|
BIG is an amplitude based physical therapy with the focus on planning big amplitude high intensity movements while simultaneous attending to the sensory feedback that it generates so that you learn the sensory calibration necessary to scale your motor output during daily tasks. It empowers you with a self-cueing strategy that will reduce the slow and small movements associated with Parkinson’s. Big integrates exercise science and motor learning principles to improve the amplitude of trunk rotation and gait, the speed of limb movement and balance. Big means using the biggest movement with the most maximally efficient biomechanics every performance every day. You should target the best Bigness quality every day. Research suggests that exercise may modify disease progression (slow, halt or reverse) of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The goal of Big is for you to automatically use bigger movements in everyday living so that everyday movements become continuous exercise.
Your LSVT home program will consist of 3 different types of exercises that you will perform twice a day on non therapy days and once a day on therapy days. Initially, this program will take approximately one hour, but you should be able to perform it in 30 minutes after practice. The three different types of exercises are Big Daily Tasks, Big Hierarchy Tasks and Functional Carryover Tasks. During the Daily Tasks you should have 216 to 324 repetitions. There are 2 sustained movements of floor to ceiling and side to side. The Big movements should turn on quickly, then you hold the movement with high intensity and then you turn the movement off quickly. Count loud. There are 5 repetitive movements of step and reach (sidewards, forwards and backwards) and rock and reach (forward/back and side to side). The Hierarchical Tasks are items like getting in and out of car, chores and leisure activities, like golf or hiking. The Functional Carryover Tasks are movements like rolling, transferring floor to stand, getting out of bed, going sit to stand and reaching.
If you do not feel like you are moving “too big” then you
are not moving big enough! There is a Perceived Bigness Effort
Scale that you use to make sure that you are performing high
intensity exercise with vigour and gusto (Big effort).
This will help you learn the relationship between
increased movement effort and normal motor output.
|
