A Complex Condition
Understanding Long Covid
About 10% of people who contract Covid-19 experience symptoms lasting three months or longer. Long Covid is not simply "still feeling ill" — it affects multiple body systems simultaneously, producing a constellation of symptoms that can be baffling and debilitating.
Mary teaches postgraduate osteopathy courses on vascular systems and their relationship to Long Covid symptoms. Her clinical understanding of this condition goes deep — and her gentle, whole-body approach is well suited to the complexity it presents.
What's Actually Happening
Five Body Systems Affected
Long Covid is a multi-system condition. Understanding which systems are involved helps Mary tailor treatment precisely.
The Immune System
Covid triggers an exaggerated, persistent immune response — twice as likely in women — resembling an autoimmune or allergic reaction. Widespread inflammation produces fatigue, coughing, aches and abdominal pain.
Blood Vessel Lining
The virus irritates the vascular endothelium, disrupting oxygen and nutrient exchange. This contributes to brain fog, profound fatigue, heart irregularities and organ dysfunction.
Gut Dysbiosis
Covid damages gut bacteria that are essential for immune regulation, vascular health and mental wellbeing. Restoring gut health is an important part of recovery.
Diaphragm Dysfunction
Diaphragm impairment reduces lung function, digestive efficiency and oxygen uptake. It is a frequently overlooked but central factor in Long Covid breathlessness and fatigue.
Autonomic Nervous System Dysregulation
Covid disrupts the autonomic nervous system — the body's control system for heart rate, digestion, breathing and immune response. This produces dizziness, palpitations, breathing difficulties, headaches and anxiety. It is the mechanism behind many of the most disabling Long Covid symptoms.
Osteopathic Approach
How Mary Can Help
Diaphragm & Breathing
Releasing diaphragm tension to improve oxygen uptake, rib mechanics and digestive function.
Vagal Nerve Support
Gentle work to support the vagus nerve — which regulates heart rate, digestion and the immune response.
Circulation & Lymphatics
Gentle techniques to support fluid movement, tissue oxygenation and lymphatic drainage.
Posture & Fatigue
Addressing the postural collapse — rounded shoulders, shallow breathing — that often accompanies chronic fatigue.
Nervous System Regulation
Promoting the parasympathetic "rest, digest, repair" response — chronically suppressed in Long Covid.
Holistic Guidance
Diet, probiotics, stress management, paced exercise and breathwork advice alongside hands-on treatment.
Mary's cranial-led approach is particularly well suited to complex or long-standing conditions — working with the body's own pace, never forcing change. This is why it is effective even when other interventions have plateau'd.
Beyond Long Covid
Chronic Pain & Other Conditions
Mary also treats a wide range of chronic pain and stress-related conditions outside of Long Covid:
- Whiplash injury and post-accident pain — including long-term residual effects
- Chronic back and neck pain, including disc-related problems
- Stress-related musculoskeletal tension and chronic fatigue
- Postural pain from desk work, driving, or sustained positions
- Fibromyalgia and complex, multi-site pain presentations
- Aches and pains that don't fit a neat diagnosis
For complex or longstanding conditions, Mary's gentle approach is a significant asset. She does not force the pace of change — she creates the conditions for the body to heal itself. This is why patients with chronic conditions often find lasting relief after years of unsuccessful treatment elsewhere.
A note on whiplash: Whiplash injuries can have long-lasting effects that conventional treatment misses. Mary takes a whole-body view — looking at how the entire spine, nervous system and cranial structures have been affected, not just the neck.