What this covers
Ongoing physical therapy for people whose movement is affected by a neurological condition. Most commonly Parkinson’s disease, and also other neurological conditions and age-related decline in strength, balance and confidence.
Unlike LSVT BIG, which is a fixed protocol run at a fixed intensity, this is built around the person. That makes it the right option for people for whom the four-days-a-week structure is not realistic, for people who have completed LSVT BIG and want to hold onto what they gained, and for conditions the BIG protocol was not designed for.
What we work on
Walking, and specifically the parts of walking that get difficult: starting, turning, stopping, and negotiating a doorway or a threshold. Balance, both standing still and while doing something else. Getting in and out of chairs, cars and beds. Reaching, carrying, and the ordinary business of moving around a house without planning every step.
Then there is community mobility, which is the part people miss most. Getting into a restaurant, walking across a car park, handling an uneven pavement, managing a kerb. These are the tasks that decide whether someone still goes out, and they are difficult to practise in a clinic.
Why the home matters here
Almost everything above is specific to an environment. The height of your chairs, the surface of your floors, whether there is a rail on your stairs, how far it is from the bedroom to the bathroom at night, whether the step down to the lanai has a lip.
Working in the actual space means the plan fits the life rather than a general version of it. It also means we can see the hazards. Rugs, cables, poor lighting on a landing, a bathroom with nothing to hold onto. Some of the highest-value things we do are unglamorous observations about a hallway.
Families and caregivers
Most of the week happens without a therapist present, and the people around the patient carry it. Teaching them properly, including how to assist without taking over, is a substantial part of the work.
Lindsey’s own description of how she works is that she takes the time to provide in-depth education to both patients and their families, focused on evidence-based strategies that help each person move better, more efficiently and more safely.
Honesty about outcomes
Physical therapy does not slow a neurological condition. What it can change is function, safety and independence, and how much of your own life you continue to run yourself. Those are worth pursuing on their own terms, and they are what we measure against.