While most persons with COVID-19 recover and return to normal health, some patients can have symptoms that can last for weeks or even months after recovery from an intense or even mild illness.

 

The symptoms associated with post COVID-19 syndrome can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life. Even if someone is not hospitalized, contracting a mild form of COVID-19, or considering the stressful circumstances from a financial, emotional and social aspect surrounding COVID-19, many people have been affected.  What we are seeing in our clinic, is many individuals have never been formally diagnosed with COVID-19 (because they have not been officially tested), but may have had a mild case of it, and continue to have vague symptoms months later.

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The Center for Disease Control and many healthcare organizations are actively working to learn more about the whole range of short- and long-term health effects associated with COVID-19.

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Reported symptoms include:

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• "Dizziness" (please see more details here)

• Difficulty with thinking and concentration like “brain fog”

• Depression/anxiety

• Tunneling vision or blurred peripheral vision

• Muscle pain, especially in the neck

• Headache

• Muscle deconditioning/weakness

• Intermittent fever

• Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

• Over reaction/emotion to situations brought on by stress

• Sleep issues 

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More serious complications that are less common include:

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• Cardiovascular: inflammation of the heart muscle

• Respiratory: lung function abnormalities

• Renal: acute kidney injury

• Dermatologic: rash, hair loss

• Neurological: smell and taste problems, sleep issues, difficulty with concentration, memory problems

• Psychiatric: depression, anxiety, changes in mood

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* Please contact your primary care physician if you believe you have post-COVID-19 syndrome. Your doctor can diagnose the severity of your lingering symptoms and recommend the proper referral for more evaluation: an ENT (ear, nose and throat), cardiologist, pulmonologist, neurologist other specialists and vestibular physical therapy *

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​How can Vestibular Rehabilitation help?

Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialized form of physical therapy that focuses on interventions to help the brain relearn and grow neurological pathways to be more optimal with daily activities.

 

The role of the body's vestibular/balance system is to help an individual orient themselves in space, keep objects in focus with head turns and coordinate how you move. Strengthening your vestibular system's health and function can significantly improve your quality of life. 

 

Once a comprehensive examination is completed, customized interventions (to do at home daily) are given to proactively improve your overall health and optimize your brain's function. This can often speed up the recovery process for those with post COVID-19 syndrome:

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• Increase cognitive function

• Improve cardiovascular health and fitness

• Increase muscle strength and endurance 

• Improve mood 

• Increase energy levels 

• Improve breathing performance  

• Improve visual input and gaze stability 

• Reduce muscle and neck pain

• Decrease headache symptoms 

• Improve nutritional health 

• Help get you back to doing the things you love 

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We are here for you. Please contact Vestibular Therapy Specialists if you have more questions or for more information.

 

Please stay safe and keep healthy.