A collaborative study on rehabilitating altered pulmonary functions of COVID-19 survivors with selective yoga regime

Lung fibrosis during COVID-19 infection has posed long-term changes in COVID-19 survivors that lead to deranged pulmonary function, and some alternative rehabilitative measures were needed for a faster recovery. Limited studies have shown the effect of yoga as rehabilitative therapy on altered pulmonary functions in COVID-19 survivors.

To analyze the rehabilitating effect of a selective yoga regime on the altered pulmonary functions of COVID-19 survivors.

It was a follow-up, comparative study based on a tertiary care center in Central India. The enrolled participants underwent clinical and pulmonary function evaluation at the outpatient medicine and pulmonary department of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (Bhopal, India). A total of 82 COVID-19 survivors with deranged pulmonary functions were enrolled for rehabilitation with selective yoga regime After the 8-week selective yoga regime rehabilitation, their pulmonary functions were evaluated and analyzed, with the help of an NDD digital computerized spirometer (NDD Meditechnik AG, Switzerland).

Selective yoga regime as rehabilitation showed a significant improvement after 8 weeks of yogic intervention that can be explained by almost all significantly improved PFT parameters except for the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1s and forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) (P = 0.6), forced expiratory flow during 25%-75% expiration (FEF 25%-75%) (P = 0.014), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) (P = 0.12). All parameters are represented by their best percentage predicted values among COVID-19 survivors.

A selective yoga regimen may be used for long-term sequelae or speeded recovery in pulmonary functions affected with COVID 19 or similar infection.