Post COVID challenges in chronic neurological conditions: exploring perceived symptoms and the potential effect of individual physiotherapy

Background: COVID is described as having not only medical but also wider social consequences for society. Individuals may experience persistent health problems after infection. We aimed to find out whether people with chronic neurodegenerative disease (multiple sclerosis - MS) still perceive any complications after this infection. And the secondary aim was to offer them a physiotherapy. Methods: In this single-centre study, people with MS who experienced COVID-19 between January and March 2022 were contacted and structurally asked about the occurrence of any post-COVID symptoms. Results: In March 2023, 251 (75 men) people responded to the survey. The mean age of these people was 43.8 years (SD 8.9), and the mean disease duration 14.1 years (SD 8.3). A total of 76 people (22%) suffered from post-COVID symptoms lasting 12 weeks or longer. Most common symptoms included fatigue (55%), dyspnoe (26%), neurological deterioration (20%), and joint and muscle pain (18%).A total of 6 people participated in a pilot physiotherapy program. Conclusion: Based on subjective reports, a considerable number of people with MS can suffer from post-COVID symptoms Our experience from a small pilot study showed that individual physiotherapy could probably relieve some of these difficulties. However, this would need to be verified in a larger sample. Knowledge of any persistent post-COVID difficulties can also help other health and social care professionals.