Diaphragmatic strengthening exercises for patients with post COVID-19 condition after mild-to-moderate acute COVID-19 infection: a randomized controlled study.
Tamer I Abo Elyazed, Ahmed Abd El-Moneim Abd El-Hakim, Ola I Saleh and 5 others
PMID 38860716WHAT IT FOUND
Adding 8 weeks of incentive spirometry or diaphragmatic breathing to standard care improved breathlessness in post-COVID patients with diaphragm dysfunction.
Incentive spirometry yielded better walking distance and diaphragm thickness than breathing exercises.
Key findings
01Both incentive spirometry and diaphragmatic breathing significantly improved the primary outcome of breathlessness (mMRC scale) compared to standard care alone.
02Incentive spirometry resulted in better 6-minute walk test performance and diaphragmatic thickness than diaphragmatic breathing exercises.
03Neither intervention group showed significant improvement in the control group receiving only standard care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (60 patients). Short duration of follow-up (8 weeks). Patients and investigators were not blinded to allocation, though assessments were performed by independent staff unaware of the study purpose. Only the right diaphragm was assessed.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources are detailed in the provided text sections.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume incentive spirometry is universally superior for all post-COVID patients. This benefit was seen specifically in those with confirmed diaphragmatic dysfunction, and the study was small and unblinded.