Covid-19 Rehabilitation Course

The first unit introduces COVID-19 and covers its nature, impact, prevalence and treatment.

The second unit focuses on rehabilitation, including; communication, recognising when it is safe to exercise, monitoring breathlessness, behaviour change, exercise guidance and coping strategies.

The third unit will equip you with the ability to apply your knowledge. It covers health screening, exercise testing and prescription, fatigue management, and the services available to provide additional support if needed.

This part will give learners an understanding of long-COVID and the current evidence concerning the longer-lasting effects of the disease. It covers the underpinning knowledge of: The definitions of long-COVID, How long-COVID can impact the body, The prevalence of long-COVID, The similarities between long-COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(ME/CFS), Exercise considerations for long-COVID, Post-exertional syndrome exacerbation and post-exertional malaise, Energy management

Since COVID-19 specifically affects our respiratory system, it’s useful to be familiar with the anatomy and biomechanics of breathing to help you support people who’ve had the disease. One of the side effects of COVID-19 is a stiffening of lung tissue, resulting in a thickening, or even scarring, that reduces our capacity to pull in air and leads to a reduced supply of oxygen. This can then result in breathlessness and de-conditioning due to inactivity. In turn, this can lead to an increase in anxiety levels for some people, which could bring about hyperventilation (a symptom of a panic attack). Even for those who have not suffered from significant effects of COVID-19 itself, we need to consider that many people have simply been restricted into moving less and therefore exerting themselves less during lockdown. This means that a better understanding of breath biomechanics could help a huge number of our clients and participants, through two main aims: Improving breath strength & Increasing oxygen uptake capacity. This module will provide that understanding.

GM Active is a collective of 12 leisure and community organisations from across Greater Manchester that are all part of the same movement, to get more people physically active. The group accounts for 87 leisure and sports facilities across the region, with a combined reach of 30 million visits a year, playing a major role in the health of our communities.