Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40060168›Full record

ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2025

Effects of an app-based physical training for long- and post-COVID treatment (A PILOT) study: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Sarah Isabel Krieg, Lynn Matits, Lennart Mentz, Johannes Kirsten, Birgit Friedmann-Bette, Andreas Niess, Peter Deibert, Philipp Maier, Michèle Natale, Gunnar Erz and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sarah Isabel KriegSports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Lynn MatitsSports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Lennart MentzSports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Johannes KirstenSports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Birgit Friedmann-BetteDepartment of Sports Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Andreas NiessDepartment of Sports Medicine, Medical Clinic, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Peter DeibertInstitute for Exercise and Occupational Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Philipp MaierInstitute for Exercise and Occupational Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Michèle NataleDepartment of Sports Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Gunnar ErzDepartment of Sports Medicine, Medical Clinic, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Daniel Alexander BizjakSports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Jana SchellenbergSports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7467-2614

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Long- and post-COVID syndrome (PCS) affect at least 65 million individuals globally, with an estimated incidence of 10% among over 651 million documented cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. PCS impacts nearly every organ system, posing significant challenges for healthcare systems and patients. Despite this, effective guidelines for multimodal training or rehabilitation remain absent. The app-based physical intervention for long- and post-COVID treatment (A PILOT) study is a prospective, multicentre, two-armed, randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an app-based multimodal training intervention in patients with PCS. 100 participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG). Over 2 months, the IG will follow a standardised app-based intervention programme incorporating breathing exercises, endurance and strength training and progressive muscle relaxation. The CG will adhere to general WHO exercise recommendations during the waiting period and gain access to the app after the study concludes. Comprehensive assessments, including physical examinations, blood tests, psychological questionnaires, transthoracic echocardiography, electrocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing, will be conducted pre- and post-intervention. The primary endpoints are the effects of app-based multimodal training on physical performance, neurocognitive function and health-related quality of life. Secondary endpoints include mental health outcomes (eg, depression, perceived stress, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness), echocardiographic and anthropometric measures and alterations in inflammatory markers and metabolites of the kynurenine pathway. This study aims to provide critical insights into structured app-based programmes, potentially establishing a framework for improving recovery in PCS patients.

Indexed as

Cardiology preventionCOVID-19Sports medicineSports rehabilitation programs

Identifiers

PMID40060168
PMCPMC11887285

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Registered trials

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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.