COVID-19 Long Haulers: Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage and Acupuncture

How Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage and Acupuncture Can Benefit Patients With “Long COVID”

The response to chiropractic, physical therapy, massage and acupuncture on long hauler COVID-19 patients.

In the past six months we have had a number of young patients enter our office with both musculoskeletal and internal organ complaints that they directly attribute to their COVID 19 diagnosis.

These individuals are all relatively healthy athletic people who prior to getting sick were able to perform in both their activities of daily living and their sport of choice. Now they complain of difficulty running, exercising, or even walking up stairs. Activities that were commonplace prior to contracting COVID are now difficult to perform.

A new term to describe patients who have had COVID 19 and are experiencing lingering symptoms is “Long Haulers”.

These lingering symptoms consist of:

• Low energy
• Exhaustion
• Sleeping issues
• Muscle and joint aches
• Breathing difficulty
• Loss of endurance with exercise
• Brain fog

These symptoms can last for more than 6 months.

Prior to COVID 19 these symptoms usually occurred in patients that had been hospitalized with ailments such as pneumonia. They were rarely seen in patients who have not been hospitalized.

Statistically long haulers are usually over the age of 50, have some type of chronic illness, and become very ill from COVID. The patients we have seen at CSC+M are all under the age of 35 which contradicts the norms.

There are two types of long haulers.

1. These patients have COVID severe enough that they develop permanent damage to their organs.
   1. Brain,
   2. Heart
   3. Lungs
   4. Gastrointestinal system
2. More commonly these patients have lingering and inconsistent symptoms
   1. Fatigue
   2. Shortness of breath
   3. Respiratory irritation
   4. Muscle and joint pain
   5. Cognition issues
   6. Cardiac issues
   7. Headache
   8. Fever

Currently there are no predictive factors to help determine who will develop long hauler symptoms.

Here at CSC+M, we have had some success in treating patients who presented with these COVID symptoms. The combination of chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and massage has had a profound effect on these patients overall health and have allowed them to return mostly to normal activity.

Chiropractic manipulation is used to ensure proper motion of your spine and reduce the tightness in muscles and ligaments. Once the misalignment’s are eliminated your nervous system can function free of impingement. That means information from your brain and nervous system can flow freely to your entire body. A body that functions free of impingement is a body that functions optimally.

Physical therapy helps build strong posture by stabilizing the posture muscles of your body. A body that is aligned and strong is functioning optimally. A body that is healthy and strong gives your immune system the best chance to fight infection.

Acupuncture and massage are employed to help balance both your musculoskeletal and nervous system. These complimentary forms of therapy are critical in an integrated program. The unique ability to receive acupuncture and massage in conjunction with chiropractic and physical therapy gives the patient an advantage in terms of balancing their treatment.

Here at The Center for Spine Care and Mobility our practitioners are trained to examine, diagnose, and treat injuries of the entire body but pride ourselves on our integrated approach. By having a trained professional examine and diagnose your issue gives you the best chance for recovery.

Treatment options such as Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, nerve flossing, PNF stretching, specific massage techniques, Acupuncture, trigger point injections, and even bracing can all have a positive impact on the way your body heals.

If you would like to learn more about our treatment options feel free to contact our facility.