Long COVID has been in the news a lot over the last year or so, with many people reporting symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and even loss of taste or smell continuing for weeks or months after they stop testing positive for the virus. If you are suffering from these symptoms, what does this mean for your balance and fall risk?

There is still a lot that doctors don’t understand about long COVID, and there are similarities between it and other post-viral symptoms which people have reported for decades after infection from a whole host of viruses, including the common cold, Lyme Disease and flu.  

What is Post-Viral Syndrome?

There’s no test to show if someone is suffering from post-viral syndrome, rather it is a collection of symptoms, not all of them present in all people, that cannot be attributed to a disease. They include but are not limited to:

• Fatigue

• Muscular aches

• Joint pain

• Headaches

• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things

• Dizziness, especially if standing up suddenly

• Loss of appetite

It is not entirely clear what causes someone to suffer from these symptoms when others do not. There is some suggestion that there may be a genetic component to who is at risk, coupled with the state of the person’s immune system when dealing with the virus that triggers it. But studies are not conclusive and made more difficult by the fact that different people report different symptoms, even after suffering from the same virus.

There are some similarities with the symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), which some doctors believe are also caused reaction to a virus or microbial infection, although again, the precise mechanism isn’t well understood.

One theory suggests that sometimes the body’s immune response to a virus creates elevated levels of inflammation for a longer period of time, which we experience as the range of symptoms we typically associate with the virus itself. Sometimes a virus can take a few weeks to clear out of the system, but some people have reported symptoms for several months or even years afterwards.

Takeaway: if symptoms last longer than a few weeks, it’s time to speak to your doctor to rule out other causes.

Typically, treatment focuses on trying to manage the symptoms, such as by taking over-the-counter pain medication, getting as much rest as possible, eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory food and waiting it out. Some people have reported gentle exercise helps, while others report it makes symptoms worse.

So What Does That Mean For Balance?

Post-viral syndrome impacts the central nervous system, brain and muscles. Your ability to balance against the forces of gravity requires coordinated work from your brain, central nervous system and muscles. Therefore, any deficiency in any one of these systems will also negatively affect your balance. Difficulty concentrating affects your awareness of what is around you, muscular aches or weakness, or joint pain means your movements may be slower and less sure, putting you at risk for a fall.  

Anecdotal reports from ZIBRIO customers have suggested that people suffering from flu and COVID can see their balance score drop by up to 50% while symptoms are present, but further study is required to understand what this means on a population level.

What Can You Do?

The first step is recognizing that your balance is going to be worse while symptoms persist. Give yourself extra time to move from one place to another. Make sure you have good lighting and wear supportive shoes to minimize hazards in your environment.

As you manage your symptoms, know that getting rest and eating well will help your body heal faster. Reports suggest that as many as 50% of people with ME/CFS find some relief from alternative therapies such as acupuncture, meditation and yoga, so you may wish to try them yourself. You may also like to try some gentle sensory-motor based balance exercises while your body recovers. The ZIBRIO BalanceCoach app has exercises that take only 5-10 minutes a day, so you can prime your balance system without exhausting your body.

And of course, if you own a ZIBRIO Stability scale, you can measure your balance as you recover to chart your progress.