First results from post-COVID inpatient rehabilitation.
Alexa Kupferschmitt, Eike Langheim, Haris Tüter and 3 others
PMID 36756465WHAT IT FOUND
Post-COVID patients in inpatient rehabilitation improved significantly in walking distance, mood, and daily activity participation.
No patients worsened physically during the exercise program, suggesting that moderate, monitored rehabilitation is safe for this population.
Key findings
01Post-COVID patients improved significantly on the six-minute walk test, with no patient showing a deterioration in walking distance.
02Rehabilitation led to significant improvements in depressive symptoms, well-being, and activity/participation scores for post-COVID patients.
03While post-COVID patients had lower psychological symptom burden than psychosomatic patients, their limitations in daily activity and participation were comparable.
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 study was observational and retrospective, meaning it cannot prove that rehabilitation caused the improvements; natural recovery or other factors may have contributed. There was no control group that did not receive rehabilitation, so the effect of the intervention itself versus the passage of time cannot be separated. The sample size was relatively small (51 post-COVID patients), and the study did not systematically assess neurocognitive disorders, which are common in this population. The follow-up period was short, ending at discharge, so long-term maintenance of gains is unknown.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted as part of routine clinical care in a German rehabilitation clinic.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all post-COVID patients will improve in physical function or return to work. Despite the positive average results, about half of the patients were still unable to work at discharge, and the study did not include a control group to confirm that the rehabilitation itself caused the observed improvements.