‘I had no idea that was a symptom.’
With The Ellen DeGeneres Show ending after 19 seasons, fans have revisited Ellen’s career, including her health struggles during the pandemic. Ellen contracted COVID-19 in December 2020 and, to her surprise, experienced severe back pain—a symptom not widely associated with COVID at the time.
Ellen’s experience highlighted how COVID affected many people’s muscles and joints, especially as reduced mobility became common during lockdowns. The NHS explains that inactivity can worsen existing aches, and many COVID patients noted increased back pain, with a Malta study finding that post-COVID, 49% reported back pain, up from 30% before the pandemic.
This symptom aligns with other illnesses too, so back pain doesn’t necessarily indicate COVID, and can occur with conditions like flu or pneumonia.
