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Review
. 2022 Dec 30;12(1):288.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12010288.

Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19: The Potential Role of Exercise Therapy in Treating Patients and Athletes Returning to Play

Luna Cavigli  1 , Chiara Fusi  1 , Marta Focardi  1 , Giulia Elena Mandoli  1 , Maria Concetta Pastore  1 , Matteo Cameli  1 , Serafina Valente  1 , Alessandro Zorzi  2 , Marco Bonifazi  3 , Antonello D'Andrea  4 , Flavio D'Ascenzi  1
Affiliations
Review

Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19: The Potential Role of Exercise Therapy in Treating Patients and Athletes Returning to Play

Luna Cavigli et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) (PASC) describe a wide range of symptoms and signs involving multiple organ systems occurring after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, representing a growing health problem also in the world of sport and the athletic population. Patients with PASC have new, returning, or persisting symptoms four or more weeks after the infection. Among the most frequent symptoms, patients complain of fatigue, dyspnea, exercise intolerance, and reduced functional capacity that interfere with everyday life activity. The role of exercise programs in PASC patients will be identified, and upcoming studies will establish the magnitude of their benefits. However, the benefits of exercise to counteract these symptoms are well known, and an improvement in cardiopulmonary fitness, functional status, deconditioning, and quality of life can be obtained in these patients, as demonstrated in similar settings. Based on this background, this review aims to summarise the current evidence about the PASC syndrome and the benefit of exercise in these patients and to provide a practical guide for the exercise prescription in PASC patients to help them to resume their functional status, exercise tolerance, prior activity levels, and quality of life, also considering the athletic population and their return to play and sports competitions.

Keywords: COVID-19; PASC; SARS-CoV-2 infection; athletes; exercise intolerance; exercise prescription; rehabilitation programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
General principles of personalised exercise prescription in PASC patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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