A muscle-weakening condition reported by some patients after Covid vaccination is a neurological condition and can be treated with therapy, scientists say.
Several videos showing patients suffering leg spasms after their jab have amassed millions of views online and it's feared they have been seized upon by anti-vaxxers.
The most recent clip, which emerged today, showed Georgia-Rose Segal, a 34-year-old from London, nearly collapsing on her kitchen floor after her second Pfizer jab.
She was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a disorder which affects how the brain sends signals to the body.
While the symptoms of FND are real, they are not directly caused by the effect of vaccines, according to scientists writing in the medical journal JAMA Neurology Viewpoint.
They said FND can be triggered by a range of physical or emotional events, including a head injury, surgery or a jab.
Instead of being directly caused by these events, FND is normally triggered by the emotional reaction that accompanies them, including stress and anxiety.
People who have suffered trauma at previous points in their life or who have underlying conditions are at an increased risk of developing FND.
Dr David Perez, director of the Functional Neurological Disorders Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), wrote in the JAMA journal: 'The spread of these videos could fuel vaccine hesitancy by giving an overly simplistic impression of potential links between the vaccine and major neurological symptoms.
'Instead, these are symptoms of a real, brain-based disorder that sits at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry.'
In one of the posts, Instagram user Georgia-Rose Segal, 34, is seen struggling to walk before nearly collapsing on to a kitchen floor
FND is not exclusive to Covid vaccination and is not a reaction to an ingredient in the jab.
It has been reported in response to other jabs, as well as in patients given saline solution.
Until recently FND was called ‘conversion disorder’ because medics thought patients were converting stress into physical symptoms.
Stress and uncertainty about the vaccines, as well as the physical side effects of the jab - such as flu-like symptoms and pain at the injection - may increase the risk of a person developing the condition.
FND can impact movement and concentration, cause seizures and impact how the body processes senses like touch and sound. Treatment includes physical rehab, and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Ms Segal announced yesterday that she had been released from hospital, and shared a photo of her using a Zimmer frame. The original video of her struggling to walk was uploaded onto Instagram account Imjustbait.
Recent figured have revealed that while infections among young adults have soared to a record high, vaccine uptake has slowed to a fraction of what it was in the spring.
One in three 18-to-29 year olds have still not had a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, NHS England figures show. But the virus is running rampant in this age group, with more than one in 100 aged 20 to 29 testing positive last week.
Professor Adam Finn, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said people could be 'nudged' to get jabbed but must not feel they are being forced into it.
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