LONG COVID SYMPTOMS TACKLED
During the pandemic it has become increasingly apparent is that people, who have been through COVID- 19, are still experiencing the ‘long haul’: the symptoms that aren’t disappearing.
six months later - experiencing a range of symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue and muscle pains right through to unusual symptoms such as heart palpitations and hallucinations.
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In a recent survey carried out by the VA St Louis Health Care System in St Louis, Missouri, researchers had found that in the six months after onset of their illness, COVID-19 survivors had a 59 per cent increased risk of death compared to people who hadn't had the illness.
The COVID-19 patients also had raised risks for ‘several conditions in almost every organ system’, ranging from respiratory illnesses to nervous system symptoms, to heart troubles, gastrointestinal issues and simply ‘poor general well-being’.
It’s estimated that around one in ten people suffer from prolonged illness after COVID-19, but, in
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ong COVID is now becoming a recognised term for people, who have experienced a bout of COVID-19, but who are still – often
NHS Lanarkshire, people are getting help managing their symptoms from a team of dedicated physiotherapists.
Lanarkshire has had around 38,000 COVID-19 cases, so as many as 3,800 people could be suffering from long COVID, though accurate statistics are not yet available.
One of the most common post-COVID symptoms is continued shortness of breath and that’s where NHS Lanarkshire’s team of physios has had to step in.
‘Breathlessness is very frightening,’ said Carolyn Bell, Physiotherapy Lead at University Hospital, Monklands. ‘People who have had COVID may have been very breathless or had a cough and this can change the way that they breathe.
‘We work with people to identify how their breathing pattern may have changed due to
COVID – and teach them how to correct it. Normal breathing – when a person is at rest – consists of breathing into and out through the nose. The diaphragm (the muscle just under our rib cage) moves up and down drawing air into the lungs. But after COVID, some people find they’ve started using the muscles in their neck and shoulders which can make the problems worse.
‘In trying to return breathing to a more normal pattern, one technique we use involves ‘letting go’ of their neck and shoulders and breathing in and out though their nose. As they let go, they’ll notice their tummy gently rising and falling as they breathe in, and out. They can remind themselves to carry this out throughout the day by thinking ‘Stop, Drop, Flop’.
‘Used regularly, this simple technique can help improve breathlessness which is one of the most persistent – and unpleasant – symptoms of long COVID.’
THIS SIMPLE TECHNIQUE CAN HELP IMPROVE BREATHLESSNESS WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST PERSISTENT – AND UNPLEASANT – SYMPTOMS OF LONG COVID’
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