It has been nine months since Covid-19 started to dominate the news. For the last six months it has had a dramatic impact on everyone’s life in the UK especially for the vulnerable and the unfortunate people and their families who became infected and developed symptoms.
Slowly our understanding and knowledge about the conditions and it’s ramifications are building and a lot of unexpected details are emerging. We still are only scratching the surface and the next months and years will no doubt produce more useful information.
One of the many worrying aspects of Coronavirus is the number of people who are suffering from Long Covid. This is development of long term symptoms associated with the condition especially fatigue. I have been supporting patients in my clinics in Newton Abbot and Ashburton for many years suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which is also known as Post Viral Fatigue and closely associate fibromyalgia. The parallels with Long Covid are marked and may well be physiologically very similar. There is an excellent and detailed video about Long Covid produced by the BMJ here.
I have for the last few months been approached by increasing numbers of patients with Long Covid asking if Osteopathy can help. Previously energetic healthy individuals, many between the ages of 30 and 50 years of age who have developed troubling long term symptoms. Unfortunately there is little the GPs can do and so they are admirably researching different options and ways of managing their health.
So can I as an Osteopath help and support people with Long Covid? So far I have had a number of patients respond well to my work with them as an osteopath. Of course I make no claim to cure the condition but believe an individually designed course of treatment can support and aid their recovery. Drawing on my many years of experience with ME/CFS this usually involves supporting the fundamental basics of health. I help their musculoskeletal system, advise on diet, mindfulness practise, yoga based exercises, graded exercises, sleep, hydration and supplementation.
If you’d like to discuss what you have read above please call me on 01626 334036 (Newton Abbot TQ12) or 01364 652016 (Ashburton TQ13). More details about my clinics can be found here.