additional referrals from pediatricians since that time and had a lot of interest but just got my first official referral this past summer.  Then I found out it was a 4-year-old boy with Down Syndrome!

My son Wesley completed the 4 week long LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD program this summer.  Wes was 4 years 2 months old at the time.  He has Down syndrome, is nonverbal,
wears AFO leg braces and has glasses.  

Read Zach’s inspiring story on how LSVT BIG treatment allowed his client to take the anniversary trip of a lifetime!

Read Colleen and her Dad’s inspiring journey with LSVT BIG. “I am so proud of my dad, and I am forever grateful to LSVT BIG and those two women that made a lasting impact on my dad’s life. And mine.”

My client felt so elated with her outcomes that she wanted to spread the word! Her neurological voice disorder has not been cured, but positive, functional changes resulted from the intensive LSVT LOUD program. Our hope is that future research will support the application of LSVT to the ABLD population as a functional treatment approach.

Occupational therapists (OTs) new to treating people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may find it challenging to know how to intervene with the best techniques for optimal functional results. This is my story as an OT whose practice was radically shifted as a result of LSVT BIG®.

Occupational therapists (OTs) new to treating people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may find it challenging to know how to intervene with the best techniques for optimal functional results. This is my story as an OT whose practice was radically shifted as a result of LSVT BIG®.

I have seen improvements in my patients’ movement overall, but specifically, my most recent patient had a reduction in his freezing episodes while turning, and he has more confidence to do his daily activities.

I was prescribed PT, OT, and Speech Therapy. It was there that I was first taught about LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD. It was there that I also first learned about the importance of exercise and its effect on Parkinson’s.

Shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, my movement disorder specialist suggested LSVT BIG® and LSVT LOUD®. I think having completed the sixteen sessions of both LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD early on, definitely laid a strong foundation as I came to regard exercise as my primary medication.

I am a speech-language pathologist and started an outpatient adult rehabilitation clinic in Tulsa, OK in 2014, as I felt that adult speech pathology services were very misunderstood and underutilized in my area. One of the most common diagnoses I treat at my adult/geriatric outpatient clinic is Parkinson’s disease.

When I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago, my family had noticed a tremor in my right hand and changes in the way that I walked.  I did not, however, notice any changes in my voice. What I did notice more and more, is how often my husband asked me to repeat myself!  I was convinced he was going deaf. 

My name is Kevin, and I have been the headmaster of a large co-ed primary school in Zimbabwe for the past thirty years, ten of which I have had Parkinson’s. In February of 2017, I had Deep Brain Stimulation, and one of the side effects of this was that my speech became slurred and soft. My daughter, who is a speech and language pathologist, recommended that I have LSVT LOUD.

We are physical therapists who have been practicing for over seven years. The LSVT BIG Training and Certification Course was one of the most functional and fulfilling courses we both have ever taken.

LSVT BIG is my miracle! I know now that just as I take my medications on a regular basis, I need to continue with LSVT BIG! I must keep exercising; it is my other new medicine! This is the only way to look at it.

I am a PTA who has been practicing since 1987 and LSVT BIG Certified since 2009. Before getting certified in LSVT BIG, I had already discovered that my focus needed to be on getting patients with Parkinson’s moving as big as I could.

I am an Occupational Therapist with 9 years’ experience in skilled nursing and skilled nursing outpatient. I took the LSVT BIG online certification course

As a former fighter pilot in the Air Force, editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens, author of more than 25 poems and books, president of the magazine division of Meredith Corporation, and national public speaker and consultant, there is one thing that will not define me- Parkinson’s disease.

I am a 72-year-old male who was diagnosed with Parkinson disease in 2012. Since then, I have had two experiences with physical therapy, one with occupational therapy (both with mixed results) and the LSVT LOUD program. LSVT LOUD was a complete success and continues to be after nearly four years. When my doctor suggested that I investigate LSVT BIG, I got on your website the next day.

Horses have always been a big part of my life. In fact, my husband, Jerry, and I have had horses our entire 42-year marriage. So when I started seeing the first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in 2005 and was diagnosed in September 2008, I wanted to be sure I’d still be able to do the things I loved: being outside, gardening, and riding my three horses.

LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD were life changing for me. I thank the Lord that He has used these programs and prayer to keep me functioning so well. I do the exercises almost every day (missed maybe 3-5 times all year).

After just a few sessions with the LSVT BIG Program, I noticed a marked improvement in my movements. Before “BIG” I was almost wheelchair bound. I couldn’t walk more than a few steps without shuffling, causing me to lose my balance.

I entered the LSVT BIG program by having my wife push me in a wheelchair. For the prior two years or more, I had used an electric scooter for mobility because I was not able to walk more than a couple of steps at a time.

At one time, I was stooped over, dragging my left leg, shuffling and using a cane for balance. My doctor had suggested LSVT BIG for quite some time but my stubbornness, depression and bad attitude kept me from attending.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 53 on May 20, 2014, and did not share the news for months while I tried to accept the diagnosis emotionally.

Both LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD programs helped me very much. LSVT BIG helped keep muscle movement and strength. It helped me become aware of the importance of exercises. It continues to help my motivation. The LSVT LOUD program, I believe, helped me to not lose a lot of ability that I would have lost.

LSVT BIG has made me see the importance of consistent exercise and repetitive large movements. It has made me aware of my movements in everyday activity and has improved my quality of life.

I am a speech-language pathologist and started an outpatient adult rehabilitation clinic in Tulsa, OK in 2014, as I felt that adult speech pathology services were very misunderstood and underutilized in my area. One of the most common diagnoses I treat at my adult/geriatric outpatient clinic is Parkinson’s disease.

I have been working in the rehabilitation field of healthcare for the last 20 years, and during that time I have seen and learned many different techniques, program, and modalities. When I was introduced to the LSVT model, I could see where the idea behind it made sense and that it could be empowering for those with Parkinson’s and that was enough for us to decide to do a ‘pilot program’ here at our outpatient center.

I am an occupational therapist with 16 years of experience. One of my recent patients required substantial assistance to transfer to/from the commode, was using a wheelchair due to impaired balance and was unable to walk without assistance.

Recently my patient’s wife said to me, “Now THAT’S the man I married. Do you realize that this is the first time in years we are having a conversation?”

I have been LSVT BIG certified since June of last year, and have had an amazing experience working with the PD population. I have worked with both lower level and higher level patients and have really enabled others to recognize how much we can do with an amplitude based intervention. My coworkers often consult myself and a few others to work with their patients, bridging a gap between OT/PT and really getting people involved, not just patients or therapists working on the inpatient unit, but nurses, caregivers, and administration (who paid for additional outpatient staff to be trained).

I’ve been a practicing OT for over 20 years, the last 14 years with FOX Rehabilitation. As a matter of fact, I was one of the first FOX therapists trained in the Delaware Valley and New Jersey.