Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Apr;30(4):636-641.
doi: 10.1589/jpts.30.636. Epub 2018 Apr 20.

The JFK BIG study: the impact of LSVT BIG® on dual task walking and mobility in persons with Parkinson's disease

Sara Isaacson  1 , Ashley O'Brien  2 , Jennifer D Lazaro  2 , Arlen Ray  2 , Gerard Fluet  1   2
Affiliations

The JFK BIG study: the impact of LSVT BIG® on dual task walking and mobility in persons with Parkinson's disease

Sara Isaacson et al. J Phys Ther Sci. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Lee Silverman Voice Treatment-BIG decreases the negative impact of hypokinesia on dual task performance in persons with Parkinson's disease. [Subjects and Methods] The records of 114 patients with Parkinson's admitted to outpatient rehabilitation at a suburban hospital were reviewed. Demographics and data for 8 outcome measures were extracted for subjects that completed 14 of 16 sessions of BIG. 93 of these subjects had records of pre and post-test Timed Up and Go, Timed Up and Go Motor, and Timed Up and Go Cognitive scores. Average age was 68.4 years (SD=10.6) and average disease duration was 4.9 years (SD=5.3). [Results] Subjects demonstrated statistically significant improvements for Timed Up and Go (3.3 SD=4.5), Timed Up and Go Motor (4.4 SD=5.8) and Timed Up and Go Cognitive (4.7 SD=5.4). Concurrent motor and cognitive performance remained stable. Dual task cost decreased at a statistically significant level for Timed Up and Go Cognitive (7% SD=31%) but not Motor (4% SD=32%). [Conclusion] These findings suggest that cueing strategies associated with LSVT BIG become internalized and decrease the negative impact of hypokinesia on mobility and cognitive performance while performing two tasks simultaneously in persons with Parkinson's.

Keywords: Dual task; LSVT BIG; Parkinson’s disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
LSVT BIG intervention substantially decreased TUG MOTOR and TUG COG dual task cost in subjects that initially presented with DTC >10%. Note that 24 subjects improved their DTC score to within normal limits.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Dual task interference is reduced as a result of LSVT BIG intervention. Change scores are z-normalized to eliminate the impact of change score magnitude27).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Janssens J, Malfroid K, Nyffeler T, et al. : Application of LSVT BIG intervention to address gait, balance, bed mobility, and dexterity in people with Parkinson disease: a case series. Phys Ther, 2014, 94: 1014–1023. - PubMed
    1. Millage B, Vesey E, Finkelstein M, et al. : Effect on gait speed, balance, motor symptom rating, and quality of life in those with stage I Parkinson’s disease utilizing LSVT BIG®. Rehabil Res Pract, 2017, 2017: 9871070. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ebersbach G, Ebersbach A, Edler D, et al. : Comparing exercise in Parkinson’s disease—the Berlin LSVT®BIG study. Mov Disord, 2010, 25: 1902–1908. - PubMed
    1. Morris ME, Iansek R, Matyas TA, et al. : Stride length regulation in Parkinson’s disease. Normalization strategies and underlying mechanisms. Brain, 1996, 119: 551–568. - PubMed
    1. Brown LA, de Bruin N, Doan JB, et al. : Novel challenges to gait in Parkinson’s disease: the effect of concurrent music in single- and dual-task contexts. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2009, 90: 1578–1583. - PubMed