The story of Florian Leitner is one that gives courage. Because today he is almost fully fit again and is playing sport at the top level. Something that would have been completely unthinkable just a few months ago.
Almost the whole team infected
Florian Leitner plays handball for GC Amicitia Zurich in Switzerland's top league. The day before a game in October 2020, he woke up with influenza symptoms and called the coach. He just laughed and said, "You got COVID!" The coach's phone had already been running hot that day: more than a dozen players and staff members had caught it at the same time.
"Half an hour of training was like running half a marathon."
After the ten-day isolation and a "hard influenza", the team was back. The task was to make up for what had been missed: three training sessions and two games within six days were on the agenda. While his teammates were getting back on their feet, Leitner noticed during the second game that the engine was no longer running.
Suddenly about to faint
In training sessions Leitner now had to drink twice as much, and one morning, after a quarter hour of light jogging, he was suddenly about to pass out. The common symptoms of Long COVID appeared: the feeling of not having enough oxygen when breathing, difficulty concentrating, and a huge need for sleep. The team doctor then checked Florian Leitner: his heart was fine, his lungs showed no abnormalities. It was only on the asthma test that Leitner suddenly reacted.
The pneumologist prescribed a cortisone spray that should have eliminated the symptoms within two months. However, there was no improvement, and so Florian Leitner tried a breathing technique that a colleague had recommended to him: the Wim Hof method.
Back in training after two weeks
And the almost unbelievable happened: "It went on for two weeks, and I was able to train everywhere again," says Leitner. "Soon I was making short appearances, and today I can play a whole half without any problems."
Florian Leitner does the exercise every morning on an empty stomach, lying in his bed, on the sofa or on the Yoga mat: breathe in deeply and out loosely 40 times. He holds his breath as long as possible during the last exhalation. That's just about it. "In the beginning, I couldn't hold my breath for much more than a minute. Now I'm at three and a half minutes," Leitner says. Add to that ice baths or cold showers. Even in January, Leitner went into the Limmat every day. "The longest bath lasted 10 minutes, at 5 degrees," he says.
The breathing exercise seems however to be decisive for the improvement. "When I felt markedly better, I paused the breathing exercises for two weeks while I continued ice bathing," says Leitner. And see, "I got worse again, had to take breaks, and could no longer exercise. This self-experiment confirmed that the improvement actually started because of the breathing exercises." When he resumed the exercises, he was back to full strength after two weeks. For Leitner, this is proof that the method works.
Passing on courage and knowledge
Whether such breathing training can help all people with Long COVID remains a hanging question. After all, the type and combination of symptoms can vary widely. "I am convinced that some affected people can benefit from breathing therapy, but probably not all," says pulmonologist Christian Clarenbach.
"At first I could not even manage a minute, now I can hold my breath for three and a half minutes."
Nevertheless, Florian Leitner's example is encouraging. There are increasing reports that breathing training can be very helpful for people with Long COVID. It does not necessarily have to be the method of Wim Hof, others can also be helpful. This is also shown by Brigitte Post's experience with respiratory therapy or from Mount-Sinai-Hospital. In Florian Leitner's case, the improvements were so striking that he is eager to share his experience.
For top athletes - and others affected people?
Recently, a case of Long COVID in top Swiss sports was reported publicly for the first time, using Jan Lochbihler as an example. Florian Leitner contacted him without hesitation and shared his successes. Perhaps the method will pave the way for other athletes to return to the top - and for other affected people to return to a pain-free life.
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