Impact of Physiotherapy on Patients Suffering from COVID-19: An Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 was the turning point of 2020, endangering the health of the entire population around the world. Among other therapeutic methods and supportive measures, physiotherapy represents a useful intervention applied on COVID-19 patients suffering from respiratory symptoms, this being supported by recent literature data. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 45 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (28 men, 17 women, mean age = 65.03, standard deviation = 14.83). They participated for 2 weeks (the required period of hospitalization) to a series of 14 physiotherapy sessions, which included: position changing, respiratory control, passive joint movements, bed workout, and walking exercises. Depending on the status of the patient, two distinct types of physiotherapy were performed (mild and active). The status of the patients was assessed through a basic assessment of the vital signs, range of motion, degree of dyspnea, and also through the UZ Leuven Start To Move protocol (STMP). The statistical analysis of the data was performed using the Statistica 10 program and included the Spearman correlations (for measuring the strength and direction of association between the ranked variables), the Mann-Whitney test (for measuring the significance of the differences between the groups of patients who undergone light vs. active physiotherapy) and factor analysis (for assessing the changes of the clinical parameters investigated in the study, depending on the type of applied therapy). All differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: The majority of patients (n = 38) benefited from physiotherapy, with the complete disappearance of symptoms met only in the group of patients who followed active physiotherapy. These effects depended on the applied type of physiotherapy (mild vs. active, p = 0.47). In contrast, all patients who were unable to perform physiotherapy (n = 7) remained symptomatic at discharge. Conclusion: The results of this study point out the significant additional role of physiotherapy for a better management of COVID-19 patients. More studies are needed to investigate not only the impact that physiotherapy has on the symptoms of this disease, but also its effects on effort capacity, muscle strength and lung capacity.

Clinical Features and Paraclinical Findings in Patients with SARS CoV-2 Pneumonia and the Impact of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in POST-COVID-19 Patients

“…Pulmonary rehabilitation has many goals, such as maintaining flow through the respiratory tract, improving ventilation, decreasing the patient’s dyspnea, improving respiratory muscle function and chest mobility, reducing the respiratory rate, improving overall endurance, achieving relaxation with reduced or abolished anxiety and/or depression, and an overall improved quality of life for the patient [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Nature relatedness, flow experience, and environmental behaviors in nature-based leisure activities

“…It also encourages physical activity, increases fitness, and supports a healthy lifestyle ( Brymer et al, 2010 ; Lawton et al, 2017 ). Studies have shown that time spent in nature positively affects mental and emotional health, reduces stress, improves mood, and encourages creativity ( Tinsley and Eldredge, 1995 ; Iwasaki et al, 2005 ; Li et al, 2021 ; Onu et al, 2022 ; Ratcliffe et al, 2022 ).…”