Problems walking after covid

Since I had Covid in October 2022, I have had extremely achy legs and hips. I can still walk good but it's painful at times. Not sure if the cause is Long Covid, New medications, Fibromyalgia or the Osteoarthritis that showed up in my hips on a recent xray. Just had a corticosteroid injection in my hip...(my left is far worse than the right) and so far, 5 days later.....little relief. So that's surprising. I am grateful everyday though that my issues are not far worse like some people have. So trying to stay positive but still want to get this figured out as I am a person who LOVES to walk!

I got Covid Jan 2022. The last year and a half my legs have gotten worse with the same issue. I’ve been doing aquatic therapy but it hasn’t helped. I’m afraid eventually if something isn’t found to help I won’t beable to walk in time. It very embarrassing to just fall and everyone staring. I just broke and bought a cane to hopefully beable to walk for more than a few minutes without feeling like I’m going to fall.

I understand your suffering. I was there with extreme fatigue, muscle aches, breathing problems and brain fog for 1.5 years. I prayed for guidance and now I am doing well and I wish to share what I have learned to hopefully help others.

Some over simplified basics: Our muscles are made up of tissues that are made up of cells. The cells need constant recharging to create energy, similar to rechargeable batteries. A constant resupply of oxygen to our cells is needed in order to create the energy.

Here are excerpts from an article by Medical News Today:
“The study shows that when the mechanism that releases nitric oxide from the amino acid binding site in the hemoglobin is working, the blood vessels dilate and allow oxygen-rich red blood cells to flow into the tissue.”
“Essentially, blood flow cannot autoregulate (increase) without nitric oxide. In terms of developing future therapies, the goal must be restoring red blood cell function, complete with nitric oxide delivery capability. As for the nation’s blood supply, the blood should be replenished with nitric oxide.”
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/292292#Implications-for-blood-transfusions-and-the-nations-blood-supply

A key factor for this process to get oxygen into our cells and tissues is the ability of our bodies to produce nitric oxide. The body naturally produces nitric oxide as the end product of a conversion process of dietary nitrates and vitamin C. One of nitric oxide’s functions is to relax your blood vessels, which improves blood flow and oxygen supply to our tissues.

Obtaining sufficient nitric oxide (NO) takes a constant focus of how we can increase NO by consuming vegetables / supplements with nitrates and avoiding what decreases NO.

We need to consume vegetables with nitrates and have vitamin C from citrus or supplements. Some of those vegetables are beets, kale, spinach, bok choy, celery, cocoa, honey, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Add citrus, like orange slices, to get your C naturally.

The supplements are L-Arginine and L-Citrulline that create NO. They can be taken together, but limit to 9 grams total per day. I take between 3 and 8 grams per day depending on my level of activity / exertion. Remember to take them with vitamin C. I limit my vitamin C to between 500 mg to 700 mg. I had stomach bloating / pain at 1000 mg. (If you are on medications, check on whether these supplements will interact with your meds.)

Nitric oxide production decreases as we age. Aging is not an option, but there are some things we can control. Nitric oxide (NO) production takes place in our mouths and we can decrease that ability by 1/3 if we use mouthwash. NO production will decrease with if we consume high salt, high fat or high sugar.

I do have concern about medications decreasing NO production, including the Covid vaccine. (I had 4 shots.) I went on a pharmacy site and searched for meds that decrease NO production and they had a list of almost 800.

What got me started on NO was an Italian study that tested L-Arginine and vitamin C for long covid. They found it improved symptoms. I tried it and I found I no longer had PEM. That encouraged me to continue pursuing further knowledge. I would encourage you to do so.

Thankyou so much for your reply!This is Amazing information!I have never heard of this before.I did hear someone on another site talking about basically just drinking water,fruits and veggies to cleanse the body to help.I am kind of desperate now because it has been so long with no help from any specialist.I am just taking 75 mg of synthroid now and I just started taking plaquenil.My Primary gave me Plaquenil to test out because he thinks I may a an autoimmune that is not showing up in my bloodwork.We have a ton of Lupus in my Family,but who knows.I am going to try NO out though and look into more.I just don't know what I am going to do because of the trunk of my body.My whole body is a mess,but the lack of strength in my sternum/diaphram and pelvis is the worse.It is both muscle and nerve damage.My belly has also lost sensation.I just think Covid is the only thing that could bring on something so weird.Before I became ill I was having severe periods for years and was anemic.That is why I had to get an iron infusion.I was tired and weak and I know If covid got me I had no chance to fight it off.I wish there was a way to get my nerves back up and working properly.My vagus nerve was definitely attacked and I think that is definitely contributing to alot of my symptoms too.The Neurologists I have met with don't know anything about the Vagus nerve and that is supposed to be their specialty.It is frustrating.

Iron is needed for our red blood cells to carry oxygen, but when inflammation is present, the liver retains iron to avoid the negative bacteria being feed iron. From National Institute of Health: “In anemia of inflammation, you may have a normal or sometimes increased amount of iron NIH external link stored in your body tissues, but a low level of iron in your blood. Inflammation may prevent your body from using stored iron to make enough healthy red blood cells, leading to anemia.”
Below are excerpts from Medical News Today on how iron levels are reduced during inflammation:
Altered availability of iron affects the levels of hemoglobin in red blood cells (erythrocytes) that transport oxygen around the body. In the more severely affected groups, hemoglobin remained low up to 90 days post-infection.

Low serum iron, high serum ferritin and high serum hepcidin are characteristic of inflammatory anemiaTrusted Source, which is common with many illnesses, and leads to fatigue, weakness, reduced cardiovascular performance and exercise tolerance, and impaired learning and memory capacity.”
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-low-iron-levels-explain-long-covid-symptoms#Why-study-iron-levels-after-COVID-19?
NO is likely an important mediator of the anemia of chronic disease in humans.
https://jag.journalagent.com/tjh/pdfs/TJH_26_4_197_200.pdf

I reviewed Synthroid and Plaquenil on drugs.com for interaction with arginine and found no interaction.
“No interactions were found between arginine and Synthroid.”
https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/arginine-with-synthroid-

Listing of drugs that interact with arginine: (Does not include Plaquenil)
https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions-all/arginine,l-arginine.html?letter=P

I would recommend focusing on the vegetables that have nitrate with citrus fruit to produce nitric oxide. If you take an arginine supplement, I would recommend starting at one gram. I always start low with all new supplements and see how I react and then I can increase it slowly.

If you would like more details on what I have been doing, feel free to private message.

Thankyou so much!It is good to know that Plaquenil and synthroid don't interfere.I am going to take a look at all of this Great Information you sent.I just looked up NO Foods and I saw Meat,poultry and seafood were listed as well.I hope I was reading it right.I will pick up everything from the Grocery Store and give it a try.I Love fruits and vegetables,but I know that I definitely was not getting the proper nutrients before all of this came on.Just the fact that I was losing so much blood and my stomach was not functioning properly at that time and it still is not.I worked in healthcare and was stressed,drinking caffeine,perimenopause/GI problems/lack of sleep and in perimenopause.I try to fight everything naturally so I was exercising a ton to help with the heavy period cramping and stress.I was probably killing myself slowly and did not know it.Thankyou again for your help!At this point I have to give everything a try and pray that a miracle happens.

Antioxidants are needed to protect nitric oxide. Hibiscus tea has the highest amount of antioxidants. Each morning I make a 5 cup pot with 1/3 cup hibiscus.

This is from a Healthline article:
Increase your intake of antioxidants
Nitric oxide is an unstable molecule that degrades quickly in the bloodstream, so it must be constantly replenished (16).
One way to increase its stability and limit its breakdown is by consuming antioxidants.
Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize free radicals, which contribute to the short life of nitric oxide (17Trusted Source).
These antioxidants are found in all foods but primarily those of plant origin, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains.
A few important antioxidants include:
• Vitamin C: This antioxidant helps your body form connective tissues, including skin, bones, tendons, and cartilage. It also produces brain chemicals that help nerve cells communicate (18Trusted Source).
• Vitamin E: This antioxidant protects cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, which are thought to contribute to aging and disease. It also plays an important role in keeping the immune system strong.
• Polyphenols: This category of antioxidants is associated with several health benefits, including a reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease (21Trusted Source).
• Glutathione: Coined “the mother of all antioxidants,” glutathione is the main antioxidant and detoxifier of every cell in your body (22Trusted Source).

Several studies have found that ingesting nitric oxide precursors, such as nitrate or citrulline, with antioxidants maintain greater levels of nitric oxide in your body by helping reduce its breakdown.

Vegetables that are high in nitrate are also inherently high in antioxidants, which is likely why vegetables are so effective at increasing and maintaining optimal levels of nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is an essential molecule required for overall health. As a vasodilator, nitric oxide signals the blood vessels to relax, allowing them to expand.

This effect allows blood, nutrients, and oxygen to flow freely to every part of your body. But when nitric oxide production is decreased, your health can become compromised.

Therefore, it’s important to achieve and maintain optimal levels of nitric oxide in your body.

A diet high in nitrate-rich vegetables and antioxidants or the use of supplements, such as L-arginine or L-citrulline, are beneficial ways to boost your body’s natural production of nitric oxide. Other proven strategies include limiting mouthwash and exercising regularly.
For optimal nitric oxide production, increase your intake of nitrate-rich vegetables and exercise at least 30 minutes per day.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-increase-nitric-oxide#supplements

Thankyou so much!This is all wonderful information!

Today I found this interesting article on the National Library of Medicine. It is worth reading. I wish every doctor would read it.

NO is one of the most important signaling molecules in our body, and loss of NO function is one of the earliest indicators or markers of disease. Clinical studies provide evidence that insufficient NO production is associated with all major cardiovascular risk factors, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, smoking and severity of atherosclerosis, and also has a profound predictive value for disease progression including cardiovascular and Alzheimers disease. Thirty plus years after its discovery and over 13 years since a Nobel Prize was awarded for its discovery, there have been no hallmark therapeutic breakthroughs or even NO based diagnostics.
It appears that the inability to produce sufficient NO under the right preclinical conditions enhances the risk for a number of diseases that plague the older population. If true, then there exist an opportunity to intervene early during this process, implement strategies to restore NO homeostasis, and, perhaps, delay or prevent the onset and progression of certain diseases. This gradual loss of NO activity with age can be sped up or slowed down based on individual lifestyle and diet.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390088/

Thankyou!This is all very interesting.I think every Doctor should know about this.