ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the shutdown of much of the world's economic and social operations. Given shutdown of exercise facilities, there has been a sharp uptick in a sedentary lifestyle. As people have lost their normal daily activity patterns, it is reasonable to assume that musculoskeletal pain-related syndromes will consequently begin to increase. In addition, there has been a rise in social network, television, and online home-based workouts. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear whether previous recommendations for physical activities will remain sufficient, given cessation of normal physical activities from day-to-day life. We raise a variety of questions in dealing with the potential fallout of the COVID-19 shutdown from a musculoskeletal standpoint.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Exercise Therapy/methods , Health Behavior/physiology , Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Sedentary Behavior , Betacoronavirus/pathogenicity , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/transmission , Coronavirus Infections/virology , Exercise Therapy/adverse effects , Humans , Incidence , Musculoskeletal Pain/physiopathology , Musculoskeletal Pain/rehabilitation , Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/transmission , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Quarantine/standards , SARS-CoV-2 , Surveys and Questionnaires , Time FactorsABSTRACT
The 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic elucidated how a single highly infectious virus can overburden health care systems of even highly economically developed nations. A leading contributor to these concerning outcomes is a lack of available intensive care unit (ICU) beds and mechanical ventilation support. Poorer health is associated with a higher risk for severe respiratory complications from the coronavirus. We hypothesize that impaired respiratory muscle performance is an underappreciated factor contributing to poor outcomes unfolding during the coronavirus pandemic. Although impaired respiratory muscle performance is considered to be rare, it is more frequently encountered in patients with poorer health, in particular obesity. However, measures of respiratory muscle performance are not routinely performed in clinical practice, including those with symptoms such as dyspnea. The purpose of this article is to discuss the potential role of respiratory muscle performance from the perspective of the coronavirus pandemic. We also provide a theoretical patient management model to screen for impaired respiratory muscle performance and intervention, if identified, with the goal of unburdening health care systems during future pandemic crises.