January 2020 Machias – Down East Community Hospital is excited to welcome Physical Therapist, Monika Burk MPT, CMTPT/DN, to our Rehabilitation Department located at 76 Dublin Street in Machias.  Monika has 18 years of experience as a physical therapist and has special certifications as well, one is Trigger Point Dry Needling and the other is LSVT BIG.

The Dry Needling certification requires extensive training with more than 90 hours of instruction and successful completion of both a written and practical exam.  This is a supplemental procedure used in conjunction with other treatments that has been shown to be highly successful in treatment of common conditions including:  headache, low back pain, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel, frozen shoulder, IT band syndrome.  This method of treatment is not appropriate for everyone.  A trained and certified professional determines if this is the best option for treatment.

LSVT BIG is a standardized treatment protocol developed for Parkinson’s Disease.  Initial certification with recertification every 2 years is required to provide this method of treatment.  The program is customized to the unique goals of each patient including both gross and fine motor skills.  It can be adapted or progressed to meet each patient’s needs across a range of disease severity and presenting impairments.  Research has shown improved ratings on tests of motor functioning following treatment including:  faster walking with bigger steps, improved balance, increased trunk rotation, improvements in activities of daily living such as bed mobility.  The following website provides additional information about LSVT BIG www.LSVTglobal.com.

An appointment can be made through your practitioner.  Please call Down East Community Rehabilitation at 255-0258 for more information.

Recommended Posts

No comment yet, add your voice below!


Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.