Long COVID is an emerging condition that follows an acute COVID-19 infection. It occurs in people who were hospitalised and people who were not, and even in those whose initial infection was mild. At least 10 to 30% of patients still have symptoms twelve weeks later.
It affects multiple body systems, and can involve impairments of the respiratory, cardiac, renal, endocrine and neurological systems.
What you need to know
- Signs and symptoms vary greatly between patients, and fluctuate or change over time across several body systems.
- Managing long COVID requires a multidisciplinary approach.
- Rehabilitation has to be tailored to the individual — their symptoms, their goals, their preferences.
After catching COVID-19 most people start to feel better within a few weeks. Some take far longer, and have ongoing or new symptoms afterwards that change, come and go, or fluctuate. Healthcare professionals worldwide have yet to agree a single definition for these post-COVID-19 symptoms; for consistency this article calls them long COVID. You will also see “long-haul COVID”, “long haulers”, “post COVID-19 condition”, “post-COVID-19 syndrome” and “post-acute COVID-19 syndrome”.
Common symptoms
People present with clusters of overlapping symptoms: fatigue or exhaustion, chest pressure or tightness, shortness of breath, headache, cognitive dysfunction. Long COVID can be multi-dimensional — symptoms and impairments, limits on activity, restrictions on taking part in social life. It is often episodic and unpredictable, with symptoms fluctuating and changing over time.
Managing long COVID
Long COVID affects a person's functional ability, their social and family life, their ability to work and their quality of life. That complexity calls for a multidisciplinary approach, with the patient involved throughout.
- Speak to your family doctor about your symptoms.
- Rule out red flags and other diagnoses.
- Get your family doctor's clearance before starting with a physiotherapist and light physical activity.
What the World Health Organization recommends
Rehabilitation should include educating people to resume everyday activities conservatively, at a pace that is safe and manageable for their energy levels and within the limits of their current symptoms. Exertion should not be pushed to the point of fatigue or of symptoms worsening.
How can LiquidGym help?
Rehabilitation has to be tailored to you. Our team will take you through a comprehensive evaluation to work out the right plan, and will recommend other practitioners where they would help your recovery. Whatever symptoms you have, your physiotherapist treats you as an individual and gets to know the underlying cause before starting treatment.
Our therapists play an important part in rehabilitation for people living with long COVID: balancing activity against rest to make the most of recovery, and taking account of the factors in symptom management that go beyond physical activity. Treatment also looks at the other long-term effects — psychosocial needs, spiritual well-being, and getting back into the community.
If COVID-19 has left you with symptoms that will not lift, come and talk to us. Call LiquidGym at 613-820-8228.
Additional resources
- Government of Canada public health website for health professionals: Post COVID-19.
- The Rehabilitation Advice Line, which supports patients and providers dealing with long COVID.
References
- Alberta Health Services. “COVID-19 Recovery & Rehabilitation After COVID-19: Resources for Health Professionals” (December 22, 2021).
- Long Covid Physio. “Long Covid” (December 22, 2021).
- World Health Organization. “Rehabilitation needs of people recovering from COVID-19.” WHO/2019-nCoV/Sci_Brief/Rehabilitation/2021.1.