Physical Activity in Long COVID: A Comparative Study of Exercise Rehabilitation Benefits in Patients... 2023 Colas et al

Exercise in long COVID is poorly studied. Nevertheless, exerciserehabilitation could improve cardiorespiratory, muscular and autonomic functions. We aimed to investigate improvement in physical and autonomic performances of long COVID patients (n = 38) after a 4-week exercise rehabilitation program (3 sessions/week) compared to two control groups composed of coronary artery disease (n = 38) and fibromyalgia patients (n = 38), two populations for whom exercise benefits are well known.

Efficacy of exercise training was assessed by a cardiopulmonary exercise test, a handgrip force test, and a supine heart rate variability recording at rest before and after the rehabilitation program. Cardiorespiratory and muscular parameters were enhanced after exercise rehabilitation in the three groups (p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed for the autonomic variables.

Through this comparative study with control groups, we confirm and reinforce the interest of caring for long COVID patients without post-exertional symptom exacerbation by exercise rehabilitation of both strength and endurance training, by personalizing the program to the patient and symptoms.

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/15/6513

 

And yet it's almost universally recommended. Has been from the start, without any evidence. Because reasons.

Clearly the interest was already there, and is utterly irrelevant. This is just an ad for pseudoscience. No controls.

This is just an expression of wanting to do something, on the belief that it could help, without any evidence at all. This is pathetic and completely unserious.

At least they have the PEM qualifier but we all know how easily that can be ignored. But at the 3.5 years mark this is just terrible. In the first year, a tiny study with no controls expressing some wishes? Whatever. Still pathetic, IMO, but whatever. But there is a complete lack of rigor here, which suggests knowing that doing so would simply make it hard to reinforce some interest of caring, or whatever.

 

While they exclude those with PESE at baseline, they don't mention monitoring for PESE during the study (after each 2 hour exercise session) and don't list using an outcome measure to check for PESE during the study. So they don't know if PESE resulted from their program

 

The results boil down to "Exercise improves fitness" which isn't exactly new.