How physios and occupational therapists are helping long COVID sufferers

Evidence suggest lingering COVID virus may trigger a cascade of ongoing inflammatory and immune responses in the body.

Treating people for long COVID – that is, symptoms that last longer than four weeks after COVID infection – can be extremely complex due to the wide variety of problems associated with the condition.

While there is no “one size fits all” treatment, there is increasing recognition of the importance of allied health professionals such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists in providing treatment for people throughout various stages of COVID.

We are still learning about long COVID, but these experts can tailor exercise training, breathing techniques and ways to manage fatigue safely, to help people get back to their normal roles and routines.

While the exact mechanism of why people develop long COVID remains unclear, current evidence suggest lingering COVID virus may trigger a cascade of ongoing inflammatory and immune responses in the body.

This results in signs and symptoms across multiple body systems, including the respiratory and autonomic system, which regulates functions such as heart rate, breathing and digestion. This could explain common symptoms of long COVID such as brain fog, fatigue, headaches, breathing difficulties and changes in taste and smell.

Estimates suggest somewhere between 5 per cent and 50 per cent of those infected with COVID go on to develop long COVID.

Allied health professionals – who are not doctors, dentists, nurses or midwives but provide specialised care – such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists can be particularly effective at managing the signs and symptoms of long COVID.