While Covid-19 may be a thing of the past for many Australians, a study from the Australian National University suggests that almost one-third (14% of the adult population of Australia) of Aussie adults who have been infected with Covid-19 have suffered from long Covid. Long Covid is the umbrella term for those who have suffered from Covid symptoms for longer than four weeks. While there is no quick fix and everybody responds differently, physiotherapy is being turned to as a solution more often.

Senior Physiotherapist at a private clinic in Canberra, Paul, says that in the past 18 months, he has been seeing more and more patients with long Covid.

“Many of my patients come in seeking treatment for long Covid symptoms. These symptoms can be varied, but the main ones are breathing difficulties, brain fog, muscle weakness and headaches. Some patients I see have been experiencing these long Covid symptoms for more than three months” said Paul.

Physiotherapists can perform several treatments for patients suffering from long Covid. Long Covid sufferer, Meg, 49, Melbourne was seeing a physiotherapist twice a week since contracting Covid earlier this year in July.

“It hit me like a truck – I was in bed for a week. But a few weeks after the initial virus, I noticed that I was still having difficulties with my breathing and I felt really weak. At first, I brushed it off, but the symptoms were still there in August. My GP suggested that I start seeing a physio to help manage the symptoms. My first session was at the end of August and honestly, my physio has been a Godsend. I noticed a big difference after my second appointment” said Meg.

Paul explains that each patient has different needs, depending on their age, overall health condition and the severity of their symptoms.

“We were doing pulmonary rehabilitation with clients who suffer from lung disease before Covid was around. We have found that this rehabilitation has had a high success rate with patients suffering from long Covid. But again, we thoroughly assess patients before we choose how to manage their symptoms. If a patient presents with ongoing fatigue, then we may offer them strategies to help cope with a poor attention span or memory issues.”

He also thinks that physiotherapists can help patients with long Covid because they often work with patients over a longer period.

“I think that physios have played such a crucial role during and post-pandemic because we are used to working with patients to help them develop strategies and work towards functional goals,” said Paul.

The good news is that for the majority of patients, symptoms do improve over time. According to Professor of Physiotherapy at Monash University, Anne Holland, while most patients do get better, there are a small number of patients who, unfortunately, don’t.

“In most people, it gets better, but there is a small group of people with symptoms that seem very persistent, regardless of the underlying severity of acute Covid-19 infection,” said Anne.

“It’s important for physios to note that they’ll very much be dealing with the family and the support system around the person who’s unwell”.

Paul says that the majority of his patients with long Covid do have good support systems and that many of their family and friends accompany them to physio appointments.

“It’s also about teaching the people who rally around the patient ways in which they can help the patient feel better. I really like that part of my job and I think it’s important that more awareness is spread throughout the community in regards to how crucial it is that long covid patients do have people around them who can help out”.

For Meg, her journey has come to an end and she is on the road to recovery having her last physio session last week.

“I think the best part of my therapy was learning how to do breathwork.  My physio taught me how to do relaxed controlled breathing and belly breathing when I was feeling breathless from long COVID. But I also started doing this kind of breathing whenever I was feeling stressed or anxious and it helped calm me down – such an invaluable tool!” said Meg.