Role of Physical Therapy and Virtual Rehabilitation during and after COVID-19 Disease

ABSTRACT

Early physical therapy rehabilitation protocols have shown improved functional outcomes and a reduction in mortality rates. Virtual rehabilitation (VR) has allowed practitioners to provide safe treatment without any risk of viral contamination. This review aimed to evaluate the importance of physical therapy and rehabilitation during and after the infection of coronavirus (COVID-19). To do so, four electronic databases such as PubMed, ResearchGate, Science Direct, and Google Scholars were searched to retrieve articles published after the outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six studies were included in the final review. It is a compilation and examination of physical therapy treatments provided by various hospitals and organizations during and after CO-VID-19. The present review throws light on physical therapy, going hand in hand with VR, to play a promising role in patients with mild to moderate symptoms, thus improving their quality of life. The necessary references, as well as the statistics gathered from the published articles, are available. A total of 12 046 patients were included. Of the total patients, 3085 (25.6%) had fatigue symptoms and 1866 (15.5%) had arthralgia/myalgia. Within an hour of being in the prone position, patients were found to have an increase in the oxygen saturation (SpO2) level from 94% to 98%. The pace of breathing also improved, dropping from 31 to 22 per minute. Physical therapy and VR have improved daily activities while assisting in the recovery of health, lifestyle, and lowering post-illness physical and mental deficiencies. ©Copyright 2022 by Anatolian Journal of Family Medicine