ArticlePhysiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy2022
Postural balance and its association with functionality and quality of life in non-hospitalized patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.
Article in Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health-related quality of life in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Post COVID-19 Condition: a systematic review.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Functional Recovery of Adults Following Acute COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Physical therapy · 2025Pooled it
- Balance Control and Its Correlation with Functional Capacity in People with Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease.Muscles (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Berg Balance Scale in post-COVID-19 patients: results from a retrospective study.Journal of medicine and life · 2025Article
- Defining and measuring long COVID fatigue: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2024Article
- A pilot cross-sectional investigation of symptom clusters and associations with patient-reported outcomes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Post COVID-19 Condition.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- The Tinetti Balance Test Is an Effective Predictor of Functional Decline in Non-Hospitalized Post-COVID-19 Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Physical exercise-related manifestations of long COVID: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2024Review
- Illness presentation and quality of life in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and post COVID-19 condition: a pilot Australian cross-sectional study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Effects of a Multifactorial Program with Case Management for Falls Prevention on Functional Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Randomized Clinical Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Clinical and Functional Effects of Rehabilitation of Patients after COVID-19 Infection.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Feasibility and Safety of Early Post-COVID-19 High-Intensity Gait Training: A Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Balance Ability and Quality of Life in Older Adult with Recovery from Mild COVID-19.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2023Article
- Balance Disorders in People with History of COVID-19 in Light of Posturographic Tests.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- [Quality of life and functional status at hospital discharge of patients with COVID-19 in Colombia].Revista de salud publica (Bogota, Colombia) · 2023Article
- Surviving critical COVID-19: How functionality, physical, mental and cognitive outcomes evolve?PloS one · 2023Article
- Smartphone-based evaluation of static balance and mobility in long-lasting COVID-19 patients.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Perception of verticality in the post-COVID-19 condition correlates to infection severity.Journal of central nervous system disease · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesThe neuromuscular system is responsible for performing adequate muscle activities to maintain postural balance. Since COVID-19 can cause damage to this system, long-term sequelae might alter control of postural stability. This study aimed to evaluate the postural balance of patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) who were not hospitalized and to evaluate the correlations of changes in postural balance with general fatigue, muscle strength, and quality of life (QoL).
methodsThis was a cross-sectional study in which 40 patients with PCS and 40 controls underwent balance assessment through the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Tinetti Balance Scale (TBS). They were evaluated for general fatigue by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) scale, handgrip strength (HGS), and quality of life (QoL) by the Short Form-36 (SF-36).
resultsWhen compared to controls, patients with PCS had lower BBS and TBS scores (p = 0.001 for both). The FACIT-F score was lower in PCS patients (p = 0.0001). HGS was slightly lower in the PCS patients, but not statistically significant (p = 0.09). Regarding QoL, PCS patients showed worse evaluations in five dimensions of the SF-36 (physical functioning, physical role limitations, bodily pain, general health perceptions, and mental health). Both the BBS and TBS scores had statistically significant positive correlations with the FACIT-F score, HGS, and two SF-36 dimensions (physical role limitations and emotional role limitations).
conclusionsPatients with PCS show worse postural balance than controls, which is associated with general fatigue, lower HGS, and poor QoL. Postural balance assessment should be considered in the follow-up and rehabilitation of PCS.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.