Covid-19 Patients Are Struggling To Cope After Leaving Hospitals. Importance of Physiotherapy for Post Covid-19 Patients.

 Patients, who battle severe after-effects of the viral infection like Covid-19, are going through YouTube or to local doctors for help in the absence of post-discharge rehab protocols to assess and manage their symptoms. 


Physiotherapists are trained to create up the progressive exercise protocols for such patients to counter the weakness of muscles and optimize their functional outcomes. Care and individual assessment should be done at home to avoid readmission. This includes controlling symptoms of dyspnoea, fatigue and pain. Maintaining hygiene, adequate nutrition, need of supplemental oxygen, psychological support and safe mobility.

Rehab mainly focuses on enabling people to clear their airways, improving and managing their breathing. An ideal rehab programme should incorporates a good range of exercises like

  •  Thoracic expansion exercises
  •  Diaphragmatic breathing
  •  Pursed lip breathing
  •  Tips to manage dry and productive cough
  •  Positioning for correct lung ventilation and 
  •  Use of an incentive spirometer 
To manage dry or wet cough at home, go through this link: Ultimate Physio

Maintaining a healthy diet: 

Recovering corona virus patients must have protein rich home cooked food for boosting immunity. The damaged that happened to the body while the infection lasted like damage to body tissue and muscle loss and weakness must be repaired by improving protein-rich diet.

Include calorie-dense foods in your diet but make sure they’re healthy carbs as to fight off the infection you need more calories means more energy. Include 6 or 7 servings of nuts in your diet along with fresh seasonal fruits and veggies in your diet.

1.  Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique: Start with placing one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage. This will allow you to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe in and out. Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your abdomen moves out against your hand and expand as shown in below given image. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible and exhale slowly through pursed lip (as if blowing off candle slowly).




2. Pursed lip breathing:  This technique is to sit comfortably on a chair with relaxed shoulders, take in a deep breath from the nose and hold it and then exhale slowly via the mouth with pursed lips. This will create a small positive pressure preventing the collapse of the airway.




3. Thoracic expansion exercises: Inhaling a deep breath from the nose while taking the hands outwards and upward than bringing back the hands down while blowing the air out from the mouth. This exercise helps in promoting the expansion of the thorax and in due course creates more space for the air to enter.



4. Incentive spirometer: It is handheld device with hollow plastic tube attached with a mouthpiece. The patient mouth creates a tight seal around the mouthpiece of the device and inhales through it deeply and slowly. While you breathe in, the ball within the large column will move up. Try to move the ball as elevated up as you can or to the level recommended by your doctor. Relax, take out the mouthpiece, and then breaths out normally

After you've taken the suggested number of breaths, try to cough a few times. This will help loosen any mucus that has built up in your lungs and will make it easier for you to breathe.

To loosen any mucus that has built up in your lungs, try to cough a few times slowly after you have repeated this breathing through spirometer. It will make it easier for you to breathe.






For any queries regarding any of this exercise or health related issues, you can drop a mail at Ultimate Physio



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