Trial reportClinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society2023
Physical exercise as a treatment for persisting symptoms post-COVID infection: review of ongoing studies and prospective randomized controlled training study.
Trial report in Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical efficacy of exercise in the treatment of post-COVID-19 syndrome: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of telerehabilitation versus face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation on physical function and quality of life in people with post COVID-19 condition: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of a 12-week high-intensity interval training intervention on cardiac structure and function after COVID-19 at 12-month follow-up.Experimental physiology · 2026Trial
- Effects of a symptom-titrated exercise program on fatigue and quality of life in people with post-COVID condition - a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Candidate treatments for long COVID: a narrative review of expert and patient-driven priorities.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- A Structured Low-Intensity Home-Based Walking Program to Improve Physical and Mental Functioning After Hospitalization for Severe COVID-19: A Pragmatic Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Post-exertional malaise in Long COVID: subjective reporting versus objective assessment.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Rehabilitation interventions and outcomes for post-COVID condition: a scoping review.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Self-reported fatigue in people with post COVID-19: impact on functioning in daily life, and associated factors - a cross-sectional study.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2024Article
- Optimizing cardiopulmonary rehabilitation duration for long COVID patients: an exercise physiology monitoring approach.GeroScience · 2024Article
- Early Effects of a Pain-Informed Movement Program in Patients with Post-COVID-19 Condition Experiencing Persistent Pain: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
background and purposeNo evidence-based treatment is available for patients with persisting symptoms post-COVID-19 infection. We hypothesized that physical exercise may represent a safe and effective treatment option for post-COVID.
methodsWe performed a systematic search of the literature that revealed a lack of randomized training studies in patients post-COVID. Based on these findings, a prospective randomized controlled study with open-label and blinded endpoint evaluation was designed. 272 patients with symptoms of fatigue persisting over 6 weeks post-COVID infection were screened. Patients with pathological cardiovascular findings were excluded. 57 patients consented and were randomized to 4 weeks of supervised personalized strength and endurance training or usual care. The follow-up period was 3 and 6 months.
resultsThere were no adverse events related to the training. Spiroergometry of the training group showed a significantly higher increase in VO2peak (10.0 ± 12.7% vs. 0.1 ± 8.9%, p < 0.01, respectively) and oxygen pulse (9.8 ± 10.8% vs. 0.0 ± 13.9%, p < 0.05, respectively). Parameters of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Post-COVID-19 Functional Status were improved after 4 weeks in both groups. In the follow-up period, the total physical activity per week was significantly greater in the exercise group than in controls (1280 ± 1192 min vs. 644 ± 554 min, p < 0.05, respectively). The improvements in fatigue and quality of life were not statistically different between the training and usual care groups.
conclusionExercise is safe and improves maximal exercise capacity in post-COVID patients. Fatigue and quality of life improve over time in individuals that are willing to participate in a training study irrespective of their allocation. REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00026686. Date of registration: 27.09.2021.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.