ArticlePhysical therapy2025
Trajectories of Physical Disabilities Over 6 Months in Patients With Long COVID.
Article in Physical therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
importanceUnderstanding the long-term impact of long COVID on physical function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential to guide clinical care and rehabilitation.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to compare physical capacity over time among adults in 3 groups: those without COVID-19 (control group [CG]), those who recovered from COVID without persistent symptoms (short COVID group [SCG]), and those with long COVID (long COVID group [LCG]). A secondary objective was to identify baseline predictors of 6-month HRQoL in the LCG.
designThis study was a prospective longitudinal cohort study.
settingIn-laboratory assessments were conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, at either the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (Quebec City) or the Orthopedic Clinical Research Unit (Montreal).
participantsA total of 360 age- and sex-matched adults (n = 120 per group), including individuals without a history of COVID-19 (CG), those with short COVID (symptom resolution within 4 weeks, SCG), and those with persistent symptoms ≥12 weeks (LCG) participated in the study. INTERVENTION/EXPOSURE: Participants were categorized based on their COVID-19 history and symptom duration and no intervention or exposure was applied. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Self-reported outcomes measuring HRQoL, comorbidities, sleep quality, pain, and fatigue, along with objective measures such as grip strength, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 6-min walk test (6MWT), and perceived exertion (Modified Borg Scale) during the 6MWT, were collected. Daily averages for resting heart rate, step count, and minutes of intensive activity were recorded over 7 days using a fitness tracker watch. Generalized estimating equations were used for longitudinal comparisons, and recursive partitioning analysis for predicting HRQoL factors.
resultsSignificant time × group interactions were observed for HRQoL, sleep quality, pain, fatigue, SPPB, and 6MWT. Although the LCG showed significant improvements across these outcomes, only the reduction in fatigue reached a clinically meaningful level, whereas the other groups remained stable. A group effect was detected for all outcomes, except for heart rate and minutes of intensive activity, with the LCG consistently showing lower scores across all follow-ups. Recursive partitioning analysis identified 2 baseline predictors of HRQoL at 6 months in the LCG: self-reported fatigue and daily step count. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings highlight the persistent impairments in adults with long COVID and emphasize early HRQoL predictor identification to anticipate long-term needs and adjust treatment plans accordingly.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.