Can Physio help Long Covid?

Physiotherapy plays an important role in helping you to manage the symptoms to enable recovery. Symptoms can include pain, fatigue, breathlessness all which Physiotherapists are highly experienced in supporting people to manage. The Pickwick Physiotherapy team in Corsham have expertise and skills in supporting Long Covid sufferers.  In addition, Long Covid sufferers report vertigo, tinnitus, sinus congestion, sore throat, dietary changes, racing heart, changes in colour in hands and feet. These are all very worrying symptoms that often cause anxiety and concern.

Physiotherapy helps Long Covid recovery

The trick with the Long Covid recovery is to find the level where you can live your life but do not have repeated periods where you “crash”. Physiotherapists can help you review your activity and work out what is the activity level that suits your recovery now. We can help you work out where to put your energy and how to start strength exercises to build up muscle tone.

Physiotherapy helps breathlessness

Many Long Covid sufferers struggle with breathlessness, this can occur when doing physical activities such as climbing stairs or hoovering but can also occur when resting or attempting to sleep. Breathlessness is often due the change in breathing pattern that occurred during the acute infection and can be helped with breathing pattern awareness and training. Many people are not aware that respiratory Physiotherapists offer this service.

Physiotherapy helps pain

Many Long Covid sufferers describe crushing headaches, chest pain and widespread muscle aches all over their body. This can be constant or intermittent. Often it is extremely worrying and impacts their ability to undertake their day-to-day life with ease. Physiotherapy may be able to help you differentiate the cause of the pain and where it is due to less movement or strength help you build this up in a paced approach.

Please find links to useful resources about the Long Covid recovery and how you can help yourself below;

An NHS website explaining Long Covid and providing you with resources to help yourself.

https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists have put together information on activity management and how to pace.

https://www.rcot.co.uk/recovering-covid-19-post-viral-fatigue-and-conserving-energy

The British lung Foundation have some helpful education and resources about managing breathlessness.

https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/breathlessness/how-to-manage-breathlessness

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy have pulled together some advice on returning to exercise

https://www.csp.org.uk/public-patient/covid-19-road-recovery