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Pay My Bill What is the Parkinson’s Program?
More than one million Americans live with Parkinson’s Disease. This number is expected to triple over the next decade as the US population increases. The cause of Parkinson’s Disease is unknown and it affects everyone differently. Parkinson’s Disease is a neurological disease that manifests with a variety of physical, cognitive and psychological symptoms. It is primarily a movement disorder and is caused by a reduction of the chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters. Parkinson’s disease decreases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which controls muscle movement.
Therapy In Motion provides evidence based physical therapy that can complement medications, nutritional modifcations, lifestyle changes and exercise. Patients receive hands on manual therapy including myofascial release, manual stretching, muscle facilitation techniques, and joint mobilization. Treatments focus on improving posture, gait, fexibility, strength, coordination, reciprocal motion, speech, and conjunctive functioning. Practicing exaggerated motor control, body awareness, functional activities and vocal projection have proven to improve function in the Parkinson’s patient. With state of the art equipment, patients improve their posture, strength, coordination, and function in an effcient and educational manner.
Benefits
At Therapy In Motion, our goal for patients with Parkinson’s disease is to facilitate normal controlled motions. Our goals are to improve our patients’ quality of life and independence by improving the functional tasks of walking, self care, speaking, and returning to recreational activities. Manual therapy and improving posture, balance, and body awareness are the foundation of our treatment. Education of our patients and their family members is a critical component of our program. Easing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease improves our patients’ quality of life and attitude.
Benefits of Physical Therapy:
- Increased Function for ADL’s
- Improved Balance to Reduce the Risk of Falls
- Upright Posture to Increase Breath Support for Speech
- Core Stability
- Increased Flexibility
- Gained Strength
- Clarity of Speech
- Enhanced Coordination
- Decreased Fatigue
- Reduced Pain
- Stable Gait
Biodex Balance System
The Biodex Balance System is a computerized balance system which measures static and dynamic vestibular balance and proprioception with visual input. This system provides valid and reliable measures of bilateral and unilateral balance on stable and unstable surfaces and documents neuromuscular control in a safe environment. During static and dynamic exercise testing and training, this system provides visual feedback of patients’ ability to control their center of gravity. It also provides visual feedback of patients’ ability to control their limits of stability. The balance system targets the somatosensory and neuromuscular control aspect of balance and helps to restore effective motor skills by retraining new neural pathways.
Nintendo® Wii ™
Nintendo® Wii™ provides a variety of virtual exercise programs that challenge Parkinson’s patients to achieve therapeutic outcomes of improving balance, strength, fexibility, coordination, and endurance. The motivational software offers sound enhanced virtual games which detect angle of movement, reaction time, and force in 3-D space. The Wii™ quantifes improvement and increases patients’ self esteem and motivation to exercise.
Program Components
- Repetitive, Fast and Exaggerated Movements
- Reciprocal Gait Training with Functional Motion Patterns
- Posture Improvement Exercises
- High Amplitude Voluntary Movements Accompanied with Loud Verbal Dialogue
- Tremor Reduction and Static Movement Control
- Coordination Controlled Activities
- Improved Patient Emotional Well-Being
*Services are not available at all locations. Call or click the location page near you for that center’s services.
What to Expect
Every patient has a unique health history, diagnosis and personal goals. When you come for your first appointment, we will create a personalized treatment plan for you.
We work with most major insurance providers and do our best to help keep the paperwork pain-free. If you’d like to confirm your insurance coverage, please let us know and we can verify when you schedule. If your insurance provider requires a co-pay, we will ask for this payment at each visit. We accept payments by cash, check or credit card.
When to Arrive
On average, a patient’s first visit lasts about an hour. We typically ask patients to arrive 15 minutes early to sign-in, complete paperwork and/or change clothes.
What to Bring
On your first visit, you’ll need to bring your physician referral or prescription (if needed), your insurance card, your primary registration forms, your ID or driver’s license and your co-payment (as applicable). If desired, you may bring a change of clothing.
How it Works
During your first visit, your physical therapist will do an initial evaluation and discuss your plan of care. The therapist uses this information to set goals for your continued treatment. Physical therapy goals may include improved movement, strength, endurance and flexibility, as well as decreased pain. Your subsequent visits will focus on treatment that is based on your diagnosis and individualized goals.
