Journal Article Epublish 3 citations
PubMed: 40559080 DOI: 10.3390/jpm15060217
Improvement of Fatigue and Body Composition in Women with Long COVID After Non-Aerobic Therapeutic Exercise Program.
J Pers Med 15(6)
Authors: María Miana, Ricardo Moreta-Fuentes, Carmen Jiménez-Antona, César Moreta-Fuentes, Sofía Laguarta-Val
Affiliations
- Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy Salus Infirmorum, Pontifical University of Salamanca, 28015 Madrid, Spain.
- Fisyos Center, Método Moreta, 28027 Madrid, Spain.
- Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), 28922 Madrid, Spain.
- FREMAP Care Center, 28946 Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
Background/Objective: Fatigue is one of the most recurrent and most disabling symptoms of long COVID (LC) and is associated with a worse quality of life. Reducing body fat in these patients could be important to mitigate fatigue and post-exertional worsening. Aerobic exercise may not be indicated in LC patients who have orthostatic tachycardia and post-exertional worsening. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a personalized supine therapeutic motor control exercise program on fatigue and fat tissue in women with LC. Methods: A single-arm exploratory case study, with a pre-post format, was conducted on 17 women with LC to test the effects of a plank-based strengthening exercise program on fatigue, which was evaluated by the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and fat tissue assessed by bioimpedance. The twelve-week program included two weekly sessions. The exercise program was personalized, considering the symptoms and characteristics of the patients. Results: Participants with overweight or obesity (n = 12) comprised 70% of the entire sample. After completing the exercise program this value decreased by 5.9 percentage points. Significant differences were found in the total [(MD = -1.72, 95% CI -2.57 to -0.86), r = 0.73], trunk, upper and inner limbs body fat percentages (p < 0.05). The overall fatigue decreased at 12 weeks [(MD = -14.00, 95% CI -21.69 to -6.31), r = 0.69] as well as the physical and psychosocial fatigue sub-scale (p < 0.001); no differences were observed in the cognitive sub-scale. Conclusions: The plank-based personalized strengthening exercise program showed rapid improvements in fatigue and fat percentages. It could be an effective strategy to achieve improvements for LC patients.
MeSH
Exercise, Exercise Therapy, Body Composition, Signs And Symptoms, Fatigue, Body Fat Distribution, Therapeutics, Tissues, Post-Acute Covid-19 Syndrome