Exercise rehabilitation in post COVID-19 patients: a randomized controlled trial of different training modalities.
Johanna Sick, Verena Steinbacher, Daniel Kotnik and 4 others
PMID 39665835WHAT IT FOUND
Both endurance and concurrent exercise improved peak oxygen consumption in post-COVID patients with mild symptoms.
However, symptom count, fatigue, and quality of life also improved in the non-exercising control group, so the specific benefit of exercise over time is unclear for these outcomes.
Key findings
01Peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) significantly increased in both the endurance training and concurrent training groups.
02The number of post-COVID symptoms decreased significantly in all groups, including the non-exercising control group.
03Fatigue severity scores significantly improved in both exercise groups but did not change in the control group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analysis was per-protocol, not intention-to-treat, which may bias results by excluding those who dropped out due to lack of adherence or illness. Participants and outcome assessors were not blinded to the group allocation. The sample size was relatively small (42 analyzed), which limited the power to detect differences between the exercise groups and the control group for several secondary outcomes. Significant improvements in symptom count and some quality of life measures occurred in the non-exercising control group, making it difficult to attribute these specific benefits solely to the exercise intervention. The dropout rate was high (36.4%), largely due to viral or bacterial infections unrelated to the study intervention.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that exercise is the sole cause of reduced symptom count or improved quality of life, as these outcomes also significantly improved in the non-exercising control group. The specific benefit of exercise was clearly demonstrated for fatigue and aerobic capacity, but less so for general symptom burden.