The Coronavirus pandemic is still affecting some Americans, whether directly through contracting any variant of the COVID-19 virus, or indirectly through ongoing lifestyle changes.
At HDPT, we offer a full spectrum of restorative treatment options. We can help you through the physical, musculoskeletal and pulmonary challenges associated with: being hospitalized, having post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), having a post-COIVD condition or just from generalized inactivity and overall deconditioning.
Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Even people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions. These conditions can present as different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time.
These post-COVID conditions may also be known as long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, long-term effects of COVID, or chronic COVID
Some people experience a range of new or ongoing symptoms that can last weeks or months after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Unlike some of the other types of post-COVID conditions that tend only to occur in people who have had severe illness, these symptoms can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19, even if the illness was mild, or if they had no initial symptoms. People commonly report experiencing different combinations of the following physical symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities (also known as post-exertional malaise)
- Muscle weakness
- Joint and muscle pain
- Difficulty with walking and balance
- Reduced heart and lung capacity
Physical therapy is traditionally recommended for each of these issues. Rapid and multi-year studies are underway to further investigate post-COVID conditions in more detail. These studies will help us better understand post-COVID conditions and how to treat patients with these longer-term effects. While the full long-term effects of COVID-19 are still unknown, it is extremely important to establish an early intervention rehabilitation and recovery program.
Due to lifestyle changes, the COVID-19 pandemic has also limited the ability for some people to participate in regular physical activity. And many adults, especially those with underlying conditions and chronic diseases, had experienced a decreased ability to seek preventative and maintenance services. This has resulted in decreased strength, endurance and aerobic capacity, plus puts some individuals at a higher risk for falls, pain, depression and a decreased overall quality of life.
We know that regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It improves or maintains cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular fitness, bone, muscle and functional health, weight management, and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, depression and cognitive decline. Our post COVID-19 rehab and recovery programs are created according to the needs of each individual patient. Our licensed therapists can discuss the best plan of care for patients based on their current impairments, current functional capacity and future goals. Our ultimate goal is to return patients to their prior levels of function, and improve their quality of life.