Exercise program to help Parkinson’s patients improve movement, quality of life

PORT JERVIS — Physical Therapist Kristin Banse and Physical Therapist Assistant Ellen Knapp-Hayden of Access Physical Therapy & Wellness have been certified in the practice of LSVT BIG, a four-week exercise treatment program that can help people with Parkinson’s Disease improve their balance, their walk and their overall quality of life.

Based on the principle that the brain can learn and change, LSVT BIG grew out of an existing program to help Parkinson’s patients with speech, the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT). According to the program website, lsvtglobal.com, research on LSVT use over the last 15-plus years has shown that it results in improvements in speech intelligibility and voice loudness. LSVT BIG works on the same principle, using a single therapy focus — ‘bigness’ of movement — to improve movement quality in Parkinson’s patients.

Banse and Knapp-Hayden, who practice at Access Physical Therapy’s Port Jervis office, became certified in May in LSVT BIG because they wanted to be able to better help Parkinson’s patients in the Tri-State Area.

“We were looking for a forward-thinking therapy we could learn, that was needed in the communities we serve,” said Knapp-Hayden, a PTA for 12 years and a certified senior fitness specialist.

She invites people with questions about LSVT BIG to contact her or Banse at 845-858-8999 or 888-665-4696.

Access Physical Therapy & Wellness is open weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m.to noon. They accept most insurances and new patients can almost always be seen within 24 hours. For more information about Access Physical Therapy & Wellness, contact Stephen Albanese at 845-636-4344 or salbanese@accessptw.com.