Post-COVID Rehabilitation
Do you or a loved one suffer from prolonged symptoms that may have been caused by an episode of COVID? You’re not alone and you’ll be glad to know that physical therapy and vestibular rehabilitation can be effective treatment modalities. People who suffer from post-COVID conditions, sometimes referred to as ‘long haulers,’ have shown remarkable recovery after undergoing post-COVID rehabilitation.
Don’t put it off any further. Get relief from your post-COVID symptoms. Schedule an appointment today at Peake Physical Therapy in Baltimore, Towson, Hunt Valley, and Jacksonville today to learn your options for post-COVID rehabilitation:
Following COVID-19 infection, patients experience various problems with normal functioning and require rehabilitation services to recover their independence and live as normally as possible. In this article, we will examine the baseline components of post-COVID rehabilitation.
Common symptoms of Post- COVID-19 and self-care
Fatigue
Patients recovering from COVID-19 may experience fatigue and exhaustion. This is due to the damage done to their central nervous system and complications with breathing.
Sleep
Recovering patients experience severe disturbances in their sleep pattern due to COVID-19 effects on the central nervous system, such as sleep paralysis. It is common for patients to have insomnia because of breathing difficulties.
Sight
Some patients have visual problems caused by COVID-19 and its effect on the brain. These issues include double vision and headaches. COVID-19 can cause neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis. Patients may experience tremors in the hands, arms, or legs.
Mood including schizophrenia
Mood swings are also a very common symptom of post-COVID syndrome in patients. They change rapidly between feeling happy, sad, angry, or anxious. The patients become withdrawn and isolated when experiencing mood swings, turning to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate their symptoms. Moreover, some post-COVID syndrome sufferers experience psychosis, which can cause them to have delusions, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations.
Difficulty returning to work
Those affected by COVID-19 often have difficulty performing their jobs properly as they recover from their illness. It is common for patients to have trouble focusing, paying attention, multitasking, and sustaining attention. Furthermore, they may appear scatter-brained in meetings with clients or coworkers.
Physical Therapy for Post Covid-19 Recovery
Physical therapy is among the best healthcare choices you can make for COVID disease. Physical therapy also improves your symptoms and helps you avoid developing problems from sitting too long without moving, such as:
- Pressure sores
- Numbness and tingling
- Muscle stiffness
- General discomfort
Physical therapy is best done in conjunction with other forms of rehabilitation for COVID disease. This is where a patient recovers under the care of trained professionals at a rehabilitation facility.
Also, with specific cardio/pulmonary training, we can monitor HR and Oxygen levels in the blood and can create a progressive low level aerobic program.
Active Cycle of Breathing Techniques (ACBT)
Active cycle of breathing techniques is a unique physical therapy developed to help anyone suffering from breathing problems such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema. ACBT teaches the patient how to recognize their unique breathing cycle and use it to awaken their lungs from the sleep mode they enter due to COVID infection. It helps them cope with their symptoms and learn how to breathe properly again.
Performance of ACBT exercises is cyclic, and they include:
- Breath control
- Deep breathing
- Huffing
Occupational Therapy for Post-COVID-19 Recovery
Occupational therapy is another form of rehabilitation that helps those recovering from COVID-19 disease. It helps patients regain the full use of their muscles, maintain balance and coordination, perform daily functions, and move freely in their environment.
Speech Therapy for Post-COVID-19 Recovery
Speech therapy refers to a form of rehabilitation that helps improve communication skills, including vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciations. It is also used to improve speech quality and fluency. It works by helping patients learn to communicate more effectively, enabling them to participate in social activities easily. Sufferers of post-COVID symptoms need to get their speech therapy as soon as possible, especially if they suffer from spasticity in their face or limbs.
Spasticity is a common post-COVID symptom, particularly in those with Tourette Syndrome. If you have Tourettes, you may consistently experience tics such as blinking or head jerking. When this occurs, you may also feel your muscles spasm uncontrollably, which can cause pain and discomfort.
FAQs
What are the common post-COVID symptoms?
The common post-COVID symptoms are:
- Fatigue
- Visual problems-double, visions, tinnitus
- Headaches
- Mood swings causing isolation
- Psychosis
- Spasticity
- Dyspareunia in women
- Trouble focusing, paying and sustaining attention, and multitasking at work
- Insomnia
- Parkinson’s disease or Multiple sclerosis
How can symptoms be treated with physical therapy and post-COVID rehabilitation?
Post-COVID symptoms are treated with physical therapy and rehabilitation by engaging in physical activities such as jogging, running, cycling, and active breathing techniques.
How successful is therapy for post-COVID?
Post-COVID therapy is successful through improved strengthening, breathing, and functional mobility when engaging in physical therapy. Occupational therapy successfully helps maintain balance and coordination, effective energy conservation, maximized work-life participation, and retraining cognitive skills. Finally, speech therapy successfully improves memory, concentration, confidence, swallowing, and effective maximization of functionality.
Schedule Your Post-COVID Rehabilitation Appointment Today
There are various post-COVID symptoms affecting people who have been affected by the virus. If you note any post-COVID symptoms, ensure you get treatment immediately. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy are the best forms of rehabilitation for those recovering from post-COVID symptoms. Schedule your appointment at Peake PT today.