'Physiotherapy can cure post-Covid ailments'

Balurghat: To reduce post Covid complications after elderly patients are released from the hospitals, South Dinajpur district Health department has taken up an initiative to provide physiotherapy for their faster recovery.

According to a health official, the elderly Covid patients are often found to be suffering from severe chest and body thrombosis for being bedridden and physiotherapy is the only option for recovery.

"Five physiotherapists are now being involved for the same. The chest physiotherapy techniques can prove to be a boon for Covid infected patients as chest infections are becoming a cause of concern for doctors amid the second wave of pandemic," said the official. According to the experts, physiotherapy can improve the oxygen saturation level in patients as the new Coronavirus strains are leading to pneumonia in many patients and physiotherapy can play a massive role in treating them.

"Chest physiotherapy is a technique which improves the lung function by stimulating the lung muscle. It also helps in releasing the secretions trapped in the chest. There are several other techniques including breathing exercises which can enhance the capacity of lungs of the infected patients," said an expert.

The experts have also suggested doing the respiratory exercise using a respirator. Besides, the people in home isolation should do clapping, vaporisation and walking to get relief from breathlessness, weakness and mental distress. "The physiotherapy can provide excellent results to those elderly people who are suffering from severe hand and leg thrombosis. It can be used during pre and post-recovery treatment of Covid patients," said the expert.

Chief Medical Officer of Health of South Dinajpur Dr Sukumar Dey said the concerned health department has already achieved a good result in order to treat Covid patients with the help of physiotherapy, also adding it helps to reduce mortality rate too.