Short-term effect and its retention of LSVT^® BIG on QOL improvement: 1-year follow-up in a patient with Parkinson’s disease

Article type: Case Report

Authors: Hirakawa, Yuichi^a | Koyama, Soichiro^b | Takeda, Kazuya^c | Iwai, Masanobu^a | Motoya, Ikuo^a | Sakurai, Hiroaki^b | Kanada, Yoshikiyo^b | Kawamura, Nobutoshi^d | Kawamura, Mami^d | Tanabe, Shigeo^{b; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation, Kawamura Hospital, Gifu, Japan | [b] Faculty of Rehabilitation, School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan | [c] Comprehensive Community Care Core Center, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan | [d] Department of Neurology, Kawamura Hospital, Gifu, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Shigeo Tanabe, RPT, PhD 98-1 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan. Tel.: +81 562 93 9000; Fax: +81 562 95 6817; E-mail: tanabes@fujita-hu.ac.jp.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:There are no reports regarding the long-term retention of effects of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment® BIG (LSVT® BIG) on improvements in quality of life (QOL) among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effect of LSVT® BIG on QOL improvement and its retention in a patient with PD. Motor symptoms, walking ability, and walking speed were evaluated as factors associated with QOL. METHODS:A 63-year-old woman who was diagnosed with PD received a 4-week LSVT® BIG program under the supervision of certified LSVT® BIG physical therapists. The participant’s disease severity was classified as Hoehn and Yahr stage 2. The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part 3, timed up-and-go test (TUG), and 10 m walk test (10 MWT) were evaluated before, after, and 1-year after the intervention. RESULTS:The results indicated short-term improvements in the PDQ-39, MDS-UPDRS part 3, TUG, and 10 MWT which were retained for up to 1 year. CONCLUSIONS:This case report suggests the possibility of 1-year retention of improvements in QOL, motor symptoms, walking ability, and walking speed resulting from LSVT® BIG intervention in a patient with mild PD.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment^® BIG, long-term retention, case report

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-210129

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 501-509, 2021