Trajectories of Physical Disabilities Over 6 Months in Patients With Long COVID.
Imane Salmam, François Desmeules, Kadija Perreault and 9 others
PMID 40622013WHAT IT FOUND
Over six months, adults with long COVID saw small improvements in fatigue and walking distance that did not reach clinical significance.
Their physical capacity remained substantially lower than controls. Baseline fatigue and daily step count predicted quality of life six months later.
Key findings
01Participants with long COVID reported persistent fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and shortness of breath throughout the six-month study period.
02While fatigue scores improved slightly over six months, the change was smaller than the minimal clinically important difference for most outcomes, including quality of life and sleep.
03Objective physical measures showed statistically significant improvements, but the gains in walking distance and physical performance battery scores were not clinically meaningful.
04Baseline fatigue severity and average daily step count were the two significant predictors of health-related quality of life at the six-month mark.
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
The study had a high dropout rate in the control group, primarily because participants contracted COVID-19 during the follow-up period, which may bias the comparison. The sample included significantly more women than men, which limits the generalizability of the findings to male patients. Follow-up was limited to six months, so longer-term trajectories of physical disability remain unknown. The study could not determine the underlying biological mechanisms for the persistent physical limitations. Participants in the long COVID group were receiving various treatments and self-management strategies, so the effect of any specific intervention could not be isolated.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Réseau Provincial de Recherche en Adaptation-Réadaptation (REPAR) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The funders played no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the statistically significant improvements in walking distance and physical performance as evidence that patients will recover their baseline capacity. The study shows these gains were small and did not reach the threshold for clinical significance, meaning patients are unlikely to notice a functional difference.