Abstract

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has crippled humanity since early 2020. Various sequelae of COVID-19 have been reported in different body systems. Musculoskeletal symptoms are widely reported during COVID-19 infection, but musculoskeletal complications in long COVID-19 are underreported. However, post-COVID-19 survivors have reported complaints of persisting or new-onset fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, arthritis, muscle weakness, in clinical practice. The well-known detrimental effects of steroids on the musculoskeletal system coupled with their over-the-counter availability can also be anticipated since they were the cornerstone of life-saving management in this pandemic.

AIM

To determine the musculoskeletal complications in long COVID.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of 'systematic reviews and meta-analyses'.

RESULTS

Of the 63 articles screened, 24 articles were included. Two articles specifically discussed children and adolescents. One article discussed rehabilitation intervention. No article addressed rehabilitation of musculoskeletal issues in long COVID-19 in particular. Fatigue was the most common musculoskeletal complication.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue is found to be very common along with myalgia and arthralgia. There were no studies on rehabilitation intervention in musculoskeletal complications specifically. Considering the lacuna in literature and the needs of the current situation, further studies are warranted to standardize effective rehabilitation interventions in musculoskeletal complications. More homogenous studies are needed. Studies on functional impairment due to musculoskeletal involvement are essential.

MeSH

Infections, Myalgia, Arthralgia, Rehabilitation, Sars-Cov-2, Post-Acute Covid-19 Syndrome

Cited by

• Evaluation of diseases complicating long COVID: A retrospective chart review. J Gen Fam Med, 2024
• Impact of Long COVID on Lung Function in Children. Medeni Med J, 2024
• From Acute Infection to Prolonged Health Consequences: Understanding Health Disparities and Economic Implications in Long COVID Worldwide. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2024
• Efficacy of supervised immersive virtual reality-based training for the treatment of chronic fatigue in post-COVID syndrome: study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial (IFATICO Trial). Trials, 2024
• SARS-CoV-2 vaccination influence in the development of long-COVID clinical phenotypes. Epidemiol Infect, 2025