In Baton Rouge, Physical Therapy Helps COVID ‘Long-Haulers’ Regain Strength, Balance and More
Sponsored by Baton Rouge Physical Therapy
Physical therapy might not be the first treatment that comes to mind when discussing COVID-19, but for some patients who continue to have side effects and complications long after the original infection has cleared, these treatments are helping them to regain muscle strength, balance and endurance. Many of these patients, sometimes referred to as COVID-19 “long-haulers,” have spent weeks in the hospital and are severely de-conditioned.
“Picture yourself immobilized in a hospital bed for an extended period of time,” says Dr. Seth Kaplan, president and CEO of Baton Rouge Physical Therapy. “When you don’t use your muscles on a regular basis—to walk, to move around, to lift everything from groceries to your children to a book—your muscles begin to atrophy.”
Physical therapists are helping people regain that function and get back to life. The first step is finding out what the patient’s goals are. “Every person has different goals and aspirations,” Kaplan says. “That’s where a physical therapist can step in and identify what their goals are and what deficits they have and how we can work together to get them where they want to be.”
For some, those goals may be recreational like having more energy to play with grandchildren or getting back to sports like running, tennis or golf. For others, reaching their goals may be a matter of safety.