Grant: CIHR-IMHA Inclusive Research Excellence Prizes - Research Impact

Background: Long COVID refers to a range of symptoms that persist after the initial phase of a COVID-19 infection, such as fatigue, breathing difficulties, and mobility issues. Research suggests that rehabilitation may improve long COVID, but most trials focused only on hospitalized patients, lacked monitoring of side effects, and missed key measures. This study aimed to explore whether an 8-week virtual rehabilitation program could improve mobility and symptoms in individuals with long COVID. Methods: We enrolled 132 participants, mostly women (75%), with an average age of 48. About half of them received the 8-week virtual rehabilitation program, which included personalized exercises designed to improve strength, endurance, and mobility, along with educational sessions about managing long COVID. The other half received standard care, which did not include rehabilitation. Findings: We measured participants' progress using several tests, with a main focus on mobility, as well as fatigue, pain/discomfort, shortness of breath, and overall health. Although we found that there was no overall significant difference in mobility between the two groups, a higher number of people in the rehabilitation group showed noticeable improvements in their mobility. Also, those who completed the program showed improvements in other areas, such as less pain/discomfort, less fatigue, and better overall perceived health. Although most participants in the rehabilitation group followed the program well, some struggled to increase the intensity of their exercises. Overall, there were no serious side effects, and the virtual program appeared to be safe. Conclusion: While the virtual rehabilitation program did not statistically improve mobility, it helped reduce some symptoms and made participants feel better about their overall health. This suggests that exercise programs can be helpful, but it may be hard to increase the intensity of exercise for people with long COVID.