Covid & Physiotherapy: Learning to Breathe Again
Navigating the Pandemic, Covid and Physiotherapy
“I worked with a 25 year-old Olympic athlete, fresh out of the hospital after being in an induced coma for three weeks. He had covid-19. After walking up 3 stairs, his heart rate was 210 beats per minute and he was completely winded.”
The journey to health for some people post covid is a long one. One of the topics that we are learning about at this stage of the pandemic is the lasting effects of COVID-19. Sometimes called “long-COVID, long-term COVID, or post-COVID”, this refers to the effects that can stay with a person after the virus is long gone. Persistent effects can be loss or limitation of the senses taste and smell, as well as cardiovascular symptoms, like drastically reduced cardio-capacity. Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or becoming winded after minimal physical activity are some of the symptoms that people are dealing with post covid. Re-training the body and the mind to get back the ability to breathe comfortably is where physiotherapy can play an important role.
Eric de Montarnal joined the Perseverance Physiotherapy & Wellness Team from one of the epicenters of COVID-19 back in 2020. Eric spent time working at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton which is a city of a million people. The university is adjacent to a Medical Cardio-center, where patients who were critically ill with COVID were seeking rehabilitation after recovering from the worst of the virus.
Eric helped hundreds of patients learn to breathe again. “One of the initial aspects of this kind of physiotherapy is to start thinking of this as a cardiovascular challenge, instead of the virus, and therefore to manage our own fears around that.” says de Montarnal, “The mental aspect for these patients was just as important as the physical one. Imagine being completely winded after walking just a few steps: your heart is racing, you are breathing heavily, and you are scared. Working with these patients by monitoring their oxygen levels and coaching them through breathing is helpful, but also working with them to slowly build their endurance in a safe and supervised environment is really important.”
"Developing a plan to manage anxiety is a part of the work physiotherapists are doing in these cases, focusing on creating knowledge in these unchartered times is essential to successful rehabilitation. “We spend a lot of time educating patients on what to expect, what are red flags to watch for, and when to call for help.”
The physical part of therapy for covid-long patients includes working through exercises to engage the ribs and muscles, and practicing deep breathing techniques. de Montarnal encourages patients experiencing long-term effects of Covid not to lose hope. “At first this can seem really scary, but we need to treat this as an opportunity to re-learn the right ways to build cardio-fitness. Just like going for your first mountain bike ride, you can make progress with practice and support.”
The reality of our post-COVID world can feel daunting for many. If nothing else, it has forced us to put our health at the forefront of our minds, and for the fortunate ones, has reminded us that it is something to be grateful for. Physiotherapy is a practice that promotes and preserves health. Be it musculoskeletal, mental, or cardiovascular, a physiotherapist can help you work through your obstacles to get back to good health. So let’s take a breath, together.