The study aimed to explore the outcome of exercise therapy versus booklet or standard control for Long COVID in Bangladeshi settings
This is a Community-Based Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of 485 participants enrolled between October 2020 and March 2021. Participants were allocated to three groups, exercise therapy, booklet, and control through concealed allocation. The post-treatment measurement has been taken after 1 month of interventions and follow-up was taken after 6 months of post-test. The primary outcome was pain, respiratory function, and functional status, and the secondary outcome was quality of life.
Baseline compatibility was noted for gender, living area, and Long COVID symptoms (p>.05) except for age and co-morbidity status. Improvement of pain was observed in all groups and all measurement time frames (p.05). The exercise group had improvement in respiratory functions compared to the control (p.01). Functional improvements were evident in both the exercise and booklet group compared to control (p.001). The exercise group had a better quality of life in all domains except for social relations and environment, in all measurement time frames (p.01).
The community dwellers of Bangladesh having long COVID symptoms have a positive outcome of exercise therapy in pain, respiratory functions, overall function, and quality of life in the short term for 1 month and long term up to 6 months after the intervention.
The study also meets the emerging necessity of community-based interventions and the scope of telerehabilitation in LC symptoms as studies predict challenges of the implication of rehabilitation services. This will help in updating the rehabilitation guidelines and provide evidence-based rehabilitation for Long COVID.
Physiotherapy
Rehabilitation
