Long-term symptoms can include weakness and fatigue, pain, emotional issues, cognitive difficulties, and psychological issues including PTSD, insomnia, anxiety and depression. Rehabilitation therapies, such as occupational & physical therpay can help long-haulers deal with some of these conditions and return to more normal health.

• It’s estimated that as many as 30 percent of people who have had COVID-19 will experience long-term health problems.
• In a new study, researchers say occupational combined with physical therapy can improve well-being and quality of life for people with long COVID.
• Experts say rehabilitation programs can help ease fatigue and improve the mood of people with this condition.

Researchers estimate that up to 30 percent of the people who contract COVID-19 experience some long-term health problems after they initially recover from the disease.

Fatigue is reported to be the most common symptom.

Long term COVID is still new, there hasn’t been a lot of research, and the cases vary greatly from person to person.

A new study finds that occupational therapy can improve quality of life and overall well-being among people with long-haulers. Researchers from St. James Hospital in Dublin and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland found that an occupational therapy fatigue management program delivered positive improvements to individuals with post-COVID symptoms who said their tiredness was affecting their work, leisure activities, and self-care.

The intervention, delivered as three 1.5-hour group therapy sessions over a 4-week period, focused on self-management techniques to address fatigue, brain fog, sleep hygiene, energy conservation, and pacing of activities by taking breaks before reaching the point of exhaustion.

Energy conservation techniques include addressing the home and community environment to decrease activity demands an occupational therapist. Energy conservation can also include addressing time management when planning outings or routines.