At the end of May, PhysioFribourg organized a course for physiotherapists who look after Long COVID patients. The workshop was hosted by physiotherapist Loïc Bel. Guest was Darren Brown, an English physiotherapist living with Long COVID himself and member of the Altea Expert Board. The video of the course (in English) is now available on the Long COVID Physio page.
By the way, Darren Brown also has an almost two-hour online training course on Physioplus and a highly recommended podcast. A great place to start is Episode 16 with Jenna from Mount Sinai Long COVID Rehab.
Important: Less is more
The challenge for physiotherapists is that when treating Long COVID, they have to say goodbye to many certainties they have when working with other conditions. While they are used to gently pushing their patients to the limit and thus shifting them step by step (to improve the so-called deconditioning), this can be counterproductive or even harmful in Long COVID. Less is more, “pacing” is the order of the day. Helpful information on topics such as Pacing, PEM (post-exertional malaise) and «back to sport» can be found in the Altea Vademecum.
Physiotherapy in Switzerland also strives for active further training and further development. In the Canton of Zurich, for example, physiotherapists from larger acute care clinics have joined forces to form a quality circle on Long COVID.
Through cooperation, exchange, and networking within and outside the specialist boundaries, the knowledge of how those affected by Long COVID can be helped in the best possible way is growing.
