When Tom Kral, 73, tried to carry on conversations, he was constantly asked to repeat himself. His Parkinson’s disease was not only affecting his ability to move well, it was impacting his ability to speak, too. Kral began retreating to his bedroom to watch TV to avoid conversation. The constant isolation led to depression.
Everything changed for Kral when a physician recommended LSVT BIG and LOUD at Covenant Therapy Center – West Knoxville, a department of Parkwest Medical Center. “BIG actually means big steps, big movements, and LOUD means when we get in there and we’re doing our exercises and counting the sets and repetitions, we’re shouting out loud,” Kral says. “That’s why they call it BIG and LOUD.”
By sharing his experience with the therapy, he hopes to help others who may be struggling the way he once was. He understands how the limitations of Parkinson’s plus a year in a pandemic can press down on a person’s spirit.
“This therapy will pull you out of that slump, you’ll start feeling better about yourself and about what you’re doing for yourself,” Kral says. Learn more: Covenant Health- Tom Kral Therapy Centers July 2021