La Mesa Rehab is a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility that offers several types of treatment, including therapies for Covid-19 survivors.
The recovery process from the COVID-19 virus is variable, and depends on the severity and duration of the initial episode. Acute COVID usually ends well by 4 weeks as symptoms subside. Persistent and post-acute COVID-19 symptoms are slow, incomplete recovery with symptoms lasting greater than 5-12 weeks. Our therapy improves stamina, shortness of breath, chest tightness and fatigue by improving efficiency of muscle cell energetics and breathing mechanics.
Up to 30% of COVID-19 patients become long haulers with persistent symptoms months after the infection.
Dr. Edward C. Federman, MD (00:11)What I’ve been finding with my patients is that it’s taking up to three to six months for them to recover their endurance, exercise capacity, and get them back to work or to their usual activities of daily living. The most typical symptoms I’m seeing as a pulmonary physician are shortness of breath, severe exercise limitation, and coughing spells that are really disabling to the patient.
Wendy Diaz (00:38) What I wasn’t able to do was the basic needs like brush your teeth, take a shower, go up and down the stairs, get out of bed, because of the shortness of breath, the tightness in my chest, and the fatigue.
Joel Branman (00:54)The symptoms that concern me the most through my recovery has one primarily the shortness of breath is so restrictive, you know, you go through, and you just take, take for granted that, you know you’re gonna breathe, and that’s what you do. It’s just such a natural thing, and when that gets taken away, yeah, it’s a scary thought. Unfortunately, I’m six months out now from my diagnosis, and I’m still suffering from several of the symptoms like shortness of breath. So it’s an ongoing recovery.
Dr. Federman (01:29) The patients I’ve sent for pulmonary rehab with post COVID syndrome have uniformly been positive about the experience. It’s been extremely helpful in improving their muscle strength, their endurance, it helps with their balance, and it gets them back into their usual activities and oftentimes gets them back to working full time again.
JB (01:50) Let me say rehab has helped me just, generally in my recovery, it was one of the first proactive steps that were taken when I saw my pulmonologist Dr. Federman. One of his immediate thoughts was to get me into La Mesa Rehab to get started on pulmonary therapy, which has been a great benefit.
Tami Peavy – Clinical Director & Physical Therapist – La Mesa Rehab (02:12) We design individual protocols with respiratory therapy and physical therapy at the center of the program. We identify patient’s symptoms and address them systematically and adjust their protocol accordingly.
WD (02:25) What I noticed of my condition since I’ve been attending rehab is that I feel that I can breathe much better, and that I am able to actually drive myself I’m becoming a little bit more independent.
Dr. Federman (02:38) My experience with the patients I’ve sent to La Mesa Rehab has been extremely positive. The patients come back with good reports, and when I see them in the office, their exercise capacity has improved dramatically and in general they’re doing extremely well.
WD (02:54) I’m getting there because of La Mesa Rehab
