Amy Ollila and her student physical therapist, Marjeanne Bothma, stand face to face, each holding a pair of plastic percussion tubes called Boomwhackers.
Bothma taps an app on her phone and the opening bars of Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!" play through a portable speaker.
Ollila hammers her sticks to the beat—first against Bothma's sticks, then against a yoga ball serving as a drum.
As the music drives forward—"So just dance, dance, dance"—Bothma calls out changes in their footwork and drumming patterns. Standing between the parallel bars in the rehab gym, Ollila knows she's safe. There's something to lean against if she loses her balance.
When the song ends, the two cheer, catch their breath and start a new tune.
This type of physical therapy took Ollila by surprise when Bothma introduced her to it. You might even say it rocked her world.
"Oh, it brought me back to life. I actually felt like I was dead for so many years with this disease," said Ollila, 49, who received a Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2012 but has had symptoms for much longer.
Ollila arrived at the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital at a low point in her Parkinson's journey. After 10 years of using a walker to get around the house, she found herself losing her balance and falling with increasing regularity.
Fear of falling made her overly cautious.
As time wore on, Ollila spent more and more time in bed, getting up only to use the bathroom or find something to eat.
One November day, she fell five times. After the fifth fall, she couldn't get herself up.
A friend came and helped her into bed, but when Ollila felt her legs go numb the next morning, she called 911 and landed in the ER at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.
From there she was transferred to the Inpatient Rehab Center.
"(Even with rehab) they told me I would be going home in a wheelchair," Ollila said.
She bristled at the idea.
"My mindset was, 'No, I'm not going to.'" She resolved to fight back, work hard and get comfortable using a walker again.
Then she met Bothma, a student intern from Central Michigan University assigned to her case.
The two clicked. Both knew what they were there to do, and they set themselves to the task, using physical therapy to begin rebuilding Ollila's strength and flexibility.
They talked a lot. Quickly, Bothma sensed Ollila would be a great fit for drumming therapy.
"I figured, 'Well, Amy's great for this.' She had such a fun spirit and she's up for anything," Bothma said.
The next day, they went to the rehab gym. Bothma gave Ollila a pair of sticks and showed her the dance moves, which work on strength, endurance, stretching, balance and big movements.
The experiment far exceeded Bothma's expectations.
"I knew it was fun and I loved it, but, you know, it has to be a two-way street. It can't just be the therapist saying, 'Oh, this is great,'" Bothma said.
Ollila loved it. It brought her back to her days of piano lessons and competitive sports.
Bothma worked music, drumming and dancing into each therapy session. It provided an escape from the disease by disguising therapy as entertainment.
"For a second, you're not focusing on what you can't do," Bothma said.
After two weeks as an inpatient, embracing both occupational and physical therapy, Ollila abandoned her walker and began walking without assistance. Her gait improved. Her balance scores went up.
The confidence boost has motivated Ollila to keep working out at home—every day. Now she's driving again and taking care of her three grandchildren.
Ollila is no stranger to physical therapy, but this is the first time it's touched her heart, she said.
The difference? The fun factor.
Ollila's transformation was a special achievement for Bothma, who will earn her doctor of physical therapy degree this spring.
It's also a great example of a student serving as teacher, sharing new therapeutic methods learned at school.
"These are techniques that I as an instructor was not really familiar with, so I was able to observe and learn," said her Spectrum Health supervisor, Linda Rusiecki, DPT.
A few weeks after her discharge, Ollila returned to demonstrate the drumming techniques at an in-service training for Bothma's physical and occupational therapy colleagues.
Watching the presentation that day, Ollila's friend Alice Oosting said she never dreamed Amy would make this kind of headway.
"Never. I always thought the best she could do would be with a walker," said Oosting, who has seen Ollila at her worst.
"The music element is really I think what just brought her back," she said, noting the dramatic change in her friend's outlook.
Call 616.774.5300 to learn more about the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital. Learn more about neuro rehabilitation at Spectrum Health and long-term care services.
It raised the bar for what I am going to try to achieve with my clients—- beginning next week!
This needs to be an outpatient program offered to Parkinson's patients in the area. Like rock steady boxing for Parkinson's, this could also be a program so needed for us Parkinson's patients.
I completely agree that this needs to be an outpatient program! Marjeanne wants to start one as soon as she's done with school.
Hi! I was diagnosed with Parkinson's about year ago. I am looking into Rock Steady Boxing but am wondering are there any courses for PTs on your drumming protocol. I still work. As a PT in schools and would love to attend any coursework on your drumming technique. Let me know.
Hi Susan, Marjeanne learned the techniques at Central Michigan University as part of the MOVE program. I do not know if any specific continuing education classes that offer this, but I can follow up and find out.
I would be interested in any courses that are available with regard to drumming. I am a PT and am still working. I think this would be great to learn for myself. Thank you so much. Also, is it through the MOVE program through Rifton? If not, who is the program through? Thank you!
Sorry for the duplicate response.
Would love to find out if this is offered in the Fremont area. I think this would be a great addition to the Big lsvt program they offer at Tamarac in Fremont. How can I find out where it might be offered?
Hi Deb, we currently don't offer the class…yet. It's Marjeanne's dream to start something like this when she graduates this spring…we'll see what develops! There's definitely a need.
Would love to see something for pd patients in the owosso area without having to drive to the larger city's.