Occupational therapy or low-impact exercise might be the key to relieving long-haul COVID symptoms like extreme fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog, a pair of new studies from Ireland suggest.
The studies reflect two different — in some ways, opposite — approaches to dealing with symptoms that tend to plague long COVID patients.
One study taught long COVID patients through a four-week occupational therapy program how to better manage their fatigue, with an emphasis on energy planning, stress management and sleep hygiene.
The other attempted to improve long-haul symptoms through a six-week exercise program aimed at gradually increasing patients’ stamina.
“The main problem is extreme fatigue that is unrelenting,” said Louise Norris, lead researcher of the first study and a senior occupational therapist with St. James’ Hospital in Dublin. “People think they need to rest more in this situation, but actually too much rest is just as bad as too little. Introducing a balanced routine to prevent highs and lows in energy consumption is key.”
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