Exercise intervention for post-acute COVID-19 syndrome - do FITT-VP principles apply? A case study

The lack of standardisation of reporting exercise interventions hampers the development of best practice guidelines for long COVID patients. This case study on the effect of an exercise intervention in a long COVID patient applied the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) for reporting interventions. FITT-VP exercise prescription principles for long COVID rehabilitation are also suggested. A 58-year-old male, previously hospitalised for 14 days in the ward for the intensive care for the management of severe COVID-19 infection, joined an exercise rehabilitation programme. A medical history, anthropometric, biochemical, lung function, blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness and strength measures were all assessed before and after the eight week exercise intervention programme. Positive changes were found in all lung function test measures. Cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance capacity and muscle strength improved. However, the greatest improvements occurred in functional status, fatigue, dyspnoea and the state of depression levels. This case study suggested that in the absence of other instruments, the FITT-VP principles may be used for long COVID patients, and CERT for reporting interventions, but these should be further researched.