Background: Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) BIG is a well-established exercise program in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), but its effectiveness in other neurological disorders is not well studied. This pilot study examined whether LSVT-BIG similarly improves balance and gait in MS patients compared to PD. Methods: A pilot clinical trial was conducted with two participant groups: MS and PD. Assessments were performed before, during, and after the 4-week LSVT BIG intervention, which followed the established PD protocol of one-hour sessions, four consecutive days per week. Balance and gait were evaluated using the mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (mini-BESTest), Timed Up and Go (TUG), and Functional Gait Assessment (FGA). Single-leg stance time on firm, foam, and inclined surfaces was also measured. Data analysis was carried out using mixed ANOVA in SPSS v24. Results: Twelve participants completed the study (6 PD, 6 MS). Both groups significantly improved in mini-BESTest, FGA scores, and timed tasks (p 0.5). Conclusions: Similar improvements across groups suggest that LSVT BIG may also benefit patients with MS. Larger randomized trials are needed to confirm its suitability for this population.
Aloupis et al. (Sat,) studied this question.