The aim of the study is to test a treatment known as “Cognitive Muscular TherapyTM (CMT)” for long-COVID. This technique has been used previously to treat longstanding knee pain and persistent back pain and we are trying to find out if it works to treat other conditions like long-COVID. The aim of the treatment is to teach patients how to stand, move and breathe with less muscle tension and to reduce the body’s stress response (sometimes called the fight or flight response).
People with long-COVID experience symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue, which have been linked to a condition called dysautonomia (which causes problems with blood pressure and heart rate control). We think that dysautonomia might be linked to a change in the way people breathe. Specifically, we think that breathing rapidly, high in the chest, might trigger the body’s stress response. Therefore, by using CMT to reduce muscle tension and restore a normal breathing pattern, it is possible that patients could experience less breathlessness and improvements in other symptoms associated with long-COVID.
This study could be for you if you experienced long-COVID symptoms. If you are interested in taking part, please read the participant information sheet. After reading this sheet, if you are still interested in taking part then follow the link below to an online form. This form will ask you more questions about you and your back pain which the researchers will use to understand if you would be suitable. All information provided through the form in treated strictly confidential and you will hear back within 1 week from the research team.
Please follow this link to the online form.
If you would prefer to speak to one of the reserach team instead of completing the online form, then please ring +44 (0) 161 295 6758 or email us at health-bepko@salford.ac.uk explaing that you would like someone to ring you back about the COMLOC study.
This study will close to recruitment in May 2025.