The importance of deconditioned patient rehabilitation after hospital treatment of COVID-19 infection: A case report

Abstract

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to significant public health problems, severe complications, and functional impairment in persons who have recovered from this disease. Case report. A 60-years-old male deconditioned patient was transferred from Corona 4 Center to the Center for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the University Clinical Center in Kragujevac for a post-COVID rehabilitation due to pronounced muscle weakness and inability to walk. After functional testing, an individual rehabilitation plan was created and a kinesitherapy program was adjusted daily based on the patient's respiratory status. After the kinesitherapy program, Respivol was used-a volumetric medical device for breathing exercises in patients with respiratory difficulties. At the time of admission, the patient could not move independently, could not move from the lying to the sitting position on his own, and could not maintain balance in the sitting position. Hypotrophy caused by prolonged inactivity of the muscles of the whole body dominated the clinical picture. A six-week rehabilitation treatment performed on the patient showed a significant improvement in functionality (FIM test), muscle strength (manual muscle test), daily life activity (Barthel index), as well as a reduction of anxiety (GAD-7 scale). Conclusion. The goal of the rehabilitation program is to restore the patient's state of functionality before the initiation of COVID-19 treatment, so that they can perform their regular professional activities and achieve complete independence in performing activities of daily living (ADL).