It’s common for those here in New York City who persevered through Covid-19 to now have chronic fatigue, difficulty walking up stairs, and other ailments. “Long Haulers” or those with lingering Covid-19 symptoms should know that relieving symptoms can be achieved through a treatment combining chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy.

What is Long Covid?

“Long COVID” is an unofficial term describing post-viral symptoms that surface and persist long after recovery from COVID-19 infection.  However Long COVID as a health condition is not completely understood, largely due to the fact that it has only existed a few years.  Nonetheless medical professionals are mostly in agreement that Long COVID is a collection of syndromes which can surface in several ways, even after full recovery of the virus and linger on indefinitely.  Through a combination of chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy an effective treatment protocol can be structured aligned to the specific symptoms that remain, despite recovery from COVID-19 itself. 

Some of the most common symptoms of Long COVID are severe fatigue after exertion, a reduction in muscle strength, unexplained breathlessness, joint and chest pains, difficulty concentrating (brain fog), elevated heart rate, tinnitus, and sleeping difficulties.  While the lingering symptoms of Long COVID are similar to those of acute COVID-19, they can last for years and have for many New Yorkers.  In addition to lingering physical symptoms, some people also experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – all stemming from Long COVID.  Chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy can be effective in identifying and treating any underlying medical conditions contributing to your ailments, so while there is currently no cure for Long COVID,  there is alleviation of the symptoms.

What Causes Long COVID?

It is conjectured by research scientists that several of these symptoms are due to extensive Mitochondria Hijacking taking place inside the cells of the body. Mitochondria are essentially power plants producing 90% of the energy our bodies need to function and Long COVID ‘hijacks’ the Mitochondria from the cells to “power’ it’s own activities, leaving a person feeling drained and fatigued. 

What’s broadly understood is research indicates that there is a link between Long COVID and the brainstem, which is the bottom part of your brain connecting to your spinal cord and sending signals from your brain to the rest of your body.  Neuroscientists conducted a study  proposing COVID-19 invasion of the brainstem may be responsible for the persistent neurological symptoms observed in Long-COVID patients.  Specifically, neurodegeneration (the slow but progressive loss of brain cells) in multiple areas of the brainstem to varying degrees follows a COVID-19 infection. This phenomenon, known as COVID-19 tropism, leads to the virus gathering, replicating and further infecting the body through ‘hijacking’ the Mitochondria and leaving a person feeling fatigued. 

It is believed once widespread, the infection triggers an inflammatory response, resulting in the production of inflammatory chemical (mediator) agents that damage the brainstem and vascular system.  The vascular system is also called the circulatory system and consists of  vessels that carry blood (and lymph) throughout the body.  The inflammatory response results in the coagulation or clotting of the blood in the circulatory system which can further exacerbate neuroinflammation (brain cell inflammation) creating a vicious cycle of debilitating health –  reflected in the lingering symptoms indefinitely.  

It’s worth noting many of the Long COVID symptoms are consistent with a breakdown in the regulation of aspects of the central nervous system that support rest and recovery from illness, the autonomic nervous system.   Hence it’s the excessive inflammation coupled with an autonomic nervous system gone ‘haywire’ that is thought to produce the chronic fatigue.

The Key to Treating Long COVID symptoms

The key to treating Long-COVID symptoms requires a basic understanding of the brainstem and autonomic nervous system.  Many of us are familiar with COVID-related loss of smell and taste as it affects millions of people, reduces your nutrition, overall quality of life and can also lead to depression.  A study estimated that 60% of those infected with COVID didn’t fully recover and were left with a decreased sense of smell, a function controlled through the autonomic nervous system (which regulates involuntary processes).  

Know that the brainstem houses the cells responsible for cranial nerves, which ‘oversee’ smell and taste. In fact of the 12 cranial nerves, your autonomic nervous system has nerve fibers in 4 of them and research has proven autonomic or involuntary physiological functions like sleep, breathing, digestion, heart function, and sexual arousal, much like smell and taste, are unconsciously regulated by the cranial nerves in brainstem.

The brainstem is blended with the spinal cord via ligaments attaching them both to vertebrae and allowing movement with the vertebrae.  Any disruption or misalignment of these vertebrae can impact both the brainstem and spinal cord function.  This includes mechanical stress due to ligament torsion (twisting) and or vascular stress disrupting blood supply due to narrowed vessel passages in the vertebral regions.

Per the previously mentioned and linked studies, COVID-19 tropism or virus gathering, replicating and further infecting the body is most observed in the brainstem region where it is blended with the spinal cord and susceptible to mechanical and vascular stress.   It’s important to know brainstem dysfunction is also implicated in other chronic disorders, including migraines and chronic fatigue syndrome.  A dysfunctional brainstem and nervous system plays a significant role in Long COVID’s debilitating conditions.

Chiropractic care can identify and resolve misalignments in the upper cervical spine that may be contributing to dysfunction in the brainstem. By realigning the vertebrae and relieving stress on the joints and surrounding structures, I aim to restore proper nerve function and optimize the body’s overall well-being.  Craniosacral therapy can relax connective tissue structure tension and torsion throughout the body, improve blood flow, overall cardiovascular system functioning all while eliminating somatic issues such as muscle pain and migraines.

Treating Long COVID with Chiropractic Care & Craniosacral Therapy

Resolving Long COVID is not achieved through any singular treatment but through a series of non-invasive techniques that optimize the health and functioning of the brainstem and autonomic nervous system.  Below is a partial listing and description of treatments and techniques in the Long COVID portfolio of care.   The components of any one Long COVIC regimen are custom tailored and tightly aligned to symptoms being experienced thus require an in-depth personalized conversation to precisely “fit” to a specific individual.  Call me if you have questions about how craniosacral therapy and or chiropractic care can relieve your specific Long COVID systems.   It’s important to be mindful that everyone’s circumstances are unique and I would have to know details about what you’re coping with to be more insightful of which Long COVID treatments are ideally suited for you.    

Vagus Nerve Treatment for Long COVID: Craniosacral therapy directly treats the cranial nerves (the vagus nerve being cranial nerve #10) and can shift the nervous system out and away of the fight or flight stress response dominant state.  Over a few therapeutic sessions this can help in ‘rewiring’ the nervous system by increasing vagal tone, relaxation response and balance or homeostasis. The vagus nerve functions as the relaxation response control center of the body to counteract excessive stress response and any dysregulation of the central nervous system producing mental and physical ailments including brain fog, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, stomach problems, increased bodily inflammation and more.   For example, the gut microbiome (the ecosystem of microbes that live in your intestines) also has a well-recognized role in inflammation.   Some microbes are known to engage with the autonomic nervous system affecting its function.  Manipulating the wellness of the gut microbiome via the vagus nerve is an essential focus in a craniosacral therapy session treating Long COVID.  That’s because research on the gut microbiome indicates that microbiome imbalances could have a significant role in COVID-19 symptom severity and the lingering Long COVID symptoms.  For example, the gut microbiomes of people infected with COVID-19 are depleted in several bacteria, particularly those linked to reducing inflammation.    Click here to learn more.

Immune System Boost for Long COVID: The central nervous system (brain & spinal cord) is responsible for our immune systems’ functioning and chiropractic care has proven effective in strengthening the immune system in both children and adults.   Your immune system is thrown off from any type of dysfunction within your body and a subluxation in your spine (a spinal vertebra out of position compared to the other vertebrae) produces an adverse ripple effect on your immune system’s ability to fight off harmful substances.  Unfortunately, subluxations are rarely considered when it comes to a weakened immune system, and that’s because most healthcare providers are unfamiliar with how to detect or treat subluxations.  Chiropractic adjustments have not only resolved subluxations but have also been shown to improve both blood and cerebral fluid flow to the brain.   Here’s 3 ways a chiropractic adjustment will boost your immune system: Click here to learn more.

Nerve Pain Treatment for Long COVID: can be experienced as ‘pins and needles’, or a burning or tingling sensation, caused by injury to a single sensory nerve, such as what’s experienced with carpal tunnel syndrome, or your vagus nerve (an irritated or pinched vagus nerve can produce neck pain, increase headaches, cause digestive and abdominal issues and more), or a group of  pinched or irritated motor nerves (muscle weakness, cramps, uncontrollable muscle twitching).  Click here to learn how I treat carpal tunnel syndrome, and here to learn how I treat vagus nerve associated pain, and here to learn about motor nerve treatment. 

Muscle Pain Treatment for Long COVID: can be experienced as a random sharp pain or a steady ache, all over a region of the body or in a precise area. Muscle cramps can stem from injuries such as herniated disks (back pain), or slight curvature of the spine issues like spinal stenosis and scoliosis. Myofascial trigger point therapy quickly eliminates muscle pains, increases range of motion, improves blood circulation, and retrains muscles to operate efficiently to reduce chances of pain and strain returning. Click here to learn how I treat muscle pain with myofascial trigger point therapy.  Through the course of a night fibromyalgia can cause stiff muscle pain as well.   Click here to learn how I treat fibromyalgia. 

Joint Pain Treatment for Long COVID: arthritis and other chronic conditions can lead to joint pain.   Remember, while moving around in the daytime fluids are lubricating your joints.  But this natural lubrication of the joints declines at night and may even swell up. If you’re coping with joint pain and or inflammatory arthritis, chiropractic care coupled with craniosacral therapy is a non-pharmacological treatment to reduce your pain, retool and revitalize body systems, and is essential to healing and eliminating the underlying causes of joint pain.   My chiropractic / craniosacral treatment to resolve joint pain focuses on improving the functioning of your:

• Circulatory System
• Immune System
• Musculoskeletal System

 Click here to learn how I treat joint pain. 

Trauma History, Long COVID and Craniosacral Therapy: The physiology of Chronic Fatigue conditions is thought to be very similar to PTSD, and certain shared symptoms suggest the same may be true with Long COVID.  Research has shown people with chronic fatigue syndrome commonly have childhood trauma histories.  It may be that traumatic experiences predispose people to post-viral fatigue, and for many, unresolved trauma is a maintaining factor in the chronic fatigue they endure today.   Also the traumatic experience of Covid-19 itself, depending on the circumstances, could be an important focus of the treatment protocol. 

Alex was born in March 1972. At the age of 7 he started to experience frequent headaches with all the conventional symptoms of a Migraine headache. His particular headache resulted in him experiencing auras, nausea and sensitivity to light with no particular trigger to the onset of the migraine.

After years of treatments, therapies and medications, his headaches were no better and Alex continued to experience them all throughout childhood and into young adulthood. Some years the headaches would come monthly, some years every two to three months and some years weekly. His headaches were incurable, there was nothing that could alleviate the symptoms and head pain. Until he experienced cranial manual therapy, which resulted in the complete eradication of his life-long Migraine Headaches.

At the age of 16 Alex noticed a mild deformity in the right side of his ribs, a slightly lower right shoulder and the experience of constant lower back pain. Although mild, a diagnosis of Idiopathic Adolescent Scoliosis had been labeled.

At the age of 18 he was involved in a serious car accident that exacerbated his lower back pain. Throughout the years Alex had tried a multitude of conventional treatments but continued to suffer on and off with lower back pain, even throughout Chiropractic school and beyond.

In 2015 and fifteen+ years out of Chiropractic school, Dr. Kaminsky participated in his first and life changing Craniosacral Therapy seminar and he was fascinated, intrigued and hooked. It all made sense, he was immediately astute to its methods and since that first seminar, and as a result of trading sessions of Craniosacral Therapy with his colleagues, his back pain subsided and till this day has never returned.

Dr. Kaminsky decided to enhance his skill-set to better serve his patients. He began reaching out to other craniosacral therapists, cranial osteopaths, and many types of leading practitioners from various fields for advise and consultations He also enrolled in Upledger continuing education seminars with a focus on mostly hands-on manual and alternative therapies.

And, as he gained knowledge with his own health issues, he has learned to help more and more patients achieve great health results.

Dr. Alex Kaminsky is headache free and low back pain free, and has committed himself to a life of learning, teaching and treating patients. His emphasis is on the patient’s stored patterns of the body and each individual healthcare needs.