With the COVID-19 virus infecting millions of people worldwide, finding an effective treatment is more important than ever. Thankfully, most people recover from COVID-19 after a few weeks.
For some patients, recovering from the virus does not always mean getting rid of the symptoms. Long haul COVID symptoms affect about 10% of COVID patients. With long COVID or post-COVID syndrome, patients can experience lingering symptoms for weeks or months following their recovery.
Living with long COVID often means having to deal with a variety of symptoms. While some patients seek relief from their symptoms through medication, others turn to natural options, such as craniosacral therapy.
Craniosacral therapy includes a hands-on treatment to help patients alleviate pain, headaches, and other physical ailments. Now, many healthcare providers recommend that patients living with long COVID try the healing and pain-relief effects of craniosacral therapy.
What Is Craniosacral Physical Therapy?
Craniosacral physical therapy, or CST, is a form of occupational therapy that focuses on relieving pain through light pressure on the nervous system. CST sessions are similar to a traditional massage appointment; however, the patients keep their clothes on.
During a craniosacral physical therapy appointment, the physical therapist applies light pressure to various areas around the spine, neck, and head. Doing so helps the physical therapist find fascial system disruptions, which could be contributing to pain symptoms. The fascial system is a layer of strong, stretchy tissue that holds the muscles, blood vessels, and nerves.
Physical therapists use CST sessions to help the patient relax. The aim is to help the patient find relief by relaxing the muscles and finding pain points.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Craniosacral Therapy?
One of the benefits of craniosacral therapy is that it addresses many physical ailments. For example, several patients suffering from chronic pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, and multiple sclerosis find relief by attending craniosacral therapy sessions. Other candidates for the therapy include patients with epilepsy and stroke.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of COVID?
Unfortunately, COVID patients can continue to feel the effects of the virus for weeks after their recovery. Patients suffering from long COVID symptoms are also called long haulers.
Long haulers can experience several different symptoms.
- Significant fatigue or tiredness
- Brain fog
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Fever
- Body aches and pains
- Post-exertion malaise
- Lack of smell or taste
- Struggles with physical activity
Although older patients appear more likely to suffer the persistent symptoms of long COVID, these long-term consequences can affect anyone of any age.
How Can a Physical Therapist Use Craniosacral Therapy To Help Patients With Long COVID?
Several of the common symptoms of long COVID involve pain or discomfort. Many patients living with long COVID claim to find significant relief with craniosacral therapy.
Along with pain relief, craniosacral therapy aims to help patients improve their activity levels. Fatigue remains one of the most common symptoms among long COVID survivors, preventing them from performing their usual activities throughout the day or spending extended periods of time in bed.
Many COVID-19 patients can improve mobility through exercise interventions and graded exercise therapy. Physical therapists can examine their patients’ mobility by using the six-minute walk test and helping them perform various exercises. Patients with long COVID should consult their physician before scheduling a craniosacral therapy appointment.
Craniosacral therapy for COVID aims to provide patient care that relieves headaches, body aches, and other common symptoms. However, craniosacral therapy is not a traditional long COVID treatment and needs more research to determine true outcome measures.
Craniosacral Physical Therapists in Asheville, NC
Although craniosacral therapy still requires additional health research, many patients and long COVID survivors find pain and fatigue relief through this therapeutic treatment. WildHawk Physical Therapy helps patients around Asheville, NC with various health-related issues.
Our clinic values the safety of our patients and health care professionals, which is why we ask that everyone follow the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, guidelines for COVID-19 safety procedures.
When it comes to the benefits of physical therapy, long COVID patients can find significant relief that puts them on the path to recovery. If you have spent time dealing with the lasting effects of COVID-19, call the WildHawk Physical Therapy in Asheville, NC at 828-365-8133 to schedule an appointment and learn more about our services.
