Covid-19 infection sometimes leads to what doctors call “long Covid”, with consequences for physical abilities. How to resume physical activity without risk afterwards? Explanations.
- Cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, malaise after exercise, loss of taste or smell, fever, depression, cognitive dysfunction… Two million French people are still suffering from long Covid symptoms, according to Public Health France.
- Women are statistically more at risk of suffering from long forms of Covid-19.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 10 to 20% of people infected with the coronavirus have developed “long Covid” symptoms, i.e. which persist for several weeks or months, or even years, with sometimes serious consequences on their abilities. physical, cardiac and respiratory. Some now see the end of the tunnel and are considering resuming physical activity “as before”. But caution is in order: after a long forced break that may have left its mark, it is crucial to take your time and accept your limits. How to intelligently resume sport after a long Covid? In an independent media article The ConversationLewis Gough, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) takes stock.
After a long Covid, play sports but not too much
the National Institute for Health Research from the UK recommends an approach focused on the severity of symptoms of Covid-19. The first thing to do is therefore to talk to your doctor, who will be able to advise you on rehabilitation exercises or direct you to a physical activity adapted to your physical condition. The idea is to respect your current post-Covid rhythm, and not to resume the pace of the athlete you were. Adapt the volume and intensity of the exercise to your abilities, without exhausting yourself. To help you see more clearly, note your symptoms (level of fatigue, shortness of breath, post-exercise discomfort, etc.) during and after exercise on a scale of 1 to 10. And rest! So much for the general recommendations.
What exercises to practice after a long Covid?
WHO offers helpful information on how to safely return to exercise while recovering from COVID symptoms. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous. You can start with some chair exercises, such as standing squats or overhead punches (using the chair for support or sitting down). You can then perform sit-to-stand sequences or squats, then gradually move on to walking or light household chores. Practicing an activity in a group, in the forest for example, is strongly recommended by doctors, because it motivates the person to “buy in” to the effort.
Once you feel a little more ready, and after validation by the doctor, the idea is to work on both strength (bodybuilding, weights, etc.) and endurance (running, cycling, etc.), with the objective of stimulating cardiovascular and respiratory rhythms but also of regaining the muscle lost during the long Covid. Studies here and the showed that only six to eight weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation, at the rate of three sessions of strength and endurance exercises per week, drastically reduced shortness of breath and increased the quality of life of people infected with long Covid.
Bonus asset: getting back into sport is also an excellent way to ward off possible future coronavirus infections. Combined with a healthy lifestyle (diet and sleep), physical activity can indeed strengthen your immune system by boosting the production of anti-inflammatory proteins in the body, reminds Professor Lewis Gough. Adopting a sports routine, in moderation, progressively and on prescription, notably reduces the risk of ending up in the tunnel again.