Symptoms of Long Covid and Sleep Apnea Helped by Chiropractic

On July 1, 2025, the Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published a case study documenting the improvement of a patient under chiropractic care who was suffering with a number of Long Covid symptoms including obstructive sleep apnea. The American Lung Association describes this condition by saying "Sleep apnea is a common disorder that interrupts sleep due to upper airways that repeatedly collapse when throat muscles relax during sleep, blocking the flow of air. Common signs of sleep apnea include snoring and choking or gasping while asleep."

On the CDC website it states, "Long COVID is defined as a chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least 3 months. Long COVID includes a wide range of symptoms or conditions that may improve, worsen, or be ongoing."

In this case, a 64-year-old man went to the chiropractor seeking help for his health issues. He reported that two years before his chiropractic visit, he suffered with an acute COVID-19 infection. At that time, the man was treated medically with antibody infusions. Since his COVID infection, he also reported a recurrence of atrial fibrillation, a problem he had several years earlier.

Since his COVID, the man was also suffering with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and was medically placed on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Additionally, since his COVID, the man reported that he was not able to sleep more than three or four hours per night and was extremely sensitive to cold temperatures. The man stated that previously he was playing tennis 2-4 times per week but was now unable to play at all for the past several months prior to seeking chiropractic.

A thorough chiropractic examination determined that subluxations were present. The examination also revealed that the man had an elevated blood pressure. With these findings, specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started at the rate of two visits per week.

By the third chiropractic visit, the study records that the man's sleep apnea had improved to where he was now getting as much as 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night. Additionally, the man's blood pressure had significantly lowered. He also noted that he had more energy, was much less fatigued, and his sensitivity to cold temperatures had returned to a normal level like before his COVID-19 infection.

One of the most revealing aspects of the man's improvement under chiropractic was that after several chiropractic visits, he was able to once again resume playing tennis as he normally did prior to his bout with COVID-19.