Long COVID Neurological Symptoms: What They Are and What You Can Do About Them

You recovered from COVID weeks or months ago, but something is still wrong. The brain fog will not lift. You get dizzy standing up. Your heart races for no reason. Exercise that used to be routine now leaves you wiped out for days. If this describes your experience, you are likely dealing with the neurological effects of Long COVID.

An estimated 10 to 30 percent of COVID patients develop Long COVID symptoms. Among the most common and debilitating are neurological: brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, autonomic dysfunction, neuropathy, and exercise intolerance.

Why Long COVID Affects the Nervous System

COVID-19 triggers an inflammatory response that can affect the brain and nervous system in several ways. Neuroinflammation disrupts the normal function of brain pathways. The autonomic nervous system,which controls heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and other involuntary functions,can become dysregulated. Small nerve fibers can sustain damage, leading to neuropathy symptoms.

The result is a constellation of neurological symptoms that persist long after the initial infection has cleared. Standard blood work and imaging often come back normal, leaving patients without a clear explanation for symptoms that are very real.

The Functional Neurology Approach to Long COVID

Functional neurology evaluates the brain and nervous system at a level of detail that standard exams often miss. For Long COVID patients, this means assessing:

• Vestibular function,is the inner ear and balance system contributing to your dizziness?
• Oculomotor control,are eye movement pathways disrupted, causing visual processing problems?
• Autonomic regulation,is your heart rate and blood pressure response abnormal when changing positions?
• Cognitive processing,has your processing speed, attention, or memory been measurably affected?
• Respiratory patterns,has your breathing pattern shifted in ways that worsen symptoms?

Targeted Rehabilitation, Not Medication Management

Our treatment approach does not involve prescribing medication to mask Long COVID symptoms. Instead, we target the specific neurological dysfunction identified during evaluation.

Vestibular rehabilitation for dizziness and balance problems. Autonomic training exercises for heart rate and blood pressure regulation. Breathing retraining for respiratory pattern dysfunction. Oculomotor exercises for visual processing difficulties. Neurocognitive protocols for brain fog and concentration issues.

Each patient receives a rehabilitation plan built around their specific pattern of neurological dysfunction. We reassess at regular intervals with objective testing to confirm that the treatments are producing measurable improvement.

You Deserve More Than Being Told to Wait It Out

Many Long COVID patients have been told their symptoms will eventually resolve on their own, or worse, that the symptoms are psychological. If your testing comes back normal but your symptoms persist, the issue may be functional,the pathways work, but they do not work well.

Functional neurology is built to identify and treat exactly this kind of dysfunction. At Advanced Chiropractic & Neurology in La Vista, Dr. McClaren specializes in neurological rehabilitation for Long COVID. Call 402-597-2869 to schedule your evaluation.