To contrast and reverse skeletal muscle weakness by Full-Body In-Bed Gym in chronic COVID-19 pandemic syndrome

Abstract

Mobility-impaired persons, either very old or younger but suffering with systemic neuromuscular disorders or chronic organ failures, spend small amounts of time for daily physical activity, contributing to aggravate their poor mobility by resting muscle atrophy. Sooner or later the limitations to their mobility enforce them to bed and to more frequent hospitalizations. We include among these patients at risk those who are negative for the SARS-COV-2 infection, but suffering with COVID-19 pandemic syndrome. Beside managements of psychological symptoms, it is mandatory to offer to the last group physical rehabilitation approaches easy to learn and self-managed at home. Inspired by the proven capability to recover skeletal muscle contractility and strength by home-based volitional exercises and functional electrical stimulation, we suggest also for chronic COVID-19 pandemic syndrome a 10–20 min long daily routine of easy and safe physical exercises that can activate, and recover from weakness, the main 400 skeletal muscles used for every-day mobility activities. Persons can do many of them in bed (Full-Body in-Bed Gym), and hospitalized patients can learn this light training before leaving the hospital. It is, indeed, an extension of well-established cardiovascular-respiratory rehabilitation training performed after heavy surgical interventions. Blood pressure readings, monitored before and after daily routine, demonstrate a transient decrease in peripheral resistance due to increased blood flow of many muscles. Continued regularly, Full-Body in-Bed Gym may help maintaining independence of frail people, including those suffering with the COVID-19 pandemic syndrome.

Assessment of the Adaptive Force of Elbow Extensors in Healthy Subjects Quantified by a Novel Pneumatically Driven Measurement System with Considerations of Its Quality Criteria

“…Furthermore, an impairment of muscular function is discussed for chronic fatigue syndromes [68], COVID-19 [69], cancer [70] and hormonal dysfunction [71,72]. Currently, e.g., no-load resistance training [73,74] and power training [75] are being investigated, with the aim of improving functional muscle capacity. However, the parameters of Adaptive Force (especially AFiso max ) might be reduced, too.…”

Optimized progression of Full-Body In-Bed Gym workout: an educational case report

“…The suggested workout can be seen in panels 1, 2 and 3 of Figure 1 (redrawn from figures of an earlier EJTM typescript). 13 …”

“…This is strong evidence that peripheral arterial resistance is decreased during the demanding exercises because blood perfusion is increased by relaxation of the perforating arteries of the main skeletal muscles of the body, i. e., for functional hyperemia of the main muscles of the body. 13 …”

“…Awaiting development of implantable devices for muscle stimulation, as effective as pacemakers for cardiac arrhythmias, 5 implantable stimulators for ventilatory supports, 6,7 or cochlear implants for hearing loss, 8,9 education of sedentary patients to perform home physical exercises could be an effective low-cost alternative during and after hospitalization. [10][11][12][13] Cardiovascular and respiratory physical rehabilitation protocols of surgical patients are well established approaches, whose main goal is to reverse muscle weakness/atrophy. 14,15 We extended those routines to a daily short (10-20 min) sequence of easy-to-learn, safe and tool-free volitional physical exercises to be performed in bed (Full-Body in-Bed Gym) to improve muscles and, hence, mobility of impaired persons.…”

Functional characteristics and subjective disease perception in patients with COVID-19 two months after hospital discharge

“…Due to the complexity of rehabilitation after COVID-19, bed exercises can be an effective tool in the initial stages. An example of bed exercises is the Full-body in-Bed Gym program (50,51), which allows the difficulty of the exercises to be adjusted to the individual's physical and mental capabilities. Thermal water rehabilitation is also a possible suggestion for an effective rehabilitation program tailored to the individual.…”