Quantitative clinical assessment of motor function during and following LSVT-BIG® therapy.
Matthew W Flood, Ben P F O'Callaghan, Paul Diamond and 3 others
PMID 32660495WHAT IT FOUND
Wearable sensors showed that LSVT-BIG therapy improved walking speed, sit-to-stand times, and Timed-Up-and-Go scores in people with Parkinson's.
These gains remained stable for 13 weeks after therapy ended. However, there was no improvement in balance or fine finger movements.
Key findings
01LSVT-BIG therapy significantly improved functional mobility, specifically walking speed and Timed-Up-and-Go times, compared to a non-exercising Parkinson's control group.
02The therapy did not improve measures of postural control or fine motor function, such as quiet stance or finger tapping.
03Improvements in gait and sit-to-stand performance were sustained up to 13 weeks after the therapy course was completed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had a very small sample size (12 participants in the therapy group). There was no active control group receiving a different type of therapy, so it is unclear if LSVT-BIG is superior to other exercise programmes. Participants remained on their regular levodopa medication, which could influence gait and balance measures. The study was primarily designed to test the feasibility of using wearable sensors, not as a large-scale efficacy trial.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the European Research Council, and the Royal Hospital Donnybrook. The authors did not declare any personal financial conflicts of interest in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume LSVT-BIG improves all aspects of motor function. The study explicitly found no significant improvement in balance or fine motor control, so it should not be relied upon as a sole intervention for these specific deficits.