301: Multi-System Approach To Treating Individuals With Long COVID Currently With Jennifer Lazaro, PT, DPT, NCS

In this episode of the I Love Neuro podcast, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS interviews physical therapist and neuro rehab residency coordinator Jennifer Lazaro, PT, DPT, NCS about evaluating and treating people with long COVID and dysautonomia. Jennifer notes the similarities in presentation for individuals who have post-COVID those with other conditions affecting the autonomic nervous system, like concussion with cognitive fog, severe fatigue, post‑exertional malaise, dizziness, and orthostatic intolerance. She walks through practical assessment strategies such as active stand testing, symptom‑mediated exercise testing, and multi‑system screening to differentiate vestibular, cardiac, pulmonary, and autonomic drivers. Jennifer outlines how she starts with education on the autonomic nervous system, diaphragmatic breathing, and strict pacing, then progresses patients from supine conditioning through graded dysautonomia protocols like the Adapt protocol, emphasizing heart rate parameters, symptom monitoring, and buy‑in to "doing less to do more." She highlights the importance of interdisciplinary care with OT, speech, cardiology, neurology, and mental health, shares a powerful success story of a college student who returned to school after structured rehab, and offers real‑world strategies for self‑management using wearables, pacing tools, and lifestyle changes in sleep, hydration, and daily routines.