Long COVID Doesn’t Have to Define Your Life: How Massage Therapy is Helping Patients Reclaim Their Energy and Comfort
For millions of Americans dealing with Long COVID symptoms, the journey back to feeling like themselves again can feel overwhelming. About 11% of American adults who have had COVID-19 reported in January 2023 of having experienced Long COVID symptoms, with fatigue, dyspnea, cough, sleep disturbances, loss of smell, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite as the most common symptoms reported by >20% of Long COVID patients. Among these persistent challenges, chronic fatigue and muscle pain stand out as particularly debilitating symptoms that can dramatically impact daily life.
While traditional medical approaches focus primarily on symptom management, a growing body of research suggests that massage therapy was historically found to provide benefits to patients experiencing similar symptoms to those identified in Long COVID. For those struggling with the lingering effects of COVID-19, therapeutic bodywork is emerging as a valuable component of comprehensive recovery plans.
Understanding Long COVID’s Impact on the Body
Long COVID is defined as conditions that go on after four weeks from infection and can have relapsing, overlapping qualities with varying risk factors. Typical long-haul symptoms range from mild to debilitating fatigue, headaches, breathing difficulties, coughing, heart palpitations, joint or muscle pains, loss of taste and smell, digestive issues, mood changes, dizziness and brain fog.
What makes Long COVID particularly challenging is that Covid-19 long haulers’ symptoms seem to have a large stress and PTSD component, creating a complex web of physical and emotional symptoms. These can show up as headaches, fatigue, brain fog, digestive problems and muscle hypertension. (Notice the overlap between chronic stress and PTSD symptoms and long-haul COVID-19 symptoms.)
How Massage Therapy Addresses Long COVID Symptoms
Research indicates that massage therapy can be particularly effective for several Long COVID symptoms. However, muscular and joint pain has shown improvement following massage therapy. Massage therapy has been effective at reducing fatigue in cancer patients, and its role in the treatment of patients suffering from chronic fatigue or muscular pain has been documented extensively.
One of the most promising developments comes from a study on lymphatic drainage massage. Our findings suggest that a specific manual lymphatic drainage intervention may help to reduce fatigue symptoms related to long COVID, perhaps preventing acute symptoms through early intervention. This approach targets the body’s lymphatic system, which plays a crucial role in immune function and fluid balance.
The mechanisms behind massage therapy’s effectiveness for Long COVID symptoms are multifaceted. It has been proposed that massage therapy may dampen nociception and trigger release of oxytocin, which can lead to decreases in muscle pain and promote a relaxation response that reduces high cortisol levels routinely associated with stress and sleep disruptions.
Addressing Breathing and Fatigue Issues
Many Long COVID patients struggle with persistent breathing difficulties and overwhelming fatigue. Including shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and insomnia. Clients generally get fairly quick relief from shortness of breath and headaches through targeted massage techniques.
Massage can help to “reteach” the body how to return to efficient breathing. Massage can help reduce the pain and tension in these muscles that have been overworked due to compromised respiratory function. Overworked breathing muscles that are now stuck in tension can benefit significantly from therapeutic intervention.
The Functional vs. Structural Approach
An important distinction in treating Long COVID symptoms is understanding the difference between functional and structural issues. Most cases we see, whether covid related or due to other injuries, have both functional structural components to the issue. When the ratio leans heavily towards functional, massage therapy can generally provide a high degree of relief.
These functional responses to stress often linger around long after they are useful. And these functional responses can often be vastly improved or even eliminated with massage therapy. This gives hope to many Long COVID patients whose symptoms may be more responsive to treatment than initially expected.
Comprehensive Care at Chiropractic First
For residents in the Grand Rapids area dealing with Long COVID symptoms, Chiropractic First in Wyoming, Michigan, offers a comprehensive approach to recovery. At Chiropractic First, we believe every patient deserves wellness care that targets the true source of their symptoms. Most conditions and injuries cause inflammation or tension as well as pain, so we offer custom treatment plans and therapeutic techniques that relieve pain while promoting healing and restoring balance to the whole body.
Dr. James Heath, who has been serving the Wyoming community since 1998, understands that every treatment plan is different because every person is different. The clinic’s integrated approach combines massage therapy with chiropractic care, recognizing that our massage therapy and chiropractic teams work together to create personalized treatment plans for each and every patient. If your treatment plan includes massage therapy, you’ll enjoy the benefits of an ancient therapeutic approach that is designed to heal and relieve.
Types of Therapeutic Massage for Long COVID Recovery
Different massage techniques can address various Long COVID symptoms. We offer a variety of therapeutic massage techniques at Chiropractic First. Your own massage therapy regimen will depend on your symptoms, the pace of your progress, and any lifestyle factors that contribute to your pain or stiffness.
For patients dealing with anxiety-related tension, other patients may have anxiety-related tension, which responds to massage therapy that loosens up the restricted tissue and releases anxiety-busting endorphins. Swedish massage can provide a common, whole-body massage that relaxes the muscles and joints to allow the body to heal properly.
The Path Forward: Hope and Recovery
While Long COVID presents unique challenges, the growing body of evidence supporting massage therapy offers hope for recovery. The role of massage therapy for people with long COVID is promising but unstudied. The work we can do for mood, fatigue, ease of breathing, and a general sense of self-efficacy and resilience are exciting options to pursue.
Many patients report that the massage for covid-19 long haulers has allowed them to re-engage with exercise in a meaningful way. And feel that the frustratingly slow recovery pathway they were on has gotten far less steep.
For those dealing with Long COVID symptoms in the Grand Rapids, Wyoming, or Kentwood areas, the integrated approach at Chiropractic First offers a pathway to recovery that addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of healing. At Chiropractic First in Wyoming, our main goal has always been to provide personalized chiropractic treatment at a reasonable price. You can be sure that our team is focused on getting you to your healthiest!
Long COVID doesn’t have to define your future. With the right combination of therapeutic interventions, including targeted massage therapy, many patients are finding their way back to the activities and quality of life they enjoyed before their illness. The journey may take time, but with professional guidance and comprehensive care, recovery is possible.