ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the physical health and personal well-being of people around the world, and a significant portion of patients experience persistent symptoms for several weeks or even months after their initial recovery from the infection, which the academic community refers to as "long COVID" or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). PASC is increasingly recognized as a serious global public health issue, and there is an urgent need for more effective strategies to control and prevent this risk. Appropriate exercise is considered a good way to improve the physical fitness of COVID-19 patients, strengthen muscle strength, and improve neurological function, which can help alleviate PASC symptoms. However, if patients have underlying pathological risks (such as myocarditis) or engage in inappropriate exercise, exercise may instead be harmful to health and even lead to sudden death. Therefore, safely and scientifically return to physical activity after the COVID-19 infection has become a common demand of patients. To achieve this goal, this article focuses on the scientific return to exercise after a COVID-19 virus infection. It first introduces the specific manifestations, pathological mechanisms, and current research status of PASC, and discusses the benefits and risks of exercise after infection. And then, based on different recovery exercise guidelines, the main principles and precautions for rehabilitation of exercise after the COVID-19 infection are analyzed. Finally, this article summarizes the exercise recommendations of some authoritative organizations, aiming to provide insights for safely returning to exercise after recovering from the COVID-19 infection.