How physiotherapy can help people living with Long Covid

Healing exercise: A physiotherapist (right) treating a Covid-19 patient in a hospital in Colombia in July 2021. — Bloomberg

THE world observes Physiotherapy Day today, Sept 8, to raise awareness of the role physiotherapists play in enhancing the quality of life of patients. The theme for the day this year is “Long Covid and Physiotherapy”; it was chosen to promote the role of physiotherapists and rehabilitation in the treatment and management of the adverse effects of Covid-19 among survivors of the disease.

Long Covid is an emerging public health issue that is not yet well understood; what is known is that it can be severely disabling, impacting people regardless of hospitalisation or severity of Covid-19. People living with Long Covid usually present with symptoms such as persistent fatigue, breathlessness, muscle ache, brain fog and depression that continue or develop following a Covid-19 infection and that can last for many months.