Kineziterapija pagerina COVID-19 liga persirgusių asmenų kvėpavimo funkcijas, pusiausvyrą ir fizinį pajėgumą

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Although most patients with COVID-19 develop a mild form, approximately 14 per cent get a severe form of the disease, which requires hospitalisation and additional oxygen supply, and 5 per cent require to be treated in the intensive care unit. The patients who fell ill with COVID-19 and have disturbed biosocial functions are provided with rehabilitation services. Still, there is a lack of research that would reveal the effect of physiotherapy on respiratory system function, physical capacity, and balance. The study aims to evaluate the effect of physiotherapy on patients with COVID-19 disease. 15 participants (the mean age 56.00 ± 4.61 years) who had moderate COVID-19 disease and were hospitalised at least 30 days before the study participated in the research. All participants received physiotherapy for 4 weeks, 5 times a week, each session lasting 30 minutes. Participants were evaluated twice, before the study and after 4 weeks. The assessment methods included spirometry (forced vital capacity [FVC] and forced expiratory volume in the first second after maximal inspiration [FEV1]), the measurement of chest excursion, the assessment of balance on the Berg scale, and the assessment of physical capacity with a 6-minute walk test. After physiotherapy intervention, FVC (p<0.05) and FEV1 (p<0.05) increased, Berg test results improved (p<0.05). It can be concluded that four-week physiotherapy, including breathing and balance exercises, can be used as an effective rehabilitation tool for individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 disease.