Elastic and Traditional Resistance Training Improve Muscle Strength and Reduce Symptom Severity in Individuals with Long COVID

The novel coronavirus triggered a global pandemic in March 2020, leading to millions of fatalities worldwide. Some individuals experience symptoms that persist beyond the acute phase of infection; a condition now known as Long COVID. Resistance training (RT) may offer a feasible rehabilitation strategy. The aim was to investigate the effect of traditional and elastic RT on muscle mass, strength, and several health indicators in individuals with Long COVID. Eight individuals (2 male, 6 female) with Long COVID (46.8 ± 14.8 years; 27.7 ± 5.3 kg/m 2) were randomly allocated to a traditional RT (TRAD; n= 4) or RT with elastic extensors (ELAS; n=4) intervention group. Training was undertaken twice a week for 12 weeks. Long COVID symptoms score, handgrip strength, body composition, functional performance, blood glucose and uric acid were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze within-between between groups interaction. All participants were also analyzed as a single RT group (n=8) pre- and post-intervention. Symptom scores decreased significantly (~ 45%) after training only in the ELAS group (P = 0.04). Handgrip strength increased by 12% when considering all participants as one group (P < 0.05). Fatigue, bone or joint pain and memory loss scores decreased by 53%, 48%, and 50%, respectively, following the 12-week RT intervention, irrespective of type. Traditional and elastic RT are safe and can increase muscle strength and reduce the magnitude of Long COVID symptoms, with potential to improve quality of life. Future studies should explore the impact of RT utilizing larger sample sizes, more intensive training protocols, and the inclusion of control groups to strengthen the evidence base.