Voice Therapy and LSVT

LSVT methods train people with Parkinson’s disease to improve their voice, loudness and speech intelligibility. LSVT LOUD teaches people with Parkinson’s to use their voice at a more normal loudness level while speaking in conversation. While LSVT LOUD treatment has helped people in all stages of Parkinson’s Disease, the majority of research has been on those in moderate stages of the disease.  The program has been researched to also help those with a prior stroke, MS or other neurological diseases.

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People with Parkinson’s Disease may exhibit:

  • A soft or quiet voice

  • Fast, garbled speech

  • Monotone sounding voice

  • Words trailing off at the end of a sentence

  • Poor voice pitch or inflection

  • Difficulty swallowing

  • Excessive drooling

  • Slow rate of speech

  • Breathy or hoarse voice

LSVT LOUD!

An assessment is completed to measure the voice volume, pitch range and sustained voice.

LSVT entails 4 therapy sessions/week for 4 weeks commiting to one hour sessions and daily homework and carryover assignments to achieve the best outcomes. 

Voice Therapy

If you have muscle tension dysphonia or vocal cord dysfunction this can cause a hoarse, breathy voice with poor breath support and sometimes a harsh sound. Manual therapy, myofascial release techniques and voice therapy can improve your ability to talk and communicate without having a tired sounding voice at the end of the day.