Nerve Damage and Pain Post COVID

There are well known side effects of COVID, and some that are just coming to light. The American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation reports that “A growing number of studies have documented a wide variety of neurological manifestations associated with the novel SARSCoV-2.” The neurologic injuries include walking problems and weakness, pain, and numbness caused by nerve damage.

Coauthor of the study, David P. Brown, DO, a specialist in peripheral nerve injuries and neuromuscular conditions at JFK Johnson, commented, “The patients we studied had severe nerve injuries in random places that wouldn’t be expected or related to their positioning while on a ventilator. These patients have clear neurologic injuries, and it does appear from our research that the Covid-19 virus could have been the inciting factor.” The article calls for guidelines “that fully identify and target secondary comorbidities such as peripheral nerve injuries to better use treatment strategies within a rehabilitation framework.”

 

Read the journal article.

Read the press release.