Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41493630›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of pediatrics2026

Individualized online exercise therapy aids recovery in pediatric long-COVID-findings from an exploratory randomized controlled trial.

Sarah Christina Goretzki, Mara Bergelt, Laurent Weis, Rayan Hojeii, Gabriele Gauß, Miriam Götte, Ronja Beller, Sven Benson, Anne Schönecker, Adela Della Marina and 13 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of pediatrics, 2026. 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

23 authors.

Sarah Christina GoretzkiDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany. sarah.goretzki@uk-essen.de.
Mara BergeltIST University of Applied Sciences, Health Management and Public Health, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Laurent WeisIST University of Applied Sciences, Health Management and Public Health, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Rayan HojeiiDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Gabriele GaußDepartment of Pediatrics III, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Pediatric Rheumatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Miriam GötteDepartment of Pediatrics III, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Pediatric Rheumatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Ronja BellerDepartment of Pediatrics III, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Pediatric Rheumatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Sven BensonInstitute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Anne SchöneckerDepartment of Pediatrics III, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Pediatric Rheumatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Adela Della MarinaDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Andrea GangfußDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Florian StehlingDepartment of Pediatrics III, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Pediatric Rheumatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Christina PentekDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Anna von LoewenichDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Tom HühneDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Clara HeldDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Sebastian VoigtInstitute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Ursula Felderhoff-MüserDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Michael M SchündelnDepartment of Pediatrics III, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Pediatric Rheumatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Nora BrunsDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Katharina EckertIST University of Applied Sciences, Health Management and Public Health, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Christian Dohna-SchwakeDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Maire BrasselerDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Infectiology, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, Children's Hospital Essen, 45147, Essen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of an individualized online exercise therapy (IOET) designed to improve physical capacity and quality of life in children and adolescents with long-COVID. In a prospective, randomized, single-center exploratory trial, 14 patients aged 9-17 years with long-COVID (median symptom duration: 21 months) received either 6 or 12 weeks of IOET. Sessions were held twice weekly via telemedicine and individually adapted to physical ability and symptoms. Primary outcomes were functional performance (6-minute walk test [6MWT], sit-to-stand test [STST], and handgrip strength test [HST]). Secondary outcomes included school attendance, quality of life (PedsQL), safety, and self-reported recovery. All participants showed clinically improvements. In the 12-week IOET group, 6MWT increased from 396.0 to 616.3 m (+ 220.3 m, 95% CI 98.2-342.4), STST from 25.4 to 32.6 repetitions (+ 7.2, 1.9-12.5), and HST from 16.6 to 27.1 kg (+ 10.5 kg, 4.8-16.1). The 6-week group improved comparably (6MWT: 429.0 m to 601.6 m, (+ 172.6 m, 64.7-280.6); STST: 21.6 to 31.7 (+ 10.1, 3.1-17.1); HST: 17.3 to 22.1 kg (+ 4.8 kg (0.7-8.9)). School attendance rose from 58 to 97%, and PedsQL reflected improved quality of life and reduced fatigue. No adverse events or post-exertional symptom exacerbations occurred. Improvements persisted at the 3-month follow-up.

conclusionsIOET is feasible, safe, and associated with improved physical function, reintegration in everyday life, and its quality in pediatric long-COVID. These findings highlight IOET as a promising rehabilitation strategy and justify larger multicenter trials to confirm effectiveness and define optimal duration. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Children and adolescents with long-COVID often experience persistent fatigue, impaired physical capacity, and reduced quality of life, with limited evidence-based treatment options available. • Exercise therapy has shown beneficial effects in other chronic pediatric conditions such as cancer- or fatigue-related syndromes, improving strength, well-being, and social participation. WHAT IS NEW: • This exploratory randomized controlled trial demonstrates that individualized online exercise therapy is feasible, safe, and associated with clinically relevant improvements in physical function, quality of life, and school attendance in pediatric long-COVID, without negative side effects. • The findings highlight the potential of telemedicine-based rehabilitation strategies as accessible and effective treatment approaches for children and adolescents with post-infectious conditions such as long-COVID.

Indexed as

COVID-19Exercise TherapyAdolescentChildFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSARS-CoV-2TelemedicineTreatment OutcomeWalk TestExercise therapyFatigueMental healthPediatric long-COVIDPhysical healthSchool participation

Identifiers

PMID41493630
PMCPMC12774993

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.