COur Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Team stands by all above mentioned patients based on our personalized programs in COVID-19 pandemic;
- Patients staying at intensive care unit
- Patients managed at our inpatient clinics
- Patients who require care at home
- Patients with persistent complaints following Covid (long Covid)
- Patients who prefer online physiotherapy (telerehabilitation)
Rehabilitation plans and practices are an important component of treatment in patients with COVID-19 infection.
Aim of rehabilitation in treatment of COVID-19:
- Reduce musculo-skeletal system complications
- Reduce complications that occur in other body systems
- Alleviate symptoms
- Shorten the stay at intensive care unit and hospital
- Increase functional capacity
- Enable full independency in activities of daily life
- Boost physical and social activities
- Improve mood
- Increase quality of life
What is Long COVID?
Although most people heals completely in response to treatment of COVID-19, complications may develop in others. LONG COVID is a series of symptoms that starts immediately after being infected by the virus and persist for weeks or months or that may emerge weeks after the infection. LONG COVID may develop in everybody, even if the disease follows a mild course or it does not cause any symptom.
People with long COVID may suffer from various combinations of following symptoms:
- Tiredness
- Difficulty in thinking and focusing attention (brain fog)
- Headache
- Loss of taste and smell senses
- Dizziness in standing position
- Palpitation
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Joint and muscle pain
- Depression or anxiety
- Fever
- Symptoms that worsen following physical activity
- Symptoms that worsen following mental activity
Who may need rehabilitation following COVID-19?
Patients, who heal following a severe course of the disease or who have long COVID, may need rehabilitation to manage post-COVID-19 effects.
COVID-19 may involve any organ system and therefore, symptoms and signs will vary substantially. Muscle strength may decrease, gait and balance functions may impair and lung and heart capacity may significantly reduce in patients, who are managed at the intensive care unit. Patients with COVID-19 disease may develop various complications, including but not limited to respiratory failure, kidney failure, myocarditis, encephalitis, impaired immunological response and blood coagulation disorders. Certain complications, such as heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism, may cause irreversible effects. Physical function disorders that may emerge following COVID-19 may decrease the ability to perform activities of daily life.
Personalized rehabilitation programs ensure significant improvements in functioning and independency following COVID-19 infection. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation team of American Hospital stands by our patients, who have survived Covid-19 infection, in order to enable them gain their physical functions completely.
What we do in COVID-19 pandemic at Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department?
We perform following practices and programs to ensure quicker recovery and boost quality of life for patients, who are maintained on treatment for COVID-19 infection:
- Exercises and electric simulations to maintain and increase range-of-motion of joints and muscles at intensive care unit
- Exercise programs that boost physical condition, muscle strength, balance and coordination of inpatients
- Home rehabilitation for patients who require home care
- Rehabilitation programs to boost physical resistance, strength and fine motor skills in relation with COVID for outpatients
- Neurological rehabilitation for certain complications, such as stroke, facial paralysis and foot drop, secondary to COVID-19 infection.
- Management of pain caused by COVID-19 infection
- Online physiotherapy for patients in long COVID upon request (telerehabilitation)
Early and continuous rehabilitation is the key for recovery at all stages of COVID-19 infection.
We stand by you with our equipment and qualified team that has various qualifications and works in cooperation with all disciplines in order to fulfill your various rehabilitation needs, which occur in COVID-19 pandemic.