Parkinson's Disease Program
A coordinated program combining LSVT BIG-informed physiotherapy, medication-timed nutrition, high-intensity fitness training, recreational therapy, and acupuncture β built around the ongoing, evolving nature of Parkinson's.
What Is the Parkinson's Disease Program?
RCP Health's Parkinson's Disease Program brings five disciplines together around a single plan β built to evolve with you, rather than follow a fixed recovery timeline.
Parkinson's is progressive, which means care needs to be too. This program is built around ongoing reassessment rather than a fixed endpoint β your physiotherapist, dietitian, fitness trainer, recreational therapist, and acupuncturist adjust together as your symptoms and goals change over time.
A central idea runs through the program: movement amplitude. Bradykinesia causes movements to become smaller and slower, often without the person fully realizing it. LSVT BIG-informed physiotherapy directly addresses this by retraining the brain's sense of what a "normal-sized" movement feels like.
Parkinson's-Specific Focus Areas
Parkinson's affects movement, mood, sleep, and daily function in interconnected ways. Here's what our program is built to address.
Bradykinesia & Movement Amplitude
Slowness and smaller movements are core features of Parkinson's. LSVT BIG-informed training addresses this directly by recalibrating how big a movement feels.
Balance & Freezing of Gait
Episodes of suddenly being unable to move raise fall risk significantly. Cueing strategies and balance retraining reduce this risk.
Tremor Management
While tremor is primarily managed medically, physiotherapy and stress-reduction techniques can help reduce its functional impact.
Non-Motor Symptoms
Sleep disturbance, constipation, and fatigue are common and often under-addressed. Our dietitian and recreational therapist help manage these directly.
Speech & Swallowing Coordination
For patients experiencing voice or swallowing changes, we coordinate scheduling and nutrition planning with your speech-language pathologist.
Cognitive & Emotional Wellbeing
Depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal are common in Parkinson's. Recreational therapy and acupuncture support emotional health alongside physical care.
Five Specialists, Working From One Plan
Each discipline plays a distinct role. Here's how each one helps β side by side.
Physiotherapist
Leads assessment and delivers amplitude-based motor training.
- LSVT BIG-informed amplitude training
- Freezing-of-gait cueing strategies
- Balance retraining and fall-risk reduction
- Flexibility work for rigidity
- Gait training and dual-task practice
- Ongoing reassessment as symptoms evolve
Registered Dietitian
Times nutrition around your levodopa schedule.
- Coordinating meal timing with levodopa dosing
- Fiber and hydration strategies for constipation
- Maintaining adequate protein β never low-protein diets
- Small carbohydrate snack strategies for medication nausea
- Weight and swallowing monitoring
- Working alongside your neurologist's guidance
Fitness Trainer
Delivers the exercise intensity the evidence supports.
- Supervised high-intensity aerobic exercise
- Rhythmic and boxing-inspired training formats
- Progressive resistance training
- Building sustainable long-term exercise habits
- Monitoring exertion and safety throughout
Recreational & Rehabilitation Therapist
Supports the social and cognitive side of living with PD.
- Dance and rhythm-based activity programs
- Cognitive stimulation activities
- Social engagement to reduce isolation
- Confidence-building through group participation
- Community reintegration planning
Acupuncturist
Supports symptoms that don't respond fully to medication.
- Sleep quality support
- Mood and anxiety management
- Complementary symptom relief
- Stress reduction alongside physical training
Building a Program That Evolves With You
Parkinson's doesn't have a fixed recovery endpoint β so neither does this program. It builds toward a sustainable long-term routine, then continues with periodic reassessment.
Each team member β physiotherapist, dietitian, fitness trainer, recreational therapist, and acupuncturist β completes their own initial assessment during this window, then compares notes to build one coordinated plan around your goals.
Baseline UPDRS and functional measures established. Initial home exercise program started. Medication-nutrition timing plan in place.
LSVT BIG-informed training intensifies. High-intensity aerobic exercise introduced under supervision. Dietary timing adjustments refined based on your response.
Measurable gains in movement amplitude and gait speed. Improved balance confidence β reviewed every 2β3 weeks.
Consolidating gains into a sustainable long-term routine. Community and social engagement activities introduced through recreational therapy.
A durable home exercise and nutrition routine in place. Improved confidence in daily activities β reviewed every 2β3 weeks.
Parkinson's is a progressive condition β the program continues with periodic reassessment and adjustment as your needs evolve over time.
Sustained function and exercise adherence. Program adjusted proactively as symptoms change.
Exercises Used in the Program
Exercise is the single most well-supported non-drug intervention in Parkinson's care β and intensity matters as much as consistency.
LSVT BIG-Informed Training
Structured practice of large-amplitude movements to recalibrate a miscalibrated sense of movement size β the evidence-based cornerstone of Parkinson's physiotherapy.
High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise
Treadmill or cycling at higher intensity, which emerging research suggests may help slow disease progression, not just manage symptoms.
Freezing-of-Gait Cueing
Visual, auditory, and rhythmic cueing strategies to help overcome freezing episodes during walking.
Balance & Dual-Task Training
Practicing balance while simultaneously performing a cognitive or motor task β mirroring the real demands of daily life.
Rhythmic & Boxing-Inspired Training
Rhythm-based and boxing-style exercise formats that combine cardiovascular intensity with coordination and reaction training.
Flexibility & Rigidity Management
Targeted stretching and mobility work to manage the muscle stiffness characteristic of Parkinson's.
Food & Nutrition for Parkinson's Disease
Few people realize how closely diet and Parkinson's medication interact. Our dietitian helps you get the timing right.
Levodopa-Protein Timing
Dietary protein competes with levodopa for absorption. Timing protein-rich meals around your medication schedule can meaningfully improve how well your medication works.
Fiber & Hydration
Constipation is extremely common in Parkinson's and can itself reduce levodopa absorption. Adequate fiber and fluids support both digestion and medication effectiveness.
Maintaining Adequate Protein
The goal is timing, not restriction β low-protein diets are not recommended, as they risk unintended muscle loss.
Small Carbohydrate Snacks
A small, low-protein snack alongside medication can help reduce nausea without interfering with absorption.
Weight & Swallowing Monitoring
Unintended weight loss and swallowing changes are tracked closely, with texture modification introduced if needed.
Working With Your Neurologist
All nutrition planning is coordinated with β never a substitute for β guidance from your prescribing physician.
How We Measure Your Progress
These are the outcome measures recommended by the American Physical Therapy Association's Clinical Practice Guideline for Parkinson's disease.
Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale
The standard tool for tracking Parkinson's severity and treatment response β Parts II and III are the primary physiotherapy outcome measures.
Hoehn and Yahr Staging
A widely used 5-stage system describing overall disease progression, used alongside the MDS-UPDRS for a fuller picture.
Berg Balance Scale
14-item clinical balance assessment identifying fall risk β one of the APTA-recommended outcome measures for PD physiotherapy.
Timed Up and Go
Measures functional mobility and fall risk through a simple, fast, and reliable timed test.
Ten-Metre Walk Test
Measures walking speed β sensitive to the gait changes characteristic of Parkinson's.
Six-Minute Walk Test
Measures aerobic endurance β particularly relevant given the emphasis on high-intensity aerobic training.
Parkinson's Care at Home
For patients with mobility limitations or transportation challenges, RCP Health brings the Parkinson's program to your home, following the same clinical protocols used in-clinic.
Home visits cover Oakville, Burlington, and Mississauga. Many insurance plans cover at-home physiotherapy β our team verifies your coverage before the first visit.
Learn About At-Home Physio βThe Evidence Behind This Program
Parkinson's exercise research has advanced significantly in recent years β including genuinely exciting findings on exercise intensity.
Direct Billing & Insurance Coverage
Each discipline in the program is billed under its respective coverage category β physiotherapy, dietitian, acupuncture.
Not sure about your coverage? Call 1.888.332.7372 and we'll verify before your first appointment β at no charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Get to RCP Health
Suite 304, 700 Dorval Drive, Oakville, ON L6K 3V3 β Free parking on site.
- Head south on Third Line from the hospital
- Turn right onto Dundas St W heading west
- Continue to Dorval Dr β RCP Health is on the left at 700 Dorval Dr, Suite 304
- Exit onto Fairview St heading east
- Merge onto QEW East toward Oakville
- Take Dorval Dr exit β RCP Health is nearby at Suite 304, 700 Dorval Dr
- Head south on Erin Mills Pkwy to QEW
- Take QEW West toward Hamilton / Oakville
- Exit at Dorval Dr β RCP Health is at Suite 304, 700 Dorval Dr
Think Big. Move Forward.
RCP Health's multidisciplinary Parkinson's program in Oakville supports you at every stage β from a new diagnosis through ongoing, evolving care.