The current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the most severe health crisisof the 21st century. This is not only due to the deaths caused by the disease. Peoplethat were affected by COVID-19 and supposedly recovered may suffer from long lastingsequelae. The presence of symptoms longer than 3 months after the infection with theSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is referred to asPost-COVID-19 Syndrome or Long COVID-19. It is estimated that 10-20 percent of allinfected people are affected. The most common symptoms include persistent fatigue,reduced physical capacity, dyspnoea, ageusia, anosmia, musculoskeletal pain andneuropsychological complaints such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and a loss ofconcentration.Considering the novelty of the pathology, evidence on the successful treatment ofPost-COVID/Long-COVID is scarce. Physical activity has been established as a treatmentoption for chronic diseases that have similar symptomatic manifestations to those ofPost-COVID/Long-COVID. For example, exercise therapy has shown positive effects on thehealth status of patients with lung disease, depression, anxiety, insomnia and cognitiveimpairment. However, there has been controversy whether so-called Graded Exercise Therapy(GET) is a safe treatment strategy for patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Thispopulation may experience Post Exertional Malaise (PEM), a worsening of symptoms afterphysical, cognitive or emotional exertion. Since COVID-19 might be an infectious triggerfor CFS, particular caution has to be taken when recruiting participants and whenscreening them for adverse events and worsening of symptoms during an exerciseintervention.It can be hypothesized that patients suffering from Post-COVID/Long-COVID can benefitfrom exercise in various ways, guaranteed that there is sufficient screening for PEMbefore and during the intervention and training volume and intensity are increased slowlyand progressively.The current study investigates the effects of a home-based concurrent training program onvarious parameters in people affected by Long COVID.
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Other: home-based concurrent exercise
3 weekly sessions of home-based concurrent exercise on non-consecutive days. Resistance
exercise is comprised of lunges, hip thrusts, pushups, resistance band rows, core and
performed for 3 sets with 15-20 repetitions at an RPE of 14-18 (6-20 BORG scale).
Endurance exercise can be done by the mode of choice and is monitored by heartrate zones.
Sessions are of low to moderate intensity (below VT2) and the duration will be slowly
increased for 20-40min.
Inclusion Criteria:
- laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 via PCR a minimum of 12 weeks ago
- presence of at least one or more of persistent symptoms that can be attributed to
Long-COVID
Exclusion Criteria:
- previous or current hospitalization due to the COVID-19 disease
- regular engagement in endurance or strength training (more than once per week) in
the six months prior to enrollment
- contraindications for physical endurance and resistance exercise according to the
guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
- a grade of 3 or higher on the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale (PCFS)
- presence of post exertional malaise (PEM)
Department of Sport and Human Movement Science
Vienna, Austria
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