Dunedin cardio-respiratory physiotherapist, University of Otago School of Physiotherapy lecturer and Physiotherapy New Zealand Cardio-Respiratory Special Interest Group (CRSIG) secretary Dr Sarah Rhodes said long Covid, rehabilitation and the role of physiotherapists was the focus of World Physiotherapy Day today.
The term ‘‘long Covid” is used to describe signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute Covid-19 has passed (four weeks from the initial infection).
People experiencing these symptoms are sometimes called ‘‘long-haulers”.
As yet, there is no official definition of long Covid or diagnostic criteria for the condition.
As more was learnt about the effects of long Covid, it was becoming more apparent that cardio-respiratory physiotherapists would have an essential role in helping people recover from the virus, Dr Rhodes said.
‘‘Cardio-respiratory physiotherapists have the knowledge and clinical skills to optimise management of long Covid and are an essential part of the rehabilitation journey of these patients.
‘‘It is therefore likely that there will be an increased demand for physiotherapists with these skills going forward.”
She said the challenge would be raising awareness of the role of cardio-respiratory
physiotherapists.
‘‘Without a referral to a cardio-respiratory physiotherapist, patients with symptoms of long Covid may be struggling on without any input, and this hinders recovery and negatively impacts quality of life.
‘‘We’ve been keeping tabs on what is happening overseas and seeing the emergence of people who have had Covid, appeared to have recovered and then relapsed, or have never really recovered fully,” Dr Rhodes said.
‘‘We are recognising some of the effects of long Covid symptoms as being really common, such as fatigue, breathlessness and muscle weakness.”
As part of World Physiotherapy Day, the Physiotherapy New Zealand Cardio-Respiratory Special Interest group has developed posters for distribution to general practices nationwide, to highlight long Covid symptoms and cardio-respiratory physiotherapists’ roles in treating them.
Dr Rhodes said World Physiotherapy Day was also a time to celebrate all the hard work that physiotherapists — particularly cardio-respiratory physiotherapists — had done behind the scenes throughout the various phases and levels of Covid-19.
This included collaborating with the Ministry of Health to develop national guidelines for respiratory physiotherapy and for rehabilitation for those with Covid-19.
‘‘We’re a small group who work well as a team and it was really satisfying to see what we could achieve and the difference we could make.”
