September 12, 2022
Seeing the whole person.
Caring for the whole system.
© 2022 Klein Integrative Physical Therapy.
© 2022 Klein Integrative Physical Therapy.
Throughout the pandemic we have seen many people who are dealing with issues following a covid infection. We are seeing everything from: tinnitus, vertigo, prolonged loss or decease in taste and smell, reductions in lung capacity, difficulty with exercise endurance, chest pain and tightness, overall fatigue, brain fog, an increase in difficulty with issues in body areas already compromised (a patient recently described it as “covid activated all of my greatest hits,”) and generalized pain and weakness. It’s very interesting to us as manual therapy practitioners as for years we have been treating people with acute and chronic Lyme infections. With offices in all 3 areas of the DMV, and with Lyme being rampant here, we have seen many of these same issues following Lyme infections. This would be with the exception of the loss of taste and smell, which seem to be characteristics of the early on covid folks. The body has a very predictable way of handling infection and immune issues, in terms of the physiological (meaning biochemical) aspects of creating inflammation, causing an immune cascade, etc. But what is not as commonly thought of with any type of exposure to a virus, bacteria, etc. is the body’s physical response. The body reacts in a physical way that is also predictable, and works to try to protect the essential organs from infection. When a body is exposed to something potential damaging, the diaphragm systems immediately lock down. The body is protected and regulated by many different tissues. The diaphragm complex, which consists of the pelvic bowl/floor, the respiratory diaphragm, the tissues that comprise the thoracic inlet/outlet, and the tentorium (the horizonal fascial regulator of the brain) all work together as a functional unit. When the body needs protection from a pathogen and when there is physical or other trauma, the diaphragms will all lock down as a unit. What we are able to do, as manual practitioners, is open up the diaphragms. The body will lock down for protection. It may not necessarily open back up on it’s own, especially when there is, for example, a virus around that has not been seen before. What we are able to do with our patients is reset the four primary diaphragms, and in most cases this reduces or eliminates the lingering effects of the body’s response to the infection. The issues that remain after a covid infection may not be due to the infection itself, but the body’s protective response to it. We open the diaphragms using two types of techniques: advanced strain counterstain and myofascial release. The advanced strain counterstrain techniques can be found in the book on IMT for the Autonomic Nervous System, available on Amazon. The myofascial release technique we use can be found in the IMT for the Connective Tissue System book, also available on Amazon. They are also taught in our Klein Clinical Manual Therapy series as part of Module 1, which will also soon be available in an online format.
Treating the lingering effects of a covid infection with manual therapy
September 12, 2022
Seeing the whole person.
Caring for the whole system.