People call post-COVID conditions by many names, including: Long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of COVID, and chronic COVID.Post-COVID conditions can include a wide range of ongoing health problems; these conditions can last weeks, months, or years.
As of November, over 98,174, 364 people in the US have been diagnosed with COVID 19 with approximately 10-20% of people with COVID having persistent symptoms.
Some risk factors for post-COVID include:
Women
Over 40 years old
Diabetes type II
depression/anxiety
High viral load early on in infection
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Lupus
Fibromyalgia
People with post-COVID conditions can have a wide range of symptoms that can last weeks, months, or even years after infection. Sometimes the symptoms can even go away or come back again.
Post-COVID conditions may not affect everyone the same way. People with post-COVID conditions may experience health problems from different types and combinations of symptoms happening over different lengths of time. For some people, post-COVID conditions can last weeks, months, or years after COVID-19 illness and can sometimes result in disability.
Research is ongoing, but there are currently over 200 documented symptoms including:
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Exercise intolerance
Fast beating or pounding heart (palpitations)
Persistence of loss of taste/smell
Headache
Muscle aches
Brain fog
Memory loss
Cough
Dizziness
Diarrhea
Speaking with a healthcare professional is important if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or a combination of symptoms. Physical and Occupational therapy may be beneficial in helping with Post-COVID symptoms. The benefits to therapy could include improving your respiratory system immunity, increasing strength and flexibility of respiratory tissue, increasing autonomic regulation, and improving general strength and endurance.
The types of exercise that you could perform during therapy:
Respiratory muscle training
Diaphragmatic breathing training
Balance training
Aerobic training
Resistance training
Stretching
Finding healthcare providers that are familiar with Post-COVID conditions and treatment is important in maximizing your progress. If you have any questions or are interested in therapy for Post-COVID contact us at 262-260-8451.
