By David Freeze
At least in my circles, I have heard recently of some long-time local exercisers who are having trouble getting back to their regular exercise after having COVID. While it seems that most have bounced off of it and able to return to normal activities, at least the concept of a slow return to normal is widespread and also getting some national attention.
While most have listed at least a month of poor exercise following COVID, some are lingering much longer with no apparent reason otherwise. Health magazine has reported that long COVID can drastically reduce a person’s capacity for exercise and physical activity. Researchers analyzed 38 different studies on how long COVID affects exercise and their recovery. Findings say that exercise intolerance can steal away up to a decade of exercise ability.
“This roughly translates to the expected decrease in exercise capacity by aging one decade,” lead study author Dr. Matthew Durstenfeld, a cardiologist and clinical researcher in the department of medicine at the University of California. This could look like going from the ability to do light jogging to only being able to do a brisk walk, he added. While this may not be the case for everyone with long COVID, it does show that long COVID’s impact on exercise is varied and can be extreme.
“As this is an average, some people experience no decrease in exercise capacity at all,” Durstenfeld said. “And others experience a really profound decrease in what activities they can do. It’s associated with heart and lung function and is a common symptom of many chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes and heart failure.”
Regarding long COVID and exercise intolerance, Durstenfeld and his colleagues looked into the connection after seeing participants of another study — the Long-Term Impact of Infection with Novel Coronavirus study — regularly report that they weren’t able to exercise as much or at the same intensity as they had before having COVID.
“For some, it was going from being an elite cyclist to ‘normal,’ and for others from being able to exercise normally to an inability to do their regular activities,” Durstenfeld said.
Researchers analyzed 38 different studies with a total of 2,160 participants, and ultimately homed in on nine studies including 464 individuals with symptoms of long COVID and 359 without. The studies relied on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to measure exercise capacity, specifically their peak oxygen consumption (V̇o2).
Researchers found differences in the peak Vo2 among people who had symptoms of long COVID more than three months after a bout of COVID, and those who did not. Researchers also said the reduced exercise capability goes beyond just deconditioning, or the physiological changes that come after a period of inactivity. People also experienced dysfunctional breathing, chronotropic incompetence (inability to increase heart rate during exercise) and impaired oxygen uptake and utilization.
As with most information surrounding long COVID, much is still unknown about the condition — including its connection to exercise intolerance. “No single mechanism emerged as to why long COVID contributes to a decrease in exercise capacity,” Durstenfeld said. He and his colleagues concluded that more research needs to be done on the connection, but that exercise intolerance should be considered a potential symptom of long COVID.
If you suspect you are affected, please see your doctor for the latest treatment.
The self-defense training clinic offered by Sidekick Karate and the Salisbury Rowan Runners is filling up. While planned as a result of recent female runner deaths nationwide, the session is open to men as well. The training clinic will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Sidekick Karate from 10 a.m. to noon. Reserve your spot by emailing me at david.freeze@ctc.net . Look for this and other activities at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org .
