| EFFECT OF AN EXERCISE PROGRAM ON FATIGUE, DYSPNEA, AND ANXIETY IN POST-COVID-19 PATIENTS AFTER INTENSIVE CARE UNIT DISCHARGE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL |
| Paper ID : 1450-SPORTCONGRESS (R1) |
| Authors |
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Masoud Karimzade *1, Reza Mahdavinejad2 1Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, National University of Skills (NUS), Tehran, Iran 2Department of Sports Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: Post-COVID syndrome refers to a constellation of clinical symptoms that persist after recovery from acute COVID-19 infection. These symptoms commonly include chronic fatigue, dyspnea, anxiety, and depression, which can significantly impair patients’ quality of life. Patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the acute phase are particularly at risk for prolonged physical and psychological impairments (Yamamoto et al., 2023). Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) exercises have emerged as a novel rehabilitation approach for these patients. Given the high prevalence of fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety in post-COVID patients, particularly those with a history of ICU admission, it is essential to evaluate effective rehabilitation interventions such as DNS to improve both physical and psychological outcomes.. Methods: This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects of DNS exercises on fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety in post-COVID patients with a history of invasive mechanical ventilation. The study was conducted in accordance with the CONSORT guidelines (Moher et al., 2010) and is registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) under reference number IRCT20241216064076N1 (https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir). A total of 26 patients were randomly assigned to either a six-week DNS exercise intervention group or a control group that received no intervention. Fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety were assessed using the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), the Baseline Dyspnea Index (BDI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA. Results: The results showed a significant reduction in mean scores of fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety in the intervention group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The greatest improvements were observed in anxiety and dyspnea scores. Conclusion: DNS exercises significantly improved fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety in post-COVID patients following intensive care and may be considered a beneficial component of rehabilitation programs for this population. |
| Keywords |
| Post-COVID, mechanical ventilation, fatigue, dyspnea, anxiety, DNS |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
